Rāhui placed on Lake Rotorua following discovery of body

The rāhui comes after a body was found on the lake’s shore on Wednesday. Photo / LDR

A rāhui has been placed on Lake Rotorua following the discovery of a body this week.

Ngāti Whakaue leaders Kingi Biddle and Monty Morrison led a karakia whakawātea with police on Thursday morning to begin the rāhui process, Te Arawa Lakes Trust said in a statement.

The rāhui follows the finding of a tūpāpaku (body) on the lake’s shore between Te Paepae Hakumanu and Motutara Point on Wednesday.

The rāhui is expected to lift on Tuesday, November 8.

The body has yet to be formally identified.

Police and other agencies have been searching the lake for a missing kayaker for more than a week.

The French tourist, who has not been publicly named by police, was last seen kayaking on the lake on October 24.

An inflatable kayak that matched the description of the one he was using was found the following afternoon near Mokoia Island.

In Māori culture, a rāhui is a form of tapu restricting access to, or use of, an area or resource by the kaitiakitanga of the area.