Friends have paid tribute to a New Zealand man found dead on a mountain in northern England this week after being missing for four days.
Police in the UK yesterday confirmed a body found on Helvellyn, a mountain in the Lake District, was that of 45-year-old Michael Flanagan, originally from Napier.
Mr Flanagan had told staff at a hotel that he intended to walk up the mountain on January 8.
He was not heard from again and a search was launched.
Volunteers from the Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team discovered Mr Flanagan's body four days later on Monday.
A spokesman for Cumbria police said there were no suspicious circumstances.
Mr Flanagan grew up in Napier. He lived in London with his wife and young son and worked as the head of foreign exchange institutional sales for National Australia Bank.
He had also worked for HSBC and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
His friend Tony Brown, a financial trader based in Singapore, said he was shocked to hear Mr Flanagan had been found dead.
"He was such a jovial, jolly, happy chappy. He was always there for a laugh, always up for a beer, and he had a truly wicked sense of humour. He just fit in with anybody."
Napier Boys' High School archivist and historian Phillip Rankin said Mr Flanagan was a prefect in 1986.
Another friend, Mark Oldershaw, described Mr Flanagan's death as "a truly tragic accident".
"Undoubtedly it's come as a shock to everyone. It's all a bit surreal."
Although he had lived in London for about 10 years, Mr Flanagan remained proud of his roots.
"He was full of life. He always gave things a go and certainly lived life to the max."
- Harrison Christian of Hawke's Bay Today
