A 69-year-old local man drowned at Karekare Beach in Auckland this afternoon.
Emergency services were called to the area shortly before 2pm.
Police said it appeared the man got into difficulty while making his way to a fishing spot on an island at the south end of Karekare beach.
They said he was rescued from the water by a surfer and then taken to the beach by a Surf Livesaving patrol .
CPR was attempted but was not successful.