A body found washed ashore on Bethells Beach, north of Piha, last night was believed to be the missing swimmer, police said.
The 25-year-old from Auckland dreamed of buying a home with his partner, and family are travelling to New Zealand from India to bring him home.
A young man believed to have drowned while swimming at Piha had big dreams of buying a home with his partner, friends say.
Abhishek Arora, 25, was swimming at the West Auckland beach about 4pm on Tuesday when he and six others were caughtin a rip.
Police confirmed this morning a body had been found washed ashore on Bethells Beach, north of Piha, just after 8pm yesterday. Formal identification was continuing but police believed it was the missing swimmer, a spokeswoman said.
Six people were rescued by surf lifesavers in the incident, but the Auckland hotel supervisor initially couldn’t be found.
Yesterday, police told Arora’s family in India they believed the body found at Bethells Beach was him, his cousin Vijay Tomar told the Herald this morning.
“[It’s] tragic. [Family] were called by police yesterday, [saying] that they’d found the body.
“We’re planning to bring him [home] to India.”
Abhishek Arora went missing after being caught in a rip at Piha on Tuesday. A body found on Bethells Beach yesterday is believed to be the 25-year-old.
It was initially reported Arora was engaged to his partner, but while the relationship was serious, they were not about to get married, family friend Jessica Jason said.
“They had big plans together. That’s what breaks our heart when we heard the news, because they had plans of buying a house and all that stuff, so their dreams were big.”
Arora moved to Auckland eight years ago from the town of Ambala, 200km north of New Delhi.
His partner is originally from Sri Lanka, but her “whole family” is also in New Zealand, Jason said.
Aucklander Arjun Bhardwaj, who didn’t know Arora or his family but comes from the same town, has been asked by a mutual friend to help the family with the logistical challenges they now faced getting their loved one home.
Arora’s younger brother was expected to arrive in New Zealand soon to identify his body and begin the task of returning him home.
“His family is devastated and desperately [arranging] travel to New Zealand to see their son one last time and handle his cremation. They are facing significant financial hardship in doing so.”
A Givealittle page has been set up to ease the financial burden on the family, Bhardwaj said.
“This is a heartbreaking situation.”
Arora and the six others swept out to sea by a rip were in the water between the flags, a Surf Life Saving New Zealand spokesperson said on Wednesday.
“The swimmers were in the flagged area which meant surf lifeguards were watching and were able to rescue six out of the seven swimmers.”
The missing swimmer and six others were swimming between the flags when they got into trouble at Piha Beach in West Auckland on Tuesday. File photo / Michael Craig
They understood Arora didn’t know how to swim, the spokesperson said.
Conditions at the time of the tragedy were rough, with a choppy 2.5m swell, gusting wind and low tide.
Four of the seven were saved by lifeguards using a rescue board, and another two with an IRB, but Arora couldn’t be found.
Tips to stay safe in the water
• Swim between the flags and within your own limits
• Remember the 3Rs if you get in trouble – relax and float, raise your hand, and ride the rip until help arrives or you can safely swim back to shore
• Click on safeswim.org.nz to check when beaches are patrolled, and for updated surf and current conditions, and water quality
Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.
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