A two-and-a-half year old boy has drowned at Turihaua Beach near Gisborne.
Police say the toddler went missing about 2.45 pm on Thursday from the Turihaua Camping Ground where he was staying with family.
After an extensive search by police, Search and Rescue and people from the camping ground, the child was found just after 5pm, drowned in the nearby lagoon.
The name of the toddler has not been released until the extended family have been advised.
The drowning is the second of the new year, after a man drowned in Te Mata Bay near Thames in the Coromandel.
It is understood the man was snorkelling when he got into trouble in the water. His death has been referred to the coroner.
