Wellington - Two Japanese climbers remained stranded 3,700 metres up New Zealand's highest mountain on Wednesday as police waited for the weather to lift before launching a rescue attempt. The pair have been holed up in a tent near the summit of Mount Cook in the Southern Alps for four days, unable to move because of gale force winds, driving rain and low clouds.
The tent was spotted in a gap in the clouds by a search helicopter on Tuesday and one man came out and waved, but police said nothing was known about the condition of his companion.
Police were hoping conditions would improve enough for a survival pack and radio to be dropped to the climbers on Wednesday.
With winds predicted to reach 100 kilometres an hour, forecasters said the weather was not expected to lift enough for the climbers to be airlifted off the mountain until at least Friday.
Police said conditions were fine when the men went into the Mount Cook National Park for their climb a week ago, but the weather worsened, preventing them from returning on schedule on Saturday.
Their names have not been released, though police said their families had been informed.
