Waihi beach death a tragedy, say police

The man who died in the small Bay of Plenty seaside town of Waihi Beach during the weekend was staying with friends and family after a wedding.

Police said it ended in tragedy early on Sunday morning when the Hamilton man died probably from an injury to the back of the head.

Police said today it appeared no one wanted to kill him and the incident was "a bloody tragedy" after a minor scuffle.

The man, in his 30s, probably fell and struck his head after a minor fight in Fyfe Street at the surf lifesaving club end of the town.

Police said his name was likely to be released later today and a post mortem examination was expected to give police an indication of how he died.

Sergeant Rex Knight said police believed he had died as a result of an injury to the back of the head. " That is crucial to our inquiry, how he actually got that."

He said the theory the man fell backwards and injured his head after he was hit during a minor scuffle was "pretty much on the mark.

"We need to look at the circumstances of that scuffle, who was involved and if there was a causal link."

However, he said it was still a homicide inquiry and the death was unexplained.

Mr Knight said police were investigating the involvement of a paintball gun but that happened some time before the incident which led to the man's death and was probably not a big factor.

He said the Waihi Beach community had been "absolutely great.

"We have been able to mop it up and get to a stage where hopefully by the end of the day we know where we are going," Mr Knight said.

No charges had yet been laid over the incident.

- NZPA