Six Kiwis who were trapped on a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship off the coast of Japan have landed in Auckland and been taken to Whangaparāoa Military Base for quarantine.

The twin engined white jet touched down about 7.40pm Thursday at Whenuapai airforce base after a long flight home via Darwin.

It comes as officials announced the first two deaths of passengers who were on board the Diamond Princess - both of whom were Japanese nationals in their 80s.

There was no sign of friends or family of the evacuees at the perimeter