A 39-year-old man is dead after accidentally falling into the Mount Ruapehu Crater Lake.

On Friday night, the Taupo resident was reported missing after going skiing at Whakapapa ski field, Mount Ruapehu.

The man's car was found in the ski field carpark but he could not be located.

On Saturday a helicopter and ground search was carried out, and after a short search the man was located dead in the Mount Ruapehu Crater Lake.

Initial indications are the man accidentally fell into the lake.

His family had joined the search earlier on Saturday and have been advised of his death.

"It is an absolute tragedy for this man's family. He was located at an area where many people go to get views of the lake," says Senior Sergeant Grant Alabaster.

"We are thankful we were able to locate him in a relatively short period of time to enable us to get him back to his family."

The matter has been referred to the coroner.

Newshub.