As stated by Detective Inspector David de Lange:
Police are investigating the unexplained death of a person, after a body was located in a vehicle in the River Road carpark in Havelock North earlier today.
It appears the vehicle, which has been consumed by fire, has been parked in the reserve for several days.
River Road is currently closed while Police work in the area and a scene guard will be in place overnight.
A scene examination has begun and a post mortem is expected to be carried out tomorrow.
While we are treating the death as unexplained, we are in the very early stages of understanding what has happened to our victim.
The reserve is a popular area for cyclists and people walking dogs, providing access to the Tukituki River and adjacent cycleways.
Anyone with information which could assist our investigation is asked to contact Police on 105 and quote event number P051805886.