Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Opoutere Beach family tragedy: Body found in water believed to be missing swimmer

Cherie Howie
By Cherie Howie
Reporter·NZ Herald·
21 Jan, 2023 03:39 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

A body found in the water near Opoutere Beach is believed to be that of the missing swimmer. Video / Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust

Police believe a body found in the water near Opoutere Beach this afternoon is that of a swimmer who went missing on Wednesday.

Samuel Cruickshank has been missing since he and other members of his extended family got into trouble while swimming at the beach, north of Coromandel Peninsula’s Whangamatā, three days ago.

His father, Ian Cruickshank, died, and the partner of one of Cruickshank’s daughters had to be airlifted to hospital, where he is recovering.

A group of seven family members were seen signalling for help in the water as the tragedy unfolded, with all brought to shore but one unable to be revived.

Emergency services have been searching since for the remaining missing family member, Samuel Cruickshank.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A member of the public alerted police about 1.30pm after finding the body near Slipper Island/Whakahau, police said.

“While formal identification has yet to take place, police believe the body is likely that of a swimmer who went missing on Wednesday 18 January. [...] the search and rescue operation has now concluded.”

The scene from the air over Opoutere Beach on Wednesday. Photo / Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust
The scene from the air over Opoutere Beach on Wednesday. Photo / Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust

They also wanted to thank all those involved in the search and rescue operation, including partner agencies Surf Life Saving New Zealand, NZ Coastguard, LandSAR, Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the Royal New Zealand Navy, police said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The death will be referred to the Coroner.

Police confirmed six people from a group of seven, seen signalling for help in the water, were rescued, but one person “was unable to be revived”.

Emergency services at the scene on Opoutere Beach near Whangamatā on Wednesday. Photo / Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust
Emergency services at the scene on Opoutere Beach near Whangamatā on Wednesday. Photo / Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust

Holidaymakers told the Herald on Wednesday about their desperate efforts to save the family caught in “very rough” surf off the isolated beach.

Kathy Le Haavre and Tony Brooks, who has worked on a rescue helicopter and is a former surf life-saver, were both on the beach when they spotted a man being dragged out to sea.

Le Haavre, a nurse, spent half an hour giving the man CPR before paramedics arrived on the scene, but he was later confirmed to have died.

Both Brooks and Le Haarve believed the group was a family, as they comforted a woman on the beach whom they understood was the dead man’s wife.

“To lose her husband in front of her eyes and to know her son [was still missing] must be really tough,” Brooks said.

“She had her whole family there. Her son lost his dad. Can you imagine the heartache?”

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'Serious injuries': Crash closes highway

11 Jul 05:30 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Hardly surviving': Sales fall after dairy raid

11 Jul 03:29 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'Serious injuries': Crash closes highway

'Serious injuries': Crash closes highway

11 Jul 05:30 AM

Emergency services are responding to a two-vehicle crash which has closed SH29.

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM
'Hardly surviving': Sales fall after dairy raid

'Hardly surviving': Sales fall after dairy raid

11 Jul 03:29 AM
Substation fault cuts power to thousands in Tauranga

Substation fault cuts power to thousands in Tauranga

11 Jul 03:01 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP