It’s now five days since three international climbers were reported overdue from a planned summit of Aoraki Mount Cook – our highest mountain.

The families of the men are understandably distraught and desperate for answers.

This morning there was a welcome break in the harsh weather conditions and a helicopter was deployed in the search for the men.

The purpose of the helicopter deployment has been to take up two drone pilots.

The intention is to now create a staging area for them to operate a drone as part of the search.

The window of opportunity to survey the area of interest is small.

Our teams will assess any new information we are able to gather from the mountain.

First and foremost, we’re thinking of the men’s families in the United States and Canada.

This is a deeply distressing time for the relatives – my heart goes out to them.

We will, of course, continue to monitor any new information or sightings.

For most of the week, the weather has limited our ability to repeat the search we conducted on day one.

Our search teams have been hampered by ongoing treacherous conditions.

It’s been too windy for helicopters and simply too dangerous and risky to put teams into the search areas.

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As the highest peak in New Zealand, Aoraki Mount Cook is a challenging and technical climb with countless crevasses and hazards.

Even if it was safe put searchers on the ground, it would take a day to reach Plateau Hut and another day to summit the peak and return to the hut.

The weather has presented searchers with a frustrating situation.

I would like to acknowledge all of the teams and specialists who are putting their heart and soul into this rescue operation.

- Aoraki Area Commander Inspector Vicki Walker

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