A BODY believed to be that of British backpacker Grace Millane has been found near a hiking spot on the outskirts of Auckland, New Zealand.

Auckland City Police said formal identification was yet to take place, but they expect it to be the 22-year-old, based on evidence gathered over the past few days.

A 26-year old-man has been charged with the murder of Ms Millane and is due to appear at Auckland District Court today.

Since arriving in New Zealand from Peru on November 20, Ms Millane had been in near-daily contact with her family.

The police received a missing person report on Wednesday and began a major search and public campaign, which led to a helpline receiving dozens of calls.

Ms Millane’s father David Millane flew to Auckland and made a public appeal for help with finding his daughter.

He described her as “lovely, outgoing, fun-loving and family-orientated.”

Investigators are analysing a hired red Toyota Corolla car as part of the probe.