The mother of a boy who died after becoming stuck between rocks at a beach on Easter Sunday has paid tribute to her son, calling him an “adventurer” with a “free spirit”.

Nine-year-old Kaison Greaves died in a freak accident at South West Rocks, north of Port Macquarie, on the Mid North Coast of NSW on Sunday.

His mother Brook expressed her thanks to the South West Rocks community in a post on Facebook overnight, also leaving a tribute to her son.

“To each and every one of those involved in trying to save our boy, we are so forever grateful he was not alone in his last moments and we know you did everything you could,” the post read.

“I wanted to share some of Kai’s life with you.

“He brought colour to my life, I always called him my sun and his brother my moon. You all know Kai was an adventurer.

“What you don’t know is that there was no telling him what to do. He was a free spirit collecting experiences.

“From the moment he was born (he was 6 weeks premmie) he hasn’t stopped, he was a cyclone of chaos and love.

“He always was walking 10 steps in front of us, always in a rush, always wanting to go fast and always keeping us on our toes.”

The post goes on to describe Kai as “bright” with a special skill for “logical thinking”.

She also described him as an “incredibly agile” boy who was “always running, climbing and jumping.”

Hundreds of people from the community gathered at Main Beach in South West Rocks on Tuesday for a candelit vigil to remember Kaison.

An investigation into his death has been established.

First reports of the accident from the Sydney Morning Herald said emergency responders were on the rocks and in neck-deep water as they tried to rescue the boy.