Satish Jagadeesan pays tribute to his brother Magesh, a climber who died after falling into Mt Ruapehu's crater lake.
The group of hikers who watched as their friend Magesh Jagadeesan fell to his death in Mt Ruapehu's crater lake have spoken out about what happened in the lead up to the tragic incident.
"It began as a gesture of kindness but had tragic consequences," the group said in a heartbreaking Facebook post.
The group - including Abi Wittmeyer Hill, Daniel Nogueira, Pavel Marunin, Ruslan Baytemirov - met early Saturday morning at the Whakapapa village.
They had planned to hike up the summit plateau, build a snow cave and spend the night on the mountain.
"The weather conditions were wonderful – a bluebird day with not much wind."
After making it to Dome Ridge, the group walked down to a flat area close to the crater lake.
They said they had just finished having a snack and were about to pack up and find a place to build the snow cave when the accident occurred.
"One of our packs started sliding down the slope and some gear flew out of it. Two group members ran down to stop the gear – one of them caught a small bag and managed to stop.
"Magesh grabbed more gear but couldn't stop himself and slid off the edge. It began as a gesture of kindness but had tragic consequences."
The group said Jagadeesan was probably the most experienced member of the group.
Magesh Jagadeesan at Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park. Photo / supplied
"He was an avid tramper and mountaineer and part of LandSAR. He owned good gear, maintained it well and knew how to use it."
Jagadeesan's body was retrieved from the lake by members of the climbing group, when emergency services arrived.
The group said the accident was not something that happened due to inexperience.
"We were not climbing a hard route, pushing limits or facing terrible weather. Something similar can happen to anyone at anytime, anywhere. Accidents occur when you least expect them – never get complacent."
The group said they were still trying to process what happened and were all very broken in different ways.
"Stay safe in whatever you do. Take care of yourselves. Tell your friends and whānau you love them."
Ruapehu iwi Uenuku, Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Rangi announced the rāhui, or temporary access ban, over the area from Sunday until sunrise this morning.
A funeral will be held for Jagadeesan at Seddon Park Funeral Home in Hamilton from 5pm tonight.
Arrangements were being made to fly his body back to his family in India.
