KEY POINTS:
Japanese climber Kiyoshi Ikenouchi who died on Aoraki/Mt Cook last week loved New Zealand, his family said today.
In a brief statement the 49-year-old climber's family expressed its gratitude to everyone involved in the attempt to rescue him.
Mr Ikenouchi, a guide, died at 3700 metres up the mountain on Friday while his friend and climbing companion Hideaki Nara, 51, was rescued.
The dead man's family said he had loved New Zealand and had visited several times.
"He had much experience in mountaineering and had built up technique and knowledge as an alpine guide," they said.
"He was always cautious in his mountaineering expeditions. Therefore we are very shocked by what happened and consider it to be most regrettable.
"In particular, we deeply appreciate the team of rescuers who made strenuous efforts over several days in very atrocious weather."
Mr Nara said yesterday he spent hours digging a small snow cave with a knife and ball point pen and how his dead companion lost his boots while their ice axes were buried beneath a metre of snow.
Mr Nara was discharged from Christchurch Hospital and attended the funeral of his friend yesterday. Mr Ikenouchi's wife, mother and friends of his mother attended the funeral.
Mr Nara thanked all the people in New Zealand and Japan who had assisted him, especially the Department of Conservation.
"While I was in hospital I couldn't feel what had happened was real. But today it sunk in. There are no ways to describe how I feel. There is a big hole inside me from the loss."
The pair arrived at Mt Cook on November 26 and reached the Middle Peak area on the night of the 28th when the wind began to blow very strongly.
They were attempting Mt Cook's Grand Traverse, climbing from the Hooker Valley to the South Peak, intending to reach the summit from there, before heading down to Plateau Hut.
Mr Ikenouchi was believed to have died just hours before Friday morning's dramatic rescue, after the pair's tent was buried in snow and they were forced into the open in temperatures of about - 20degC.
Extreme winds had halted rescue efforts to reach them all week, with an Alpine Rescue Team on constant standby to go into the mountain if a gap in the weather arose.
Department of Conservation area manager Richard MacNamara said the waiting had been stressful for the search team.
It was "extremely hard" to know Mr Ikenouchi died within hours of rescuers reaching him, he said.
"The only good thing to come out of it is that at least there is some closure for the family."
- NZPA
