Location: Mt Aspiring District: Southern

Media Release 01 Date: 06.12.09
MEDIA RELEASE:
Wanaka Police

The body of a 30yr old Dunedin man was recovered by the Wanaka LandSAR search and rescue group at 7.30am this morning (Sunday) from the northern slopes of Sisyphus Peak in the eastern branch of the Matukituki River of Mt Aspiring National Park.

Sergeant Aaron Nicholson, Wanaka Police SAR Coordinator said that a group of nine friends from Dunedin all aged between 22- 36yrs old entered the National Park on Friday afternoon. They walked through to the Aspiring Flats of the Kitchener River and camped there that evening.

Yesterday the group headed up a known but unmarked route that took them over the Wilmot Saddle beside Sisyphus Peak. Later that evening at about 7.00pm while descending difficult country with steep tussock and scrubby slopes between a series of bluff systems, one of the party fell.

Nicholson said that the deceased fell approximately 30-40 metres down the slope hitting his head several times during his fall. Members of his group climbed down to assist him but found significant head injuries and shortly thereafter he stopped breathing. CPR was commenced for 30 minutes but unfortunately there were no signs of life.

3 members of the group left the accident site that night and walked out to raise help, while the remaining party members remained with the deceased. At 5.45 this morning Police were advised and by 7.20am the deceased and this party were located and recovered by the Wanaka Land SAR team.

The deceased is an Australian national, originally from Canberra, who has been in New Zealand since 2006. He was tramping with his partner who was with him when he died.

The man’s name will not be released until his family in Australia have been contacted. The matter has been reported to the Coroner.

ENDS

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