Tauranga adventurer Jo Morgan has been discovered safe and well after being hit by an avalanche near Aoraki/Mount Cook.

Jo, an experienced climber has been identified as one of three people, including two other professional mountain guides, who were swept away by the avalanche while climbing on Harper Saddle on Mount Hicks.

Police can confirm that two people have died following the reported avalanche.

Senior Constable Lee Andrew says police have been told a party of three people were ascending Mt Hicks early this morning when they were caught in an avalanche.

'The deceased are two men, and both were mountain guides. Their bodies have been removed from the scene.

'Police have started the process of informing next of kin.”

The deaths will be referred to the Coroner.

A Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand spokeswoman says an experienced climber activated her personal locator beacon about 6.45am on Wednesday after she and two others were hit by an avalanche on Mount Hicks.

Jo Morgan is known publicly as the wife of economist and philanthropist Gareth Morgan, and the mother of Trade Me creator Sam Morgan.

Daughter Jessi Morgan posted on her mother's Facebook page at 9.16am today that she was "safe and back at Mount Cook village".

Department of Conservation director general Lou Sanson, who is with Jo Morgan, says she is "strong but shattered".

"There's clearly been an avalanche and she's been able to fortuitously dig her way out of a really complex situation," he says.

Yesterday the New Zealand Avalanche Advisory issued alerts for dangerous conditions around Aoraki / Mount Cook and Mount Hutt until Friday.

It says there was "considerable risk" above 1400m on Aoraki / Mount Cook.

The warnings were for alpine areas with an increasing risk of storm slabs, and an alert was also in place for the Craigieburn Range until this afternoon.

The advisory said spring was usually one of the more active times of the year for avalanches.

Avalanche New Zealand director Andrew Hobman says if climbers are carrying an avalanche transceiver beacon, rescuers can locate them under the snow.

"[You then] use a long probe, which is a bit like a tent pole, to probe into the snow to finally locate them, and then you need to to dig them out."

He says there is not a lot of time to rescue someone under the snow.

"It's a medical emergency and teams are trained very well on getting there as quickly as possible and getting the people out of the snow as quickly as possible."

Earlier this year Jo told the Weekend Sun she is a keen climber.
'There are 24 peaks in New Zealand over 3000m and I've done 22. Two to go. Then I can retire,” she said.

-Additional reporting Stuff.co.nz