New Zealand kayaker dies on Norwegian river trip

A 28-year-old New Zealand man has died while kayaking in Norway.

It is understood the man's fiancee was with him at the time, and that she has notified his family who are from the South Island.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the New Zealand Police have both been notified, but spokesmen for both organisations said their involvement had essentially ended.

However, Rob Hole of MFAT, said the ministry would provide further assistance if the family needed it.

The man's brother had flown out yesterday to bring the body back.

According to the Aftenposten newspaper in Norway, the man was paddling on the Sogndals River, which spills out into the country's most famous fiord, the Sogn.

The river is a popular tourist spot for kayaking and rafting.

The accident happened on Tuesday afternoon.

Three English-speaking kayakers had noticed an empty kayak.

A search was immediately launched by police and the body found in a little over an hour.

Police spoke with the New Zealander's companions shortly after his body was located.

It is understood he was originally kayaking with two other New Zealanders and two Norwegians. The entire group was distraught, police said.

A Norwegian embassy official in Canberra, Liv Kristensen, translated for the Herald a quote by the police chief made to a Norwegian newspaper.

"We cannot say anything accurate about how the accident happened, as we want to give the grieving friends some space."

The spot where the tragedy unfolded was described by the paper as being in a "wild part of the river" and navigating it was "extremely difficult".

Several drownings and capsizes involving kayakers had happened in recent years.

"I've been there several times," Ms Kristensen said.

"It's now the beginning of summer and the snow is melting in the mountains, so there's lots of water in the rivers."

The Sogndals River was susceptible to changes in flow and had many rapids, she said. But once it reached the fiord it became quite calm.