Police were called about 8am on Sunday after her body was found in the water off Māhina Bay between the suburbs of Point Howard and Eastbourne.
Detective Inspector Haley Ryan said police have formally identified her, but were not in a position to release her name yet.
"We send our condolences her family and friends at this difficult time and are providing ongoing support.
"Police are continuing to make inquiries to establish the circumstances of how she entered the water."
A resident who lived near Marine Drive told RNZ on Monday the area was peaceful and "everyone knew everyone".
"It's really unfortunate, you know, finding about the news," he said.
"It's pretty sad, yeah, it's quite shocking."
Another man living in York Bay, less than 1km away from Māhina Bay, said he was horrified by what had happened.
"I'm from Los Angeles, so I'm used to bad areas, but this has always been a very safe place - that's why we moved here," he said.
The Tupua Horo Nuku project - a 4.4km walking and cycling path on top of a new seawall - has been under construction on Marine Drive near York Bay since January this year.
An RNZ reporter observed that that the walking path at Māhina Bay was very narrow and crumbly with a steep slope down onto the beach.
Police said anyone with information that could help the investigation could call 105 or make a report online at 105.police.govt.nz using 'Update Report' and reference file number 240421/0290.
