A base jumper has completed what is believed to be New Zealand's biggest base jump, with a vertical drop of almost 2km.
David Walden, 45, stepped off a rock on the north shoulder of Mt Avalanche in the Mt Aspiring National Park, near Wanaka.
He dropped 1840m and landed 4km away, crossing the Bonar Glacier as he flew at terminal velocity of 150km/h.
Mr Walden jumped with a wingsuit and landed with the assistance of a parachute two days before Christmas.
David Walden glides over a glacier in the Mt Aspiring National Park near Wanaka. Photo / Otago Daily Times
"You fly down over a glacier, and over a frozen lake, and over a huge waterfall, over a forest, and over tussocks, and you land on one of the beautiful flats, next to a river. There are a lot of nice things about it. It's not just about making the biggest jump."
Base jumping involves leaping from fixed objects - buildings, bridges, or cliffs - before parachuting to safety.
Mr Walden, who was born in South Africa, has a long history in aviation as a glider and hang-glider pilot. He began base jumping six years ago and has completed 450 jumps, mostly in Europe.
He chose Mt Avalanche because it offered a jumping-off point, with the required vertical face of 150m.
"We jump with a wingsuit, but the first part of the jump, you still go down like a rock."
Preparations included two "scoping" trips to the launch site where he used a laser to determine the cliff face was steep enough.
He was accompanied by his wife Renee, who skydives but does not base jump.
Mr Walden said there are no official records in base jumping. He had not set out to break records, wanting only "a nice jump".
Detectives flew to Victoria, NSW and Queensland as part of the investigation.