The death of the 71-year-old on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing is being attributed to a medical event.

Emergency services were called to the crossing on Tuesday, April 9, following the man's death.

“Police understand it was a medical event not a fall,” says a police spokesperson in a statement released today.

“A helicopter was unable to be deployed due to cloud.”

"With the support of us, NZ Police, and New Zealand Land Search and Rescue, a rāhui has been in place on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing since Tuesday and will be lifted at 6am on Friday, April 12," says a Department of Conservation spokesperson.

A rāhui sets a temporary prohibition around the rāhui area and limits access for that period in order to acknowledge the death and to express sympathy to the whānau of the deceased, says the Department of Conservation.

It provides time for tapu - sacredness - to dissipate following the death allowing time for healing and recovery of the natural elements at place as well as the people; in particular the grieving whānau. 

The Department of Conservation says transport operators for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing have been made aware of the rāhui.

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is located in the Tongariro National Park - New Zealand's oldest national park and a dual UNESCO World Heritage Site.