Melissa Therese Martin (38) had planned to celebrate her 39th birthday with her partner when she emerged from the bush.
Instead, Brad Skinner was comforted by a helicopter pilot who broke the news that she had died in the fall from a glacial area the pair were climbing near Korako, AAP reported.
The couple were four days into a three-year adventure journey which was to have taken them to 15 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, according to their blog on the University of Technology Sydney website.
They were also part of a biomedical research project which was tracing their heart-rate variability during their travels.
Mr Skinner, an electrical computer systems engineer, and Ms Martin, a part-time nutritionist, met more than 15 years ago and were funding the trip themselves.
Ms Martin wrote of their sacrifices before she left.
"This time, because we'll be away for three years, I'm going all out. I'm taking a pair of jeans and a pair of heels."
She also wrote about visiting her brother in Malaysia in June before heading to Pakistan.
"Some may think it's difficult to spend so much time with your partner, but as time's gone on we've learnt to adjust and read each other better. There are times, like towards the end of a big day, when you get a little frayed. But we know where the limits are and to learn to bite your tongue."
Sergeant Tod Hollebon, of Te Anau, said Ms Martin's death has been referred to the coroner.
A postmortem investigation into the cause of death was under way.
Mr Skinner was flown to Te Anau Medical Centre with a fractured wrist, facial cuts and serious bruising.
It appeared the two lost their footing about 1.30pm after stopping to put in an anchor, and had slid over the broken ice field near Revelation Peak in the Darren Mountains, he said.
It is believed Ms Martin, who was 400m further up the glacier, lost her footing then fell down the ice face and collided with her partner as the couple continued to slide another 40m together.
Sgt Hollebon said the couple were experienced and well equipped.
Conditions in the challenging terrain had been "perfect".
It was a "tragic accident", he said.
Police were alerted by the pair's emergency locator beacon.
Yesterday afternoon, police conducted a preliminary interview with Mr Skinner.
Sgt Hollebon said questions over whether the couple should have been on the dangerous rime ice was not something he was "going to get into".
Southern Lakes Helicopters reached the scene about 3.30pm.
Helicopter winch operator Lloyd Matheson told AAP it appeared the pair had good climbing equipment but questioned why they were hiking on a glacier covered in "incredibly dangerous" rime ice, thawed snow that had refrozen.
"They had crampons and everything, but that ice at this time of year is just treacherous. It's like a sheet of glass," Mr Matheson said.
"It's quite a strange place to be and, to be honest, I don't know why they chose it.
"There were other people around, but they were climbing on the rock terrain. Why pick the ice?"
However, Mr Matheson told the Otago Daily Times yesterday he was speaking to the man while he was "seriously hurt" and did not discuss the couple's level of climbing experience.
"It was a funny place to be but I don't know their skills. They could have climbed Mt Everest," Mr Matheson said.
Korako descends from the eastern flank of Revelation Peak (2195m), flowing east below Crampon Pass.
