Bad weather has halted a recovery operation for the bodies of four tourists remaining on Fox Glacier after a helicopter crash.

All seven people on board were killed when the helicopter crashed on the West Coast glacier just before 11am on Saturday.

A spokesman for the company involved gave a heartfelt message to the victims as police anticipated bad weather would prevent recovery crews from revisiting the treacherous crash site until at least Wednesday.

Sovannmony Leang and Josephine Gibson from New South Wales died in the accident.

Alpine Adventures organisational systems manager Barry Whiteland said "I do feel for the families involved. For the community. For everybody, because it's not an easy time for any of us at this stage".

Whiteland read a statement from the company outside the rescue co-ordination centre in Fox Glacier on Sunday afternoon saying "Fox Heli Services' thoughts are now with the family and passengers and of the pilot, of course".

Four of the victims were tourists from the United Kingdom, two were visiting from Australia, and the pilot, Mitchell Gameren, was from Queenstown.

Iain McGregor Police have identified all seven people who were killed when their helicopter came down on Fox Glacier.

Three bodies have been recovered after a brief break in the weather, but four remain at the scene.

"The pilot was a very valued team member of course with our company," Whiteland said.

"As far as the company is concerned, we are very, very moved by it all.

1 of 19 SUPPLIED Pilot Mitch Gameren died along with the six passengers he was transporting. 2 of 19 Sovannmony Leang and Josephine Gibson, from New South Wales, died in the crash. 3 of 19 FACEBOOK Andrew Virco and Katharine Walker of Cambridge, England, were killed in the Fox Glacier crash. 4 of 19 FACEBOOK Nigel and Cynthia Charlton. 5 of 19 Iain McGregor Rescue crew board a helicopter to head to the Fox Glacier crash site. 6 of 19 Iain McGregor Rescue crew get ready to board a helicopter to head to the Fox Glacier valley where a helicopter crashed, killing 7. 7 of 19 Iain McGregor A tourist who was on the glacier at the time of the fatal crash described the mood as 'sombre'. 8 of 19 NZ POLICE The crashed helicopter was found in a crevasse on the glacier. 9 of 19 Alex Baranda American photographer Alex Baranda was on a Fox Glacier tour at the same time as the fatal helicopter crash which claimed seven lives but his group was unaware of the accident. 10 of 19 Iain McGregor Poor conditions on Sunday morning initially hampered efforts to recover the bodies. 11 of 19 IAIN MCGREGOR/FAIRFAX NZ Weather conditions in the valley can change extremely quickly. 12 of 19 Iain McGregor Recovery teams were able to get up to the crash site which was 760m up the glacier. 13 of 19 Iain McGregor A no-fly zone meant tourists had to walk up to see the glacier. 14 of 19 IAIN MCGREGOR/FAIRFAX NZ Police have to wait for a break in the weather before attempting to recover three more bodies from the Fox glacier helicopter crash. 15 of 19 Iain McGregor Cloud and rain has been forecast for Fox Glacier for much of the week. 16 of 19 Iain McGregor Three bodies remain on Fox Glacier after a helicopter crash on Saturday, killing all seven people on board. 17 of 19 IAIN MCGREGOR/FAIRFAX NZ Recovery teams prepare to head up to Fox Glacier to try recover three bodies still on the ice on Wednesday. 18 of 19 IAIN MCGREGOR/FAIRFAX NZ Police recover the last three bodies from the Fox Glacier helicopter crash on Thursday. 19 of 19 JOANNE CARROLL/FAIRFAX NZ A helicopter carries a piece of wreckage on Thursday from the Alpine Adventures Squirrel helicopter that crashed at Fox Glacier.

"We had a meeting with the pilots this morning. A very sombre meeting."

The company planned to return to operations but at this stage it was not clear when that would happen.

Police had postponed the recovery of the bodies for the remaining four victims as weather forecasters expect rain in the area for the rest of the week.

FACEBOOK Katharine Walker, of Cambridge in England, was killed in the Fox Glacier crash.

West Coast Inspector John Canning said weather conditions were forecast to deteriorate during Monday and Tuesday, meaning recovery crews would likely be prevented from revisiting the site until at least Wednesday.

"The environment up there is very challenging. It is very dangerous.

"The site is near the top of the glacier, it's all ice, it's not level and there are blocks of ice as big as buildings with crevasses between them."

Iain McGregor/Stuff The 13km long Fox Glacier valley where a helicopter crashed on Saturday killing a local pilot and six tourists draws visitors from around the world.

MetService meteorologist Claire Flynn said a severe weather warning was in place for Fox Glacier and surrounding areas. Heavy falls were expected through Monday and into Tuesday morning.

"Wednesday is still looking fairly miserable, it won't be heavy rain like today and tomorrow. Thursday it's still raining and on Friday it's raining - it's not looking good," she said.

