A French tourist's death could have been avoided if the Department of Conservation (DoC) had acted in time, a coroner says.
Anne-Marie Scaglione-Genet died after falling down a waterfall on Fiordland's Gertrude Saddle track on January 10 last year while hiking with her partner.
Ten months earlier, Israeli tourist Udy Brill fell to his death in the same area.
Coroner Marcus Elliot released his findings on Tuesday into the tourists' deaths, saying navigation markers should've been installed after Mr Brill's death.
Had this happened Ms Scaglione-Genet's death may not have happened, Coroner Elliot says.
DoC says a visitor incident investigation was carried out after Mr Brill's death which identified that additional markers were required.
By November 2016, pole-mounted route markers and additional signage had been ordered for the route.
However the pre-Christmas installation window was missed, meaning DoC had not installed route markers at the crossing point by January 10 2017.
In his findings into Mr Brill's death, Coroner Elliot concluded he walked past a key point on the route where he could have safely crossed a stream before descending to the Gertrude Valley floor.
Mr and Mrs Scaglione-Genet did not take exactly the same route on their descent as Mr Brill. But they were descending in the same general area and did find themselves below a safe crossing point in an area which was deemed dangerous.
The pair were experienced hikers and had arrived from France for a holiday in New Zealand.
DoC advised Coroner Elliot improvements had been made to the track following the deaths, including directional markers, cautionary signs and public information on the track.
DoC also advised they intend to continue to assess and review visitor risk concerns.
Newshub.
