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The trio set out to summit Mt Hicks at 2am from Empress Hut.
The climb was one of the last of Ms Morgan’s she had to summit to complete climbing all of New Zealand’s peaks above 3000m, Inspector Gaskin says.
He says Ms Morgan is fortunate to be alive, saying “the fact two people have died indicates how lucky she is”.
“She’s obviously kept a really good presence of mind, she’s followed her training and acted accordingly – that is really the only reason she’s alive.”
The climbers were all extremely well-equipped – they just found themselves in an “unlucky situation”.
“A lot of people climb the mountain, but not many people climb in that area, because it’s a wilderness area,” Inspector Gaskin said.
“To get to Empress Hut, which is the only hut up there, it takes between 12 and 16 hours walking – so it’s a long, long way in a high-altitude area.”
Ms Morgan had been posting updates on her climb on Facebook.
