A police spokesperson would not say if he was a local or a visitor.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Rotorua Police area commander Inspector Herby Ngawhika joined kaum\u0101tua from T\u016bhourangi iwi at Lake Tikitapu for karakia to observe tikanga in lifting the tapu off the lake and restoring the wairua of the area. <\/p>\n
In a post on Facebook this morning, the Tuhourangi Tribal Authority passed on its condolences to the man\u2019s family.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe organised for Te Mauri Kingi and Te Maiora Rurehe to conduct karakia,\u201d the post said.<\/p>\n
\u201cE rere ana ng\u0101 mihi aroha ki te wh\u0101nau pani, our condolences are with the family.\u201d<\/p>\n
The authority advised people to be \u201cvigilant and keep safe\u201d.<\/p>\n
Kelsi Hira, the owner of Blue Lake TOP 10 Holiday Park, offered her condolences to the man\u2019s family and friends.<\/p>\n
She declined to comment further on the tragedy to the Rotorua Daily Post.<\/p>\n
The holiday park<\/a> is across the road from the lake, which sits about 10km southeast of central Rotorua and is a popular swimming spot for locals and visitors.<\/p>\n The man\u2019s death comes after a spate of water tragedies<\/a> on Saturday afternoon around New Zealand, amid a slew of heat warnings.<\/p>\n In the Bay of Plenty, a person was pulled from the water off Poripori Rd in the Lower Kaimai Range.<\/p>\n Police said emergency services including a helicopter, the fire brigade, ambulance and police were called to the location about 2.55pm.<\/p>\n \u201cCPR was commenced, however they sadly died at the scene. The death will be referred to the coroner.\u201d<\/p>\n The other death happened at a popular Canterbury tourist spot.<\/p>\n Police were notified about 1.15pm that a person had been pulled from the water by the harbourmaster at Akaroa on Banks Peninsula.<\/p>\n The person could not be revived.<\/p>\n