Police have recovered a burnt out vehicle, in which a body was found, from down a bank on the Whangamoa Saddle near Nelson.
The Fire Service was called to the burning car on State Highway 6 on Sunday afternoon and initially treated it as a car fire, later finding a body inside.
Police said the recovered vehicle is now in a secure location and a post mortem will be performed on the body which they hope will confirm the person's identity.
They said DNA testing may be needed, and that may take a while to process.