Two injured climbers stranded nearly 2500 metres up Aoraki/Mount Cook have been airlifted to safety, the Department of Conservation says.
Helicopter crews were able to reach the men just before 8.30am on Saturday after they spent four nights hunkered down in Empress hut - beneath the west face of the mountain.
Aoraki Search and Rescue supervisor George Loomes said the men were in good spirits and had been well prepared for a long stay in the mountains.
"They've done extremely well in trying conditions. They were well prepared with food and supplies for a stay of a couple of weeks," Loomes said.
Loomes praised the "strong flying" of the pilots and crews for the Helicopter Line who managed to reach the men through a short window of good weather in extremely challenging terrain.
Poor weather had meant rescuers were unable to reach the men earlier.
"We waited because we understood they were in a safe location and were in no immediate danger.
"It was a very difficult location, some of the steepest and most rugged terrain in the country. They were directly beneath the west face of Aoraki, beneath multiple faces of a thousand-metre sheer cirque," Loomes said.
Aoraki Police Search and Rescue Sergeant Samantha Stewart said the men had called police on Tuesday afternoon saying they had suffered frostbite but were taking shelter in the hut.
"Both climbers are receiving medical treatment for their injuries and despite what they've been through, they're in good spirits and are very appreciative of the efforts that rescuers have made to get them.
"The pair were caught out by the weather, but thankfully they were experienced in climbing and very well prepared." Stewart said.
She said the pair had been assessed for injuries back at the search in rescue base "within minutes" of being picked up by the helicopter and would be taken to Christchurch Hospital for treatment.
Rescue teams were in regular contact with the pair and their families, she said.
"Its a fantastic result. We made one rescue attempt and considered other windows of opportunity, but each time the weather pushed us back.
"We had a narrow window of opportunity this morning, but we didn't think it would be as good as it was.
"We were stoked to see them getting out of that helicopter, and they were very happy to see us too."
Bianca Bratton from the Mountain Safety Council was well abreast of the challenging terrain.
"It goes without saying that these areas up in our high alpine are some of the country's most remote and wild environments so they are particularly volatile," she told Checkpoint on Friday.
Bratton said the men were in the best place at the hut while they awaited rescue.
The Doc huts "definitely don't have your creature comforts," Bratton said, with no shower, comfortable couch or wifi.
But they did have radios, she said.
Frostbite was a big risk in the cold temperatures, Bratton said. It can affect the fingers, toes, nose or other extremities.
