Hikers Presumed Dead on Aoraki Mount Cook

The search has been called off for three hikers who went missing while attempting to climb New Zealand's highest peak. Americans Kurt Blair and Carlos Romero, along with a Canadian man who has not been publicly named, missed their flight out of New Zealand on December 2nd. That prompted the search of the mountain called Aoraki, also known by its colonial name Mount Cook. Aoraki has a height of 12,218 feet. Experts say it requires an advanced level of skill to successfully climb.