Climber missing on Mt Taranaki found dead

The man failed to return from a climbing trip. File photo / Mark Mitchell

A man missing on Mt Taranaki has been found dead.

Search and Rescue found his body just after midnight.

He was reported missing yesterday after failing to return from a climbing trip. Police said they are notifying his next of kin.

An experienced Taranaki climber said conditions this time of year make scaling the mountain risky.

Ivan Bruce said the snow on the mountain was "thin, hard and icy".

"The main risk is that you're going to slip and fall, if you fall on the snow and ice you're potentially going to skate a long way."

Bruce said there were no regular safety patrols on Mt Taranaki which meant it was up to the climber themselves to get out of any dangerous situation.

"The trick is not to get yourself into those dangerous situations in the first place.

"The main route to the summit is up the north ridge of the mountain, that's the one that is commonly used by most people. It's probably one of the easier routes on the mountain but in these conditions it's still technically an alpine climb.

"There are no easy routes on the mountain in winter. If you're not confident... you need to stay off the mountain until summer."

He said hearing of the death was a "bit of a shock, but unfortunately it does happen on the mountain".

Mountain Safety Council chief executive Mike Daisley said climbers typically underestimate Mt Taranaki.

"It doesn't have that alpine feel... but the reality is that as soon as you get out of your car you're in an alpine zone.

"It's very changeable weather, ice is a particular problem on the mountain.

"During summer there's many walks to be enjoyed there... [but] if you've come with a T-shirt and jandals you're going to get cold very quickly.

"You have to be prepared for the pretty unique conditions relative to other New Zealand mountains with that rock ice combination... this time of year it is a mountain climb rather than a trip up the summit."