Dr Peter Brian Kirkwood, 33, was born and raised in Cardiff, Wales. The son of Paul and Katrina, brother to Beth, Matthew, and Edith.
He met his wife-to-be, Kerrie Ann, in the University of Cambridge Hillwalking Club, while completing a PhD in geotechnical engineering. After graduation, they spent time working, skiing, and climbing based out of Boulder, Colorado, before moving to New Zealand in 2018.
The mountains were central to Peter’s life. He was a skilled and experienced tramper, mountaineer and backcountry skier, who had climbed numerous peaks in the European Alps, the Scottish Highlands, the North American Rockies, and the New Zealand Southern Alps.
He had recently become a father, and was looking forward to introducing his baby daughter, Elaine Sierra, to the mountains that he and Kerrie Ann loved so much.
A competent, careful engineer, who tackled complex geotechnical problems with relish, Peter was held in high esteem by his colleagues at Tonkin & Taylor.
He was a loyal and adventurous soul, who will be dearly missed by his friends in the UK, the US, and in Christchurch, where he and Kerrie Ann had made their home.