KEY POINTS:
The body of a trainee rafting guide missing since yesterday afternoon has been found.
Professional rafting guides with the aid of a helicopter have been searching parts of the Rangitikei River since the 24-year-old Norwegian man did not resurface after his raft overturned yesterday.
Police said he had significant rafting experience, was well equipped and had been on about six or seven trips on the same stretch of water.
River Valley Rafting managing director Brian Megaw, who employed the man and has been coordinating the search, said his body was found wedged between some rocks at the Fulcrun rapid about 1.30pm.
It took about an hour and a half to extract him, he told NZPA.
The accident had happened when a raft flipped.
"He was wedged in among some rocks deep under water."
There would be two lots of debriefing with those involved.
"The rafting industry is a really proactive industry and anything like this will be...really examined to see if there is anything that can be taken out of it, and learned to stop something like this happening again."
The man had been in New Zealand for about four weeks and working in River Valley for about three weeks.
"It's been pretty devastating for the staff, very devastating."
A local kaumatua had come out to the river, he said.
"Once the boys are off the river we'll have a service. "
The river community had rallied around and been "total professionals", Mr Megaw said.
"They believe passionately in what they do and they're very good at it and when these sorts of things happen that devastates them."
Police had been in touch with the man's family, he said.
It was the third fatality the company had had since it started rafting in 1982, and the first of a guide.
"We had one 20 years ago and then we had one two years ago."
Statistically, rafting was not dangerous, Mr Megaw said.
"On average in New Zealand...the New Zealand rafting industry rafts about 100,000 people a year and there's a fatality every two or three years.
"...Probably crossing Lambton Quay at rush hour is more dangerous.
"But yeah it's adventure tourism and unfortunately an adventure is exactly that. You know there is always going to be an uncertainty of outcome in any sort of adventure activity."
NZPA
