SIMON O'CONNOR/STUFF
The bodies of Richard Phillips and Peter Kirkwood were recovered shortly after 8am Thursday with the assistance of the Taranaki Rescue Helicopter and Police Search and Rescue and Alpine Cliff Rescue personnel.
OPINION: Taranaki Maunga is a challenging yet popular mountain for trampers in summer and climbers all year round.
Its beauty is well known, but unfortunately it also has a reputation as one of the deadliest mountains in New Zealand.
The NZ Mountain Safety Council (MSC) is often asked just how deadly Taranaki Maunga is and why.
In recent years, MSC has conducted detailed analysis of safety incidents on the mountain and throughout New Zealand, as well as providing expert reports and safety recommendations to coroners to support fatality investigations.