Police are investigating how a boy died on mudflats in Auckland.
The five-year-old's body was found near West Harbour Marina on Friday after he was reported missing from Luckens Reserve.
The police Eagle helicopter staff spotted him during an aerial search of the shoreline in the afternoon.
A staff member standing on the skid of the hovering helicopter was able to recover the body.
Police say ambulance staff examined the boy, but it was too late to resuscitate him.
They say his family had been helping look for him and is distraught.
