Death swimming at Mount Maunganui: Michael Finekifolau mourned for his family

Eleseni Finekifolau misses her younger brother Michael’s smile, his dancing, his “carefree spirit” and his humor more.

Michael Joseph Finekifolau, 22, from Auckland, disappeared swimming off Mount Maunganui around 10 am Saturday morning, near Marine Parade.

His body was found about 15 kilometers to the east, on the beach near Karewa Parade in Pāpāmoa, at low tide this morning.

The Finekifolau family “had been planning a family trip to the bush for a while to have some quality family time,” Eleseni told the Bay of Plenty Times this afternoon.

Michael “was also excited to climb the mountain” on Saturday, but never made it.

It was a difficult weekend for the Auckland family, but it “means a lot” that they found it, he said.

“All we wanted was to take him back home, where we could properly say goodbye and be with the rest of his family and friends.”

Some had come to the Bay of Plenty to cry and offer immediate support.

“Just being around … sharing good memories of Michael and how loved he was, kept us going.

“One thing about Michael was that he was always happy and that’s the way we will always remember him,” Eleseni said.

Michael disappeared while swimming with two others, before the beach patrols began on Saturday.

The Mount Maunganui Lifeguard had a team of 33 people, ages 18 to 60, searching over the weekend.

They deployed six IRBs and a jet ski, search and rescue manager Thomas Yule said.

The TECT Tauranga rescue helicopter also carried out air searches and emergency call squadrons from Ōmanu and Pāpāmoa covered other stretches of the coast to the east.

Despite the sunny days, conditions in the water were “very challenging,” Yule said.

“They imposed more on our guys than we expected … The waves and swell in the area would certainly be one of the harshest climates we have, outside of a tropical cyclone.”

The boats went up and down the shoreline using GPS, waypoints and points of interest identified by the helicopter, but “it was quite difficult to ride the waves and actively search,” he said.

The volunteers returned to search from 6 in the morning today, until the police arrested them.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand lifeguards saved 577 lives and helped 1,543 people to safety in the 2019/20 season, despite being disrupted by the Covid-19 lockdown.

Yule said large-scale searches like last weekend’s showed that “we have to continually work to improve the skills of our own teams and gain more members.”

Western Bay of Plenty Area Response Manager Senior Sgt Shannon Clifford confirmed that a member of the public found Michael’s body around 7 a.m.

A blessing was performed on the beach around 9 am and Michael’s body was removed.

Alex Jamieson, 79, a resident of Karewa Parade, has lived on the street since 2003.

Jamieson was making breakfast when he first saw the police nearby.

He said it was a popular stretch of beach and a nearby neighborhood.

“It is very sad that something happened so close. I am sorry for the family that has lost their loved one, whatever the circumstances.”

Michael’s death has been referred to the coroner.

The Finekifolau family expressed their gratitude for everyone involved in the widespread search efforts, the police, iwi’s support and blessings, and the hospitality their loved ones received at their AirBnb, the Quest Hotel, and the Tay Street Store.

Staying safe on the beach

• Swim during the patrols, between the flags.
• Swim in places you are familiar with.
• Swim with others, never swim or surf alone, and stay close.
• Learn how to identify tears and how to avoid them.
• If you see someone in trouble and lifeguards are not on patrol, call 111 and ask for the police.