The wreckage of the helicopter was located inside a crevasse on Fox Glacier, but hard terrain made it hard for rescuers to reach it, police said in a statement.
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Police said they are liaising for embassies to contact next of kin and will recover the bodies tomorrow.
A recovery team prepares to leave for the crash site.
“The conditions up there are risky, so we’ve got to take our time and ensure the safety of our staff is paramount”.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and we’re very sorry to hear about the accident”, he said.
Insp Canning said: ‘A helicopter carrying seven people including the pilot has crashed at the top of the Fox Glacier.
The helicopter is believed to be a six-passenger Eurocopter “Squirrel” operated by south Westland firm Alpine Adventures.
“There are a range of aircraft types available, helicopter types, and methods that we could use, but it’s too early to say what those might be”. He said a team of investigators was planning to survey the scene over the coming days.
An American tourist who was on a different tour on the glacier said no one had been aware of the crash until after they had returned to the tour office base.
“We don’t know why [the helicopter crashed], we don’t know how”.
He said numerous pilots knew each other and it was a hard time for them.
The crash site was about 2500ft (760m) up the glacier.
The cause of the crash and the identification of the victims are being investigated.
Bray said the family was hoping the bodies of all seven on board would be recovered today.
Grey district mayor Tony Kokshoorn told the Associated Press weather was marginal at the time of the crash, with intermittent rain showers and low cloud.
Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) spokesman Peter Northcote said deteriorating weather was threatening to slow its site investigation into yesterday’s crash.
Helicopter trip company Alpine Adventures, which is based near the popular tourist attraction, confirmed its aircraft was involved in the incident but a spokesman declined to comment further.
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Gameren had worked at the company for about six years, mostly during summer as he worked overseas as well, Nolan said.
