Mountaineer reaches his peak

Aoraki-Mt Cook. Photo / Simon Baker

A Christchurch man has become the first mountaineer to climb solo all 34 of New Zealand's 3000-metre mountains and sub-peaks.

Guy McKinnon, 35, began his quest in 2006 after recovering from an accident a year earlier on the country's highest mountain, and made his final climb last month, The Press reported.

Mr McKinnon was ascending Aoraki-Mt Cook in January 2005, when he spent a night 60 metres below the summit, trapped on a ledge, his broken leg dangling over a 1500m drop before being rescued.

He had already climbed about half of the peaks before the accident, and as he lay in hospital recovering, he decided to climb them all.

"It just became something I had to do," he told the newspaper.

Mr McKinnon returned to the mountains just over a year after the accident, struggling with a damaged ankle.

He conquered the last peak, Mt Magellan, on October 31.

- NZPA