Man who died in Christmas Day snorkelling incident in Kai Iwi Lakes named
Monday, 30 December 2019
Police have released the name of the person who died following a snorkelling incident at Kai Iwi Lakes on Christmas Day.
Hanbo Bao, known as Campbell, 44, was found unresponsive in the water.
He was taken ashore but could not be revived.
Bao was from Albany, on Auckland's North Shore.
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'Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones,' police said.
A death notice said Bao 'tragically left us' on Christmas Day. He was a 'loved husband' of Iris Lin Li and a 'cherished dad' of Sam Bao Lishan.
His funeral is being held on Tuesday morning at North Shore Memorial Park Chapel on Schnapper Rock Rd in Albany.
Bao's death was the second death on Christmas Day in Northland, prompting an urgent safety plea from Surf Life Saving.
A man died after being swept off the rocks while crab-fishing at Uretiti Beach, Waipu.
Surf Life Saving's chief executive Matt Williams said the unfortunate events during the festive season were a prompt for the public to stick to key beach safety messages.
Bao's death is among four water deaths so far during the holiday period, as a 60-year-old man also drowned at Onemana beach in the Coromandel after getting caught in a rip on Boxing Day.
On December 27, a woman died and two people were rescued after their boat capsized in the Far North.
Bao's death will be referred to the coroner.