Dargaville skull 'not that old' - tourists

A skull found on a Northland beach described as reasonably old by police is not so old according to the tourists who found it.

Holidaymakers Louisa and Michael Ergles from Lajamanu in the Northern Territory of Australia discovered the human skull when walking along the beach near the entrance of Glinks Gully, about 20 kilometres south west of Dargaville, on Tuesday evening.

Mr Ergles who is a search and rescue officer in his hometown says, "there was still a bit of flesh on the head when we found it."

"I don't think it would have been there longer than a year."

The couple said it was the second time they had discovered human remains while on holiday.