Police have recovered the bodies of two climbers who died on Mount Taranaki earlier this week.
NC Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
Police were notified on Tuesday night that a climber had fallen near the summit, and a search and rescue operation commenced then.
The bodies of two climbers were located just after midnight but they could not be recovered since then due to poor weather conditions.
A search and rescue member who was on Taranaki Maunga said he understood the men died near Syme Hut, which is on Fanthams Peak at an elevation of 1940m and about 500m from the summit.
In a statement this morning, police said they recovered the men's bodies shortly after 8am with the help of the Taranaki Rescue Helicopter and Alpine Cliff Rescue personnel.
They are now in the process of being formally identified, so police are not releasing their names.