The body of an Irish tourist who got into trouble at a popular Taupo swimming spot has been found.
An off-duty fireman unsuccessfully tried to rescue him from the Waikato River, off Spa Park, after seeing him while out running.
A police dive squad found the man's body and he was today named as Eoin Doran.
The 21-year-old tourist got into trouble while swimming in the river with four friends, all from Ireland. They had been holidaying in New Zealand for the past two weeks.
A firefighter, who was running along a track beside the river, jumped in to try and help the man.
Others also tried to help.
Senior Constable Barry Shepherd said Mr Pelham reached the tourist but wasn't able to grab hold of him and the man was last seen disappearing underwater.
One of his companions used the firefighter's phone to call emergency services.
Local coastguard staff used an inflatable rescue boat to search the river while the Lion Foundation Rescue Helicopter spent about 20 minutes in the air trying to spot the body yesterday.
Mighty River Power, which operates a hydro scheme, has reduced the flow of water from Lake Taupo into the Waikato River in a bid to make the search easier.
Mr Shepherd said in the shallow areas there was good visibility to the bottom, but some areas were too deep to see the riverbed. The area where the man went missing off Spa Park is a popular one with both locals and tourists.
The Irishman and his group were at the springs when two of them decided to go floating down the river.
Water Safety New Zealand general manager Matt Claridge said the hydrology of rivers was unique with depths and volumes of water changing from day to day.
He said people needed to check for depth, hidden objects and most importantly, they needed to know how to swim.
He said people should throw a stick in the water to see how fast a river was flowing.
Tourist drowns while swimming
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