Police are now able to confirm the identity of a man found dead in a Rotorua stream on Tuesday as 43-year-old Richard Hoani Herekiuha.
Mr Herekiuha is originally from Eastern Bay of Plenty but moved to Rotorua last year. He was found in the Otamatea Stream at approximately 11.30am on Tuesday (26 May) by a member of the public, but the last confirmed sighting of him prior to that was on Tuesday the previous week at his home in Fordlands.
Police are now appealing to the community to help piece together his movements throughout those seven days.
Mr Herekiuha was approximately 174cm tall with a large build, and he travelled around on a black mountain bike. This bike and his black bike helmet were recovered close to a track which runs from the intersection of Sunset Road and Wrigley Road through to the Ruth Street area where Otamatea Stream joins Utahina Stream.
The bike was seen on Monday, 25 May, approximately 10 to 15 meters from where Mr Herekiuha was found the following day. Police are keen to speak to anyone who used that track between Tuesday, 19 May and Tuesday, 26 May and saw that black mountain bike, or anything else that might assist the investigation.
Mr Herekiuha regularly rode in to town and generally wore a beanie beneath his black bike helmet. Police would like to speak to anyone who has seen him since Tuesday 19 May or knows him and hasn't yet been spoken to by Police.
Detective Senior Sergeant Zane Smith said: "Although we provisionally know how Mr Herekiuha died, we need to piece together his movements over the past week before we can draw any conclusions about the circumstances. Until this work is carried out I can't and won't speculate as to whether anything untoward has occurred.
"We have CCTV footage which shows him at Pak and Save on the morning of Tuesday, 19th May and this is the last confirmed sighting. We ask that people study this image and cast their minds back over the last week to any sightings or information that might assist us."
If anyone has any information that might assist Police they are asked to contact Rotorua Police on 07 348 0099. Information can also be provided anonymously to the organisation Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
Media enquiries should be referred to Communications Manager Kim Perks on 027 234 8256.
