Body of missing fisherman located on beach near Raglan

Friday, 21 May 2021

Ariel Tagao did not return to shore following a fishing trip at Papanui Point near Raglan on Sunday, May 2.

The body of a fisherman believed to be Ariel Tagao has been located on a beach near Raglan.

The body was found on Thursday at 10.30am on a beach near Papanui Point, by Police Search and Rescue teams using a police drone.

Tagao went missing from the treacherous fishing spot on Sunday, May 2.

In a statement, police said formal identification was yet to be completed, but they believed it to be the missing fisherman.

Papanui Point, 60 km from Hamilton, is a popular fishing spot

Caroline Swann has lived at Papanui Point for decades, in that time numerous people have drowned at the point and the adjoining Ruapuke Beach (video first published in 2017).

* Shoreline search for missing fisherman near Raglan continues

* Police search for missing fisherman in Raglan, Waikato

“Further information will be released once the formal identification and all necessary family notifications have been completed.”

Tagao had been in New Zealand for a year and five months, moving here in 2019 to work.

His wife, Jinky Tagao, spoke to Stuff recently and said: “I am so sad … I want to see my husband, I miss him so much.”

Papanui Point is notoriously dangerous for fishermen and has claimed at least 20 lives.

In January 2020, Filipino man Michael Landig also died after being swept off the rocks there.