A man has died after falling off the northwest ridge of Mt Aspiring on Wednesday afternoon.
The mountaineer tourist fell several hundred metres from the buttress area onto the Therma Glacier, police say.
His body was located and recovered after a three-hour operation by a volunteer Wanaka Search and Rescue team.
The man's identity is currently unknown, but he is thought to be a visitor to New Zealand.
A guided climbing party alerted Search and Rescue to the fall around midday after they met the victim's climbing partner on the mountain. His partner was uninjured.
The northwest ridge is the most commonly climbed route on the peak.
"The very busy start to the summer outdoor season is a sobering reminder of the inherent risks in mountaineering," says Wanaka Police Search and Rescue coordinator Sergeant Aaron Nicholson.
"Our thoughts are with the family."
Newshub.
