Police say an Australian police officer has died in an avalanche while mountain climbing in New Zealand.
New Zealand Police on Friday identified the man as 40-year-old Nathan Deutschbein. They said he had been climbing with another person in the Aoraki/Mount Cook area in central South Island when the avalanche struck Thursday afternoon.
The other climber suffered minor injuries and was transported to a nearby town for treatment. A third member of the group had stayed behind in a hut that day because he wasn't feeling well.
An online fundraising page said Deutschbein is survived by his wife, Skye Deutschbein, and two young daughters. Skye Deutschbein wrote on Instagram that the family could not imagine a world without their "Captain Awesome.