Police are appealing for help to identify the badly decomposed body of a man found on Ninety Mile Beach in the Far North on Sunday.
The body was found about 7.5km south of the bluff at the southern end of the beach in shallow water by a member of the public.
Police said an autopsy was done in Auckland today in an effort to identify the man and establish how he died but it was inconclusive.
It also failed to confirm he was Asian or Indian as had been earlier suggested.
Police described the man as 1.72m tall with long black hair and a medium build.
He was wearing faded blue denim jeans, one red and white adidas running shoe and a blue, red and white checked shirt.
The body may have been in the water for up to two weeks.
Police said the man may have come from a ship or been washed off the beach or rocks although they had not been told of any such incident.
Police said anyone with information should contact them at Houhora or Kaitaia.
