Friends and family are mourning the death of a a young tramping guide, who died after a 40m fall above Fiordland's Greenstone Track.
Mitchell James Walker, 22, of Queenstown, was reported missing on Wednesday after failing to return from an exploration of an area south of McKellar Hut above the Greenstone Track.
The Ultimate Hikes guide was reported missing by the guiding company and his bodywas found by search and rescue in a gorge on the eastern side of the Livingstone mountain range yesterday afternoon.
He appeared to have been trying to climb down from a ridge to the Greenstone Valley floor when he fell about 40m into a rugged creek bed, Sergeant Tod Hollebon said.
Mr Walker's father Colin Walker said the family were in shock but had drawn strength from the knowledge that Mitchell died doing what he loved.
"We had the opportunity to be there while the search was going on and to see the area he was in, which has been comforting," he told the Southland Times
Mr Walker said his son was a talented academic as well as a gifted athlete.
He had just completed a four-year degree in landscape architecture at Victoria University in Wellington and was looking forward to finally graduating, he said.
"It's such a shame because he had so much potential."
Ultimate Hikes is a private guiding company which offers guided trips on the Routeburn, Greenstone and Milford tracks.
The company is owned by Trojan Holdings Ltd. Chairman John Davies said last night he was devastated.
Mr Walker's death has been referred to the coroner.
