Police have confirmed that a body has been recovered north of Piha Beach on Monday evening.
The body was spotted by the Police Eagle helicopter.
Police believe it to be 16-year-old teenager Leka Pasiaka who was reported missing from Whatipu Beach on December 29, 2018.
Pasiaka had been at the beach with family members looking for mussels when someone raised the alarm that he had been caught in a rip.
A post mortem and a formal identification will now be carried out.
