Police searching for a man missing in Lake Manapouri have recovered a body, bringing a week-long operation to a close.
The search began on Saturday 14 March at about 6.15pm, when Police were notified that a man had fallen overboard from a vessel roughly one kilometre offshore. Emergency services quickly launched a response, with teams working across the lake and nearby shoreline in difficult conditions.
Over several days, Police Search and Rescue crews, alongside the Police Dive Squad, carried out detailed efforts to locate the man. The operation also involved support from the Royal New Zealand Navy, which provided additional resources and specialist capability to assist with the search in deep and challenging waters.
Today, those efforts led to the recovery of a body from the lake. While formal identification has not yet been completed, Police say it is believed to be the missing man.
The operation required careful coordination between multiple agencies, with search teams covering large areas of water and surrounding land. Conditions on the lake and the need for specialised diving expertise made the search complex and time-intensive.
Sergeant Alun Griffiths acknowledged both the tragic nature of the incident and the collective effort involved in the response.
“Police extend our deepest condolences to the man’s family during this difficult time,” says Sergeant Alun Griffiths.
“I would also like to thank all those involved in the search – we are especially grateful for the assistance of the New Zealand Defence Force in providing specialist expertise that allowed this extended search to be concluded,” he says.
Police have indicated that support is being provided to the family as formal identification processes are completed. The recovery marks the end of an extensive and coordinated search effort, involving both local and national resources working together to locate the missing man.