A member of the public has discovered a body on a Whangarei beach which is believed to be that of a swimmer missing since 13 March.
A cyclist came across the body at about 8.30am on Friday at Uretiti Beach.
Police recovered the body with the help of life savers.
Whangarei police senior sergeant Vickie Allen says the body is yet to be identified, but they believe it may be swimmer Alexy Ivanov.
The 34-year-old was last seen heading into the water at Uretiti Beach last Wednesday.
Ms Allen says the police are using disaster victim identification methods to determine the person - these can include dental records and DNA.
