Three people have drowned in two days at New Zealand beaches

The latest was at Onemana, in the Coromandel Peninsula yesterday afternoon.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand says a lifeguard brought two men to shore, who had been caught in a rip outside the flagged area.

The lifeguard did CPR on one of them for 15 minutes, before an ambulance arrived.

The man died at the scene.

Two people died in Northland on Christmas Day - one who became entangled in ropes while crab fishing at Uretiti Beach.

Another person died while snorkelling at Kai Iwi Lakes, north of Dargaville.