An Australian climber who became injured trying to summit Mt Taranaki has been rescued overnight.
Police say it took search and rescue teams nearly five hours to bring the 22-year-old down the mountain from a height of 1650m.
Earlier in the day the man had made a solo attempt to climb to the summit but had decided to turn back near the feature known as the "lizard".
He descended in thick cloud and became lost in a rugged gorge where he injured a leg on rocks.
The man phoned for help at 4 pm and was located nearly six hours later.
The rescue was hampered by rugged alpine terrain, thick cloud, rain and darkness .
Low visibility also prevented the use of the Taranaki Rescue Helicopter.
The man was taken to Taranaki Base Hospital by ambulance for treatment to his leg injuries and mild hypothermia.
