Body found in popular picnic spot

Police have converged on a popular Western Bay park after a woman's body was discovered.
The woman was found about 1pm yesterday at McLaren Falls Park, in the Kaimai Range, 21km from Tauranga.
Today, a 15-strong Tauranga police team continued its scene examination in a bid to piece together what happened to the woman., who is yet to be formally identified.
The park is closed to the public while police investigations continue.
Police are releasing few details about the death or their investigation.
Inquiry head Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner said police were focusing on a scene examination and post mortem results to establish the circumstances surrounding the death.
Mr Turner would not say who found the woman or whether she had been found on a walking track or inside a vehicle. Police would not reveal if the woman's body had been left at the scene overnight.
It was not stated how old she was or where she was from.
However, Mr Turner said she was found a "few hundred metres" from the entrance to Marshalls Animal Park.
"We genuinely don't know what has happened here," Mr Turner said from the cordon blocking the scene.
"It's far too early to know what's what."
There was a flurry of police activity in the normally peaceful park yesterday following the discovery.
Police cordoned off the scene and erected tents to keep at bay heavy rain showers that persisted throughout the evening.
A special command unit, owned by the Tauranga Fire Service, has been stationed in the park. It comprises a shipping container on the back of a truck and functions as a communication centre.
It also houses computers and lighting equipment and is normally used by the fire service to manage large incidents.
Families and couples unaware of the investigation continued to enter the park yesterday for an early evening walk only to be turned away by police.
Security guards were placed at the scene overnight.
McLaren Falls Park is 170ha of lakeland park set among pastoral farming and horticulture land and has one of the best botanical collections of trees in the North Island.
Many people camp in or tramp through the park, which is managed by Tauranga City Council.
Council communications manager Frank Begley confirmed that campers and day visitors to the park were asked to leave yesterday and the park had been closed until further notice.
He did not know how many people were at the park but said he would have expected between 25 and 30 on a day like yesterday.
"Police have cleared the park and I believe they are investigating a death. We cannot discuss it further because it is a police matter," he said.
Marshall's Animal Park owner and manager Eileen Marshall said the discovery was a sad occasion for the park.
The park offered open spaces, stunning views and meandering tracks through areas of native bush interspersed with exotic trees.
"This is normally a quiet place. This is a pretty sad day," she said.
Mrs Marshall said the park had been busy yesterday but she had not noticed anything suspicious.
The St John Ambulance service was first called to the park to help a woman just after 1pm.
When staff arrived, the woman was already dead.
Police were alerted and quickly put up road blocks to stop people moving into the heart of the park.
Police would like to speak to anyone who was in McLaren Falls Park yesterday.
Meanwhile, police are yet to made an arrest following the murder of Waihi identity Phillip Hennah.
Mr Hennah was found by his daughter lying dead in the driveway of his family home on December 5.