Canning said alpine cliff rescue teams from Mt Cook and Franz Josef were at Fox Glacier, along with disaster victim identification teams.

Iain McGregor Tourists heading to and from the glacier were required to use the walking track as the no-fly zone was extended.

"It's going to be done. It's going to be done slowly, methodically and safely and that may take a wee bit of time," Canning said.

Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) general manager Peter Northcote said the advantage of the bad weather was investigators would have time to plan the recovery properly.

The bodies of three people recovered on Sunday were expected to be taken to the Fox Glacier settlement before being transferred to Christchurch or Auckland.

Iain McGregor A tourist on the glacier at the time of the crash described the mood as sombre.

VICTIMS NAMED

The seven people killed in Saturday's crash were: Mitchell Paul Gameren of Queenstown, 28, Andrew Virco of Cambridge in England, 50, Katharine Walker of Cambridge in England, 51, Nigel Edwin Charlton of Hampshire, 66, Cynthia Charlton of Hampshire, 70, Sovannmony Leang of New South Wales, 27, and Josephine Gibson of New South Wales, 29.

Katharine Walker was the head of Radiotherapy at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

Iain McGregor Rob Jewell, chairman of Glacier Country Tourism group, talks about the chopper crash at Fox Glacier. (Video first published in November 2015)

According to the hospital's website, Walker had worked there for 23 years.

Recovery teams were winched the site of Fox Glacier helicopter crash earlier on Sunday.

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Iain McGregor A search and rescue helicopter heads towards the Fox Glacier valley on Sunday after a helicopter crash killed seven on Saturday.

'HEAVILY CREVASSED'

Northcote said a TAIC crash investigator had flown over the crash site, but was unable to land.

They were trying to find the best process to approach and recover the wreckage, he said.

NZ POLICE The wreckage of the helicopter, which crashed, killing all seven people on board, is seen in a crevasse on Fox Glacier. Police digitally altered this image to remove graphic content before its release.

"We know the scene is a particularly difficult one. It is heavily crevassed. Some of the wreckage is in crevasses.

"There is snow and there is ice and so people on scene need to be appropriately guided and in fact tied, in some places, to alpine cliff rescue team members."

A commercial drone operator had been commissioned by police and the TAIC to gain close and detailed photos which were not possible from a helicopter because of the difficult nature of the environment.

Iain McGregor Poor weather conditions on Sunday morning were making it difficult for recovery teams to access the site of a fatal helicopter crash on the Fox Glacier.

"That work will be weather dependent . . . if the weather is kind to us that could start [Monday].

"It's very much a case of working with the weather and the resources available to approach the task carefully and methodically," Northcote said.

Investigators expected to begin interviews with the operator to find out more details of their operations, the training and experience of the pilot and crew, and the design, manufacturing, maintenance and any issues with the helicopter.

Michael Wright Inspector John Canning talking about the Fox Glacier chopper crash.

"The commission's job is to try and work out the circumstances and the causes of this accident and to see if anything can be learnt from it that might help prevent a similar accident in the future," Northcote said.

TAIC would work with French and United State agencies, and the manufacturers of the helicopter and its engine.

"If anything comes up in the investigation that suggest that there needs to be some urgent action on the part of the regulator CAA [Civil Aviation Authority], or any other party, then the commission has the ability to make those recommendations," Northcote said.

NO FLY ZONE

Glacier Country Tourism chairman Rob Jewell confirmed the no fly zone around the crash site had been extended and no helicopter companies ran tours on Sunday, giving the recovery helicopters priority.

Visitors who wanted to see the glacier had to take the walking track.

IAIN MCGREGOR/FAIRFAX NZ Weather conditions in the Fox Glacier valley can change extremely quickly.

"We're hurting. It's a real tragedy today. We'll just do what we can to make this as easy as we can for everybody, and obviously our thoughts are with those who lost their lives today and their families and friends," Jewell said.

"Here on the West Coast, it's a small village, and everyone knows everybody, so it's a matter of looking after each other."

Alpine Adventures ground crew manager Mike Nolan described the crash as an "absolute tragedy".

"We just can't believe what's going on. We're just feeling for the families at the moment," he said.

"We don't know a lot about the recovery process just that the weather is hampering search and rescue teams. Mitch was one of our experienced pilots. We're devastated for him and his family. "

Gameren had worked at the company for about six years, mostly during summer as he worked overseas as well, Nolan said.

"He was a very valued member of our team. We just absolutely can't believe what's happened.".

The company would conduct its own investigation as well as supporting police, CAA and TAIC.

Nolan said the company took its safety very seriously and Saturday's crash was the first time a life had been lost in the more than 20 years he had worked with the company.

* Police have amended the name of one of the victims. Sovannmony Leang was incorrectly listed as Leang Sovannmony. In addition, he and Josephine Gibson were residents of New South Wales, Australia, not South Australia. Police regret any distress or confusion the mistake caused.