A large crowd of mourners is expected in Queenstown today to farewell Mitchell James Walker (22), whose body was found in the Greenstone Valley on Thursday.
Mr Walker, a guide for Ultimate Hikes, was last heard from at 3.30pm on Wednesday.
His body was found the following afternoon, in a gorge on the eastern side of the Livingstone Mountain range in Fiordland, where it appeared he had fallen about 40m in a rugged area of creek bed.
A funeral service for Mr Walker will be held at 2pm today at St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, in Stanley St.
Senior Constable Chris Blackford, of Queenstown Police, said because the Walker family was well-known and highly respected in Wakatipu, a large crowd was expected.
Police would have pointsmen on duty for traffic control and he advised motorists to avoid the CBD if possible during the funeral.
