Police have named a Rotorua school teacher who drowned off Whiritoa Beach on the Coromandel Peninsula on Sunday.
She was Sarah Leanne Nicholson, 38, from Tauranga.
Ms Nicholson, who is originally from England, was swimming with a group off the beach when they were caught up in a rip.
Off-duty lifeguards were able to rescue two teenagers but were unable to save her, despite numerous attempts.
