Police have named the rock climber killed near Queenstown on Friday.
He was Matthew Allison, a British man who had been living in Wanaka since February.
The 26-year-old died at Chinaman's Bluff, a popular rock climbing area north of Glenorchy.
Police say Mr Allison fell 155 metres as he tried to free a tangled rope during his descent.
They say he was an experienced rock climber who was familiar with the area.
His climbing companion, James Briscall, was rescued uninjured on Saturday from a ledge 200 metres above the base of the cliff where he had spent the night.