Te Arawa will bury bones found by a swimmer in Lake Tarawera the same day as a remembrance service for those who died in the Mt Tarawera eruption of 1886.
Tuhourangi kaumatua Anaru Rangiheuea said a woman swimming in the lake discovered the skeletal remains and a tiki near Otumutu Island at the end of Spencer Rd, Tarawera.
The remains were taken care of by the police and are stored at the Rotorua Hospital mortuary. The police had notified him of the discovery, Mr Rangiheuea said.
He had been told a woman had reported finding the bones and police divers were used to recover the remains and the tiki.
The remains will be interred at Te Kariri urupa on June 10, the anniversary of the eruption and when a remembrance service will be held.