Police divers find body of fisherman from circling boat

The three Lake Tekapo fishermen are believed to have drowned after their boat hit a submerged object, possibly a tree. Photo / Supplied

The body of a fisherman whose boat was found empty and circling on a Bay of Plenty lake was found late yesterday afternoon.

Graham Frederick Hatcher of Whakatane is presumed to have drowned.

Mr Hatcher's aluminium dinghy was spotted on Saturday evening on Lake Rotoma between Rotorua and Whakatane going around in circles about 100m offshore.

An unused lifejacket was found in the 64-year-old's 3.6m dinghy which was recovered in calm conditions at 7pm on the lake about 40km east of Rotorua.

A helicopter and search team were called out soon after but there was no immediate sign of Mr Hatcher.

The search resumed yesterday with police, volunteers from the Rotorua coast guard and family members all looking for him.

Police divers found his body at 5.30pm.

Meanwhile, the three men believed to have drowned in Lake Tekapo on Wednesday may have been thrown into the water by the impact of a collision before seeing their boat motor carry on without them.

The body of 72-year-old Alexander Haywood was found near Motuariki Island in the middle of the lake.

His son, Antony Haywood, 46, and 54-year-old friend Murray Green, both of Timaru, are missing, presumed dead.

Police believed their boat may have hit a submerged object, possibly a tree, the Timaru Herald reported.

The impact probably flung all three men into the water but the boat carried on until it ran aground on a sand bank.

Maritime New Zealand statistics show 18 people have died in recreational boating accidents this year compared with 16 in 2008.

MNZ spokeswoman Christl McMillan said the organisation had started a public consultation on a proposed law change that would make wearing lifejackets compulsory on all boats under 6m in length.

She said failing to wear a lifejacket was the leading cause of boating fatalities.

This was followed by a lack of reliable communications, failure to check the weather and alcohol.