Police on The 309 Road, Coromandel, after a fatal shooting on Friday. Photo: RNZ / Natalie Akoorie
A 77-year-old man has been charged with murder and attempted murder after a shooting in Waiau, Coromandel.
He will appear in Hamilton District Court on Saturday.
Police said a post mortem would be carried out on the deceased, while the other victim remained in hospital in a serious condition.
The 309 Road had been reopened, though police remained in the area examining the scene. Residents should expect to see a police presence.
Enquiries into the incident were ongoing.
The scene guard from the shooting at Waiau on the 309 Rd near Coromandel town. Photo: Natalie Akoorie / RNZ
Police were called to the 309 Road just after 2pm on Friday, arresting a suspect at the scene. They were not seeking anyone else.
A former army medic who gave CPR to one of the victims said they were pig hunters.
The 309 Road
An extremely winding, curvy road, local tourism sites say it "takes you on a journey through dense bushland with lots of surprise stops to make along the road".
According to Wikipedia, it either got its name from there being 309 bends in the road, or because horse-drawn coaches used to take 309 minutes to travel it.
The road was reportedly developed the Gold Rush era.
A Coromandel travel blog called it "a largely unpeopled landscape, bordered by river, backdropped with birdsong".
Coromandel's 309 Road winds deep into the peninsula. Photo: Screenshot / Google Maps
On TripAdvisor, one dissatisfied traveller wrote, "Avoid that road.. Just too dangerous, that road can turn your beautiful holiday to a terrible memory."
Another described it as a "drive through Jurassic Park", saying they "loved the pure adventure of this secluded drive through exotic tropical rainforest which I never knew existed".
Among the attractions described on the road was a honey shop and an ancient kauri grove, places for swimming an picnicking, as well as Waiau Falls and the scenic Castle Rock.
The Waiau Waterworks park featured a display of water sculptures, while a large wild pig farm was another well-known stop.
