KEY POINTS:
A post-mortem examination of an Israeli tramper has gone ahead despite objections by a local rabbi.
Ohad Dotan, 26, apparently fell to his death near the Mueller Glacier in the Southern Alps earlier this week.
His body was brought down from Aoraki/Mount Cook yesterday by an aerial rescue team and was due to undergo a post mortem examination this morning.
Rabbi Menachem Goldstein, director of the Jewish Chabad-Lubavitch sect in New Zealand, fought to halt the autopsy and called for Mr Dotan's body to be released from the Christchurch Coroner's office.
However, the Christchurch Coroner's office said today the autopsy had gone ahead.
Rabbi Goldstein said Jewish law viewed autopsies, in most cases, as an unnecessary desecration of the body.
"I've strongly advised the authorities against a post-mortem examination," he said.
"I told them it should be avoided if at all possible, especially since foul play is not suspected."
In New Zealand, a victim's family must lodge a formal complaint, but the final determination was up to Christchurch coroner Richard McElrea.
Rabbi Goldstein said the Israeli community had been saddened by the news of Mr Dotan's death.
He had been at the Chabad House last week and was expected to attend this week's Friday night Shabbat services - a popular event for travelling Israelis.
Assistant manager at the Chabad House, Nissan Zigman said Mr Dotan had wanted to be there before Shabbat.
"He was a very affable and nice guy. It was a pleasure to talk to him."
Department of Conservation (DOC) area manager Richard McNamara said the man appeared to have made a conscious decision to leave the track.
"For whatever reason this tramper has decided to go off the track and got himself into an area of danger and technical difficulty and fell," he said.
"It's one of those unfortunate, tragic accidents - it happens from time to time."
Senior Constable Russell Halkett of Fairlie police said Mr Dotan had been in New Zealand for several weeks and was travelling alone.
- NZPA
