13 May 2013

Stratford fisherman dies after cliff fall

9:29 pm on 13 May 2013

A fisherman has died after falling 15 metres off a North Taranaki cliff.

The body of Dennis John Thomas, of Stratford, was found by a search and rescue team on the Urenui coast on Saturday.

Police say Mr Thomas went missing after heading to a ledge fishing spot near Urenui, north of New Plymouth.

A fishing companion who had planned to meet him there alerted police after seeing his gear at the bottom of the cliff.

Rescuers in an inflatable boat found his body in shallow water at the base of the cliff several hours after the rescue callout.