Police have identified the human remains found on Aoraki-Mt Cook this year as a climber who went missing more than 40 years ago.
Canterbury police today announced that DNA testing on the remains recovered from the Tasman Glacier area of the mountain in February had confirmed the climber's identity as 19-year-old David Erik Moen
Mr Moen was climbing with an acquaintance when he was reportedly caught in an avalanche on September 16, 1973.
A plaque has been placed on a memorial in Mt Cook Village in his memory.
Mr Moen's family said in a statement today that the uncertainty had been hard for them.
The young climber had lived life to the full and losing him so unexpectedly was difficult for everyone he knew, they said.