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A woman died last night after consuming a quantity of magic mushrooms.
Hamilton Police senior sergeant Marcus Lynam said investigations were continuing to determine the exact cause of death, although the matter had already been referred to the coroner.
He said: "She was with a group of people that went out and picked the mushrooms, Further investigations are continuing in to where they got the mushrooms from. They have come back home and consumed them."
The woman, a 23-year-old Hamilton student, had walked outside with friends and was on her way to another house when she collapsed.
An ambulance was called, and CPR administered. She was taken to Waikato Hospital's Accident and Emergency department. However, her condition deteriorated rapidly, and she was dead by 10pm.
It is not known how many people were in the group that included the girl. They had congregated at a house in Hamilton East when the tragedy unfolded.
Mr Lynam would not rule out the possibility that drug charges would be laid against the remaining people at the address.
Nobody else in the group fell sick. The ambulance was called when it became evident the woman was in serious trouble, Mr Lynam said.
The girl's parents, who also live in Hamilton but at another address, are said to be devastated.
Other next of kin are still in the process of being notified and police were not prepared to release the name of the dead woman at this stage.
The active ingredient in magic mushrooms is classified as an illegal class A controlled drug. It has hallucinogenic properties.
"At this time of the year mushrooms sprout everywhere, including magic mushrooms, be they in people's yards or where ever else," Mr Lynam said.
He warned of the dangers of all wild fungi, including toadstools, which children could easily consume unwittingly.
