Police have recovered a grim find in New Zealand’s southern Alps.

A plastic climbing boot – complete with the remains of a foot – has been found. It is believed to be up to 30 years old.

The grisly find was reported by police in the Mount Cook National Park. The skeletal foot of a climber were still in place inside the boot. Boots of the type recovered were first used in the 1970s and the remains have been preserved by snow and ice in the high terrain.

There are 59 climbers who have disappeared without trace, or whose bodies cannot be recovered, in the national park. 150 deaths have been noted since records began. Police are trying to match the foot with casualty details.