Exhausted climbers near the top of Aoraki/Mt Cook have been rescued in what has been described as one of the highest altitude rescues for some time.

A climbing party of two had become exhausted and needed to be taken off the mountain, about 3.45pm on Monday.

Maritime NZ Rescue Co-ordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) senior search and rescue officer Julian Tovey said the climbers were near the top of the mountain on Summit Ridge.

“Based on several factors, including the weather, and the equipment requirements; the Aoraki Mount Cook Alpine Cliff Rescue Team advised an emergency medical services helicopter, based out of Queenstown, was best suited for the rescue,” Tovey said.

“Due to the altitude of where the climbers were located, the crew of the helicopter needed to make it lighter, they did this by reconfiguring the machine with less equipment than they would normally carry, to ensure it could safely operate at the altitude required.”

The Helicopters Otago machine then flew from Queenstown to Aoraki/Mount Cook Village to collect a member of the rescue team, he said.

The helicopter then proceeded up the mountain, and the two climbers were winched to safety at 6.45pm before being dropped back at the village about 7pm.

Tovey said at an altitude of over 3300 metres, this was one of the highest altitude rescues coordinated by RCCNZ for some time.

“While there have previously been rescues at the summit, this rescue was just as complex as a summit rescue,” he said.

Another high altitude rescue was conducted on the mountain in November 2021, with a climber retrieved after getting into difficulty.

Tovey acknowledged all responding agencies for their skills and professionalism during the rescue.

“This rescue was performed flawlessly, and a great example of a RCCNZ coordinated incident response which was deliberately planned and executed, and ensured the people in need were able to be safely taken off the mountain.”