It was beyond a bend and less than 50m downstream, near a pre-school centre at the EFKS church (formerly Michael's Place).
Senior Sergeant Clint Adamson, of police Eastern District Command Centre, Napier, said as police secured the area of creek it was being treated as an unexplained death.
Scene inquiries were completed by mid-afternoon and the body removed and identified by members of the man's family.
Police had not released the identity of the man last night, although Inspector Andy Sloan, of Hawke's Bay Police, said he had lived in the vicinity.
The man was not understood to have been reported missing before the body was found, but police were contacted later by people who had discovered a relative known to ride his scooter in the area was not at home.
Sources said at least two people were in the vicinity on mobility scooters during the rain and after nightfall on Thursday.
One of them was Paul Ash, of nearby Lowry Tce, who has campaigned for several years for security cameras to be placed in the area.
The paths are used by significant numbers of mobility scooters, because many elderly people live in the vicinity.
Residents of the Henry Charles retirement flats off Riverbend Rd were unaware of the incident when contacted by Hawke's Bay Today.
Grey Power secretary and area Napier City councillor Maxine Boag, who was also unaware of details of the incident, said it was a tragic incident and she felt for the family of the man.
It seemed probable there was little anyone could have done to have prevented what had happened, but it was a timely reminder to families to keep contact with their elderly parents and grandparents, she said.
Hawke's Bay Today's Facebook page was inundated with condolence messages for the elderly man.