The woman, in her 30s, and her partner were canyoning at the Twin Creek Falls, near Temple Basin, when she fell between 90m and 100m.
The woman's partner abseiled down and found her about halfway down the falls, where the falls split in two, activating his personal locator beacon just before 4pm.
Police today described the pair as experienced.
The NZCC West Coast Rescue Helicopter was dispatched from Greymouth by the Rescue Co-ordination Centre and the crew arrived to find the woman had fallen from the top of the falls to a pool about halfway down. She was dead.
"The man roped his way down to the bottom to where his partner was," pilot Angus Taylor said.
A paramedic on board the helicopter confirmed the death and the search then became a recovery operation, the helicopter helping to winch the body from the scene about 6.30pm.
Mr Taylor said the couple had apparently been on an extended climbing and canyoning holiday in the South Island. Arthur's Pass was intended as the last stop before their return to Australia.
In a statement this morning, Selwyn police said an investigation was under way.
- Brendon McMahon
