Time to say bye to Lucas

Lucas Ward. Photo / Supplied

Lucas Ward is dressed in his Spiderman suit and his family are preparing to say their final goodbyes to the little boy.

The 4-year-old's body was spotted by kayakers in Gisborne's Waimata River at midday Thursday, around 400m from his grandmother's Kaiti house and nine days after he was last seen.

Brian Hunt, Lucas' great-uncle, said Lucas' parents, Jessica and Damon, were getting ready to farewell their son at a tangi on Tuesday.

"We've dressed him up for the tangi ... It's actually been calming for us all," he said.

The tangi will be held at the Hinekopeka Marae at 11am and a memorial service will also be held at 3pm at St Mary's Catholic Church, Gisborne.