Boy dies in swimming hole

The Kauaeranga River near Thames took another life when a boy drowned in a popular swimming hole last night.

The six-year-old Thames boy had been swimming with family at a water hole on the river about 6pm when he disappeared from view.

Thames police said the boy's body was found about 8pm.

There were no suspicious circumstances and police were expected to issue his name later today.

Conservation Department staff at the Kauaeranga Forest Park office said there were several swimming holes along the Kauaeranga River, which is a popular recreational area for campers and trampers.

The river gained national exposure when two 11-year-old Howick Intermediate students drowned when swimming in a water hole while staying at a school camp in the valley in February 2000.

- NZPA