A giant rockfall from a mountain near Aoraki/ Mount Cook in the Southern Alps has missed a tramper's hut by less than 200 metres.
The rockfall happened shortly after 2pm on Monday and was about 3000 metres long. It came to rest near the Plateau Hut which had 15 people in it at the time.
A spokesperson for Department of Conservation says a guide from the hut reported that the rockfall came off the western side of Mount Dixon.
Shirley Slatter says three climbers were on Mount Dixon at the time, but were not near the area.
Ms Slatter says some people were flown back to Mount Cook village, but others who wanted to stay were transferred to another hut.
