Rescuers are racing to find a climber who failed to return from climbing Mt Taranaki and is now missing in freezing temperatures.
The alarm was raised at around 3:50pm on Wednesday, after the man failed to make it back from the snow-covered mountain as scheduled on Tuesday night.
Police along with Search and Rescue are scouring the area for him, with plans to keep looking into the night.
The Taranaki Rescue Helicopter is also taking part in the search.
Temperatures at the summit were at a chilly -13degC at 6am on Wednesday, according to Metservice, warming up during the day but again dropping to -12degC by nightfall.
The trek is popular with experienced climbers but is tougher in winter conditions, with hikers needing to be well equipped to tackle the summit.
Newshub.
