Hunting party member dies in Kaweka Forest Park, Hawke's Bay

Rescuers have recovered the body of a member of a hunting party who died in the Kaweka Forest Park in Hawke's Bay on Saturday night.

The man's death is not thought to be suspicious and his death has been referred to the coroner, police said in a statement.

Rescuers attempted to recover the body on Saturday night but were unable to due to bad weather.

It was then recovered on Sunday morning.

A police spokeswoman said they were advised just before 8.30pm. A locator beacon was set off in the area about two hours earlier.

The Kaweka Forest Park is renowned in Hawke's Bay as a hunting haven, but can be dangerous in challenging conditions.

In 2018, an experienced Australian hunter was "one sneeze away from death" after falling 40m into a gully, breaking his neck and spending 14 hours in the freezing cold before being rescued.

Joe Prusac, 40, of Melbourne, credited his Kiwi hunting mates Mark Sorensen and Scott Day for keeping him alive, as he battled severe hypothermia, before being helicoptered to Rotorua Hospital the following morning.

It was not until he had an MRI scan two weeks later Prusac learned from a specialist he was a "sneeze away from death" due to his neck and spinal injuries.