The body of New Zealand teenager David Erik Moen has finally been returned to his family, nearly 42 years after he went missing during an Aoraki/ Mt Cook climb.

The well-preserved remains of the 19-year-old climber were discovered at the foot of Tasman glacier in January, and police confirmed his identity on Thursday.

Moen had been climbing with an acquaintance he met in Mount Cook village when he was caught in an avalanche on 16 September 1973. The body of his older climbing companion was discovered soon after the accident, which was triggered when the pair walked underneath ice cliffs that gave way.

Moen’s family said they couldn’t put into words what it was like to have him returned after all this time.

“We are a very close family and losing David so unexpectedly was really hard on us all and his loss was felt enormously by us and his friends,” the family said. “David was friendly with everyone and lived life to the full. He had an infectious sense of humour and was always smiling.

“David’s spirit still remains in the beautiful, peaceful environment which claimed the life of a wonderful and dearly loved young man in the prime of his life.”

In March, Senior Constable Brent Swanson from Lake Tekapo police said it seemed the body had been buried in the avalanche and had taken more than 40 years to come down the glacier and out into the open.

Andrew Hobman, an avalanche and alpine safety expert with the Mountain Safety Council, said people who perished in Aoraki Mt Cook national park commonly showed up at the foot of the glacier.

Another set of historic remains were found near the Hochstetter glacier in March and police are working to formally identify them.