Overview
- Police say a four-person group on the west side of Aoraki called for help late Monday, with two climbers airlifted off uninjured overnight.
- Authorities located the other two members the next morning and later recovered their bodies in what officials described as extreme alpine terrain.
- The New Zealand Mountain Guiding Association said one of the deceased was an internationally recognised and respected guide, and the group is supporting family and colleagues.
- Stuff reported that the guide and a client fell near the summit at about 23:50 local time and that the pair were still connected by their harnesses, details not independently confirmed by police.
- Aoraki / Mount Cook is known for steep, icy routes and rapid weather changes, with a long record of fatalities and recent unresolved disappearances.