Post mortem to identify body found on beach

A post-mortem will be carried out to identify a body found on Bethell's Beach on Good Friday. Photo / Doug Sherring

A post-mortem is likely to be carried out tomorrow on a decomposed body found on a west Auckland beach, police said.

The identity of the body, found at South Head, north of Muriwai Beach, on Friday, had not yet been confirmed, said Greg Foster, duty sergeant at Rodney Police.

Campers found the body on the beach above the high tide mark.

"The condition of the body would suggest the person may have been dead for some time but we have limited information at the moment until we identify the body and advise next of kin," Mr Foster told NZPA today.

Meanwhile, police issued a warning about the dangers of fishing off west Auckland beaches after another fisherman drowned when he was swept off rocks on Friday.

The Asian man, in his late 50s, was fishing off rocks at Bethell's Beach when he was swept away by a wave and drowned. He was not wearing a lifejacket and his body was later recovered.

Police have not yet released his name and his death has been referred to the coroner.

Asian fishermen were regular drowning victims on Auckland's west coast beaches and both police and surf lifeguards said they needed to read the signs and be aware of the dangers.

If the man had been wearing a lifejacket on Friday he may still be alive, said Sergeant Ian Brenchley of Henderson police.

Such drownings happened "far too frequently".

"We have repeatedly advertised the need for fishermen surf-casting off the rocks to wear lifejackets."

Warning signs were at west coast beaches in several languages, said Bethell's Beach Surf Lifesaving Club president Dave Comp.

He said fishers should wear lifejackets and never turn their backs on the sea.

- NZPA