The body of a dead man clutching a lifejacket washed ashore early this morning.
A member of the public saw a lifejacket in the water near Tamaterau on the Whangarei Harbour.
"He went to hook up the lifejacket and found the man holding on to it," Northland Police said in a statement.
The body was that of a Maori man in his late 50s to early 60s.
Police said they identified the man this afternoon, but were yet to release his name to the public.
It was believed the man had fallen off a boat. He had no identification on him and there were no reports of missing people or people overdue from fishing trips.
However, his car and boat trailer were found near the corner of Waikaraka Beach Road and Whangarei Heads Road.
Police were now searching for the man's boat.
