Did you know Jordon Lucas?
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Family members of a murdered New Zealander, found dead on a Bali beach, are on their way to Indonesia.
Jordan Lucas, 25, was found at Uluwatu Beach, a popular surf beach on the southern coast of Bali.
The Jakarta Globe reported that police believe he was murdered. The newspaper said
his head was crushed and he was dead when his body entered the water.
Relatives last night said Mr Lucas' parents would fly to Bali today to formally identify their son.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the consulate is helping the family.
He said consular staff will be kept up to date with the investigation by Indonesian police.
The spokesman said the family wished to keep their privacy and he could not discuss the case further.
Bali police were called to the beach last Tuesday after a man's body was found by a fisherman at the beach, the Jakarta Globe reported.
Police told the newspaper the man had fatal head injuries and also had injuries to his thighs.
Ida Bagus Putu Alit, of the Sanglah General Hospital in Denpasar, told the newspaper that the man died before going into the water.
"The cause of death was the injury to the face," Alit said.
Mr Lucas, whose family is from Ngaruawahia, was a keen surfer and had been in Bali for about four months.
Travel website Indo.com says Uluwatu is known for a surf break that offers "real challenges" and is recommended for experienced surfers only.
The beach is considered one of Bali's best surf beaches, attracting enthusiasts from around the world.
A relative in Bali told the Herald that Mr Lucas was always at Uluwatu Beach.
"He was a lovely kid, a lovely boy who just loved Bali. He was here for four months just surfing. I've known him for a long time and that's all he loved - surfing," she said.
"It's just a terrible thing. His parents are understandably just terribly distraught - they've only just found out."
Another relative said Mr Lucas' parents would travel to Bali this morning to see their son.
"It's pretty terrible. It sounds like it was something suspicious, so it's pretty tough for [his parents]."
The Bali-based relative said Mr Lucas had made several visits to Bali, and had lived for a time in Australia.
He had built himself a house on his parents' Ngarawahia farm, she said.
The relative was last night about to go with a priest to the hospital morgue, where Mr Lucas' body was being kept, to perform a simple "memorial service" as his body had been in the morgue for a week.
Surfing New Zealand chief executive Greg Townsend said Uluwatu Beach was world-renowned for its reef breaks.
"It's one of the most popular spots in Bali and especially this time of year, because it's peak season and so it can be quite crowded."
Mr Townsend said hundreds of Kiwis travelled to Bali each year for surfing.
"The reefs are pretty dangerous, but there's a lot worse around."
- with NZ Herald staff
