Dead Rotorua man 'not a tourist'

A tent covers the site where a body was found in Kuirau Park, Rotorua this morning. Photo / Daily Post

A large team of police are working on the homicide investigation that was launched after the body of a man was found in a Rotorua park early this morning.

Bay of Plenty Police district field crime manager, Detective Inspector Mark Loper, said the body of the man - believed to be caucasian and in his 60s - in Kuirau Park was discovered by members of the public around 1.30am.

He said the man had suffered serious injuries, however he's said it's too early in the investigation to detail the potential cause of death.

A cordon remains around most of the Kuirau Park area, and two blue tents sit to the side of one the large hot water pools.

The man's body is still at the scene, but police expect it will be removed this afternoon.

Mr Loper said a post mortem will be undertaken in Auckland tomorrow to determine the cause of death and to potentially confirm the identity of the man.

"Police have some strong leads in relation to the man's identity, however, it may be that it is not possible to formally confirm this until the post mortem is undertaken.

"We can say that the man is Caucasian and aged in his 60s. We believe that he had temporarily moved to Rotorua and that he was not a tourist."

He said Environmental Science and Research are still examining the site.

"We are confident that the incident is not gang-related, but we are exploring all possibilities, including whether the incident is related to family violence, robbery or drugs."

Detective Inspector Loper says Kuirau Park will remain cordoned off for most of today however, he said police will reduce the size of the cordons as soon as possible over the coming days.

- Herald Online