An Australian mountain climber has died after his abseiling equipment failed during a descent of Mt Cook.
Justin Dawson McDonald, 34, of Point Piper Sydney, was buried in snow for around six hours after the fall and died in Christchurch Hospital early on Saturday, police said.
McDonald and his climbing partner, a 34-year-old doctor from Noosa on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, were abseiling down Porters Col on Mt Cook when the rope protector failed, Constable Greg Sutherland said.
"He only fell a short distance onto snow but lost his balance and then slipped and slid across 250 metres of snow and ice before he fell down a 30-metre crevasse," Sutherland said.
"His climbing partner tried to rescue him but just could not get close without kicking more snow and ice onto him. He tried to reach him but only got about halfway ... he could see him and talk to him but could not help. It eventually took four strong men to get him out."
"It took the climbing partner - whose name has not been released - three hours to reach Empress Hut where the alarm was raised," Sutherland said.
"It then took five hours to rescue McDonald," he said.
Sutherland said although McDonald showed no signs of life when the rescuers first arrived, he became responsive after being uncovered.
He was flown to Mt Cook Village where paramedics continued to work on him before he was taken by helicopter to Christchurch Hospital. He died on Saturday.
"He was chilled through but initially responded to treatment," he said.
"They operated on him to warm him internally and kept applying CPR but he eventually died."
McDonald's family and his Melbourne-based girlfriend would be flying to New Zealand this afternoon, Sutherland said.
The pair were climbing a common route in fine weather and were not taking any undue risks, he said.
"Nobody can say either of them did anything wrong. All mountain climbing is risky business."
McDonald's protector - a length of heavy fabric or plastic hose placed around a rope where it may rub against rock - failed and he fell.
"His partner did everything he could have done ... he's very upset about it."
Sutherland said there would be a coronial inquest into the accident.
© AAP
