Two Australian climbers fall to their deaths in New Zealand

They were believed to have fallen while they were camping close to top of 3,300-metre.

Wellington

: Two Australian climbers have fallen to their deaths in New Zealand's Southern Alps, police said on Saturday.

Stuart Jason Hollaway, 42, and his partner Dale Amanda Thistlethwaite, 35, from Melbourne, had been travelling and climbing in New Zealand for the past month. Hollaway was a highly respected and experienced mountain guide, police area commander Dave Gaskin said.

"His name was well-known in climbing circles and he's done a lot of climbing throughout New Zealand," Gaskin told Fairfax New Zealand. The climbers, who were found roped together, were believed to have fallen from near where they were camping close to the top of the 3,300-metre (10,800 feet) Mount Silberhorn early on December 29.

Another Melbourne climber, Nicola Anne Andrews, 29, fell to her death in the same region on December 23.