Friends plan mountain climb in memory of couple who perished

Nicole Sutton and Hiroki Ogawa died last Labour Weekend after being trapped in bad weather on Mt Taranaki.

Friends of an Auckland couple who died on Mt Taranaki after getting stranded in extreme weather last Labour weekend are set to climb the peak to remember them this weekend.

A year on from the deaths of Nicole Sutton, 29, and Hiroki Ogawa, 31, who spent two days stuck near the summit of the mountain before rescuers managed to reach them, emotions still run high for their family and friends.

Rowan Smith, from the New Zealand Alpine Club's Auckland section, who helped organise the trip to Mr Taranaki last year, said the club's annual trip to the mountain had been cancelled as a mark of respect.

However, a group of Ms Sutton and Dr Ogawa's friends from the club were planning a private memorial trip to climb to the spot where they died.

"We're not doing an official club trip this year... out of respect, but a group of us are still going down," he said.

The group included three people who were on the fateful trip last year.

"We'd like to get up to the spot where they were, weather-dependent, sit there and have lunch," Mr Smith said.

"Then come down and do some rock climbing around the base in the area.

"There's no set plan, everything's weather-dependent - we learned that lesson more than anything. If we don't get up there, we don't get up there."

Mr Smith predicted it would be an "emotional" weekend.

He climbed Mt Taranaki just two weeks ago following a week-long inquest held in New Plymouth into the couple's death.

"That was quite soothing," he said of the experience.

Mr Smith described Ms Sutton and Dr Ogawa as very special friends, who he missed deeply.

"It's been a very difficult year, for everyone," he said.

He described them as a very enthusiastic couple, who loved the New Zealand outdoors.

"Nicole loved Girdlestone - one of the peaks on Ruapehu - she grew up there as a child, her family would go skiing there all the time," Mr Smith said.

"She had a lot of exposure to snow, she had quite a bit of experience skiing in Japan, and she was wanting to take it to that next level to be able to be a bit more self-proficient and be able to go out to more remote places, on the South Island and overseas as well.

"Hiroki was very caring and thoughtful, and very experienced as well."

Mr Smith described last Labour weekend as starting off as a "wonderful" day on the mountain, which ended in tragedy.

"It was a lovely climb, it was a nice, enjoyable day out, which obviously turned into something disastrous."

Ms Sutton and Dr Ogawa were forced to hunker down after becoming trapped by freezing and extreme weather conditions on the Saturday night of Labour weekend last year.

Numerous rescue attempts were made - with two rescue teams coming within 150m of the couple's GPS co-ordinates - but rescuers were repeatedly pushed back by the freezing rain and strong winds, which forced them to climb on all fours.

When rescuers finally managed to reach them early on the Monday morning, October 28, 2013, Dr Ogawa was already dead.

Ms Sutton died in rescuers' arms shortly afterwards before she could be winched off the mountain.

Mountain tragedy

October 26, 2013:

Dr Ogawa and Ms Sutton set off to climb Mt Taranaki with a group from Auckland's Alpine Club. The majority turn back around 4.30pm, but the couple and two others decide to descend via the summit.

9.46pm: Dr Ogawa texts Rowan Smith at the lodge telling him one of the group was injured, and Ms Sutton was hypothermic.

October 27
1am: Taranaki Alpine Cliff Rescue team leaves the lodge, coming within 150m of the GPS co-ordinates, but are forced back due to "horrific" weather.

October 28
12-12.30am: Two rescue teams head up the mountain, one comes within 100m before running out of rope and returning.

7.30am: A third team of rescuers reach the stranded couple, to find Dr Ogawa already dead.

9.30am: Ms Sutton dies in rescuers' arms.