Man arrested over death of Australian woman in Fiji

A local Fijian man has been arrested following the grisly discovery of the decomposed body of an Australian woman on Viti Levu island.

The body of Tracy Ann O'Brien Maw was found on Monday hidden in bushes near the small village of Vunavutu.

"I can confirm to you that we have taken in a local man in relation to the death of Maw," police spokeswomen Ana Naisoro told AFP on Friday.

"At this moment we cannot reveal the identity of the person because we have not charged him yet. But I can say that we have a strong lead."

Fiji police haven't said how Maw died and because of the extreme state of decomposition the body was cremated immediately following a post mortem examination.

Police Commissioner Ben Groenewald had earlier said Maw was visiting Vunavutu village with a friend and, according to media reports, she was in Fiji to reconcile a relationship with a local man.