A British tourist has drowned at Piha Beach, west of Auckland, after getting into difficulty while swimming.
The 55-year-old man was pulled from shallow water south of Lion Rock by members of the public about 5.20pm on Tuesday.
Surf lifeguards were called to the scene but were unable to resuscitate him.
It is the third drowning at Piha in a little over a month. The bodies of two men were recovered from the sea on the north side of Lion Rock on 24 February.
Surf Lifesaving New Zealand spokesperson Tom Burgess said lifeguards are not patrolling the beach during the week at the moment so swimmers need to be extra careful.
