Police said a person appeared to have suffered a medical event. They were brought out of the water and assisted by medical staff but could not be revived.
“The death will likely be referred to the coroner, who [will] ultimately rule on cause of death.”
A beachgoer told the Herald an elderly man was swimming with his family and, when they turned around, he was floating in the water.
He was brought to shore in an attempt to revive him but it was unsuccessful.
Another beachgoer said the incident had already happened when they turned up.
They said they saw emergency services performing CPR on a person and later put a white sheet over them.
“It’s a very sad end to the weekend,” they said.
Plenty of families are still out on the beach swimming as others are sitting on the hill watching emergency services.
A Herald reporter counted four police vehicles, one fire engine and three ambulances at the scene.
Police are now carrying the body across the beach to the ambulance.
Earlier this month, one person died and another was taken to hospital after a water tragedy further north at Rothesay Bay.
The 24-year-old was a young father.
And in January, a swimmer at Narrow Neck Beach helped pull an unconscious woman to shore in a desperate bid to save her life, in one of two Auckland water tragedies that day.
The woman was brought to shore, but could not be revived and died.
More to come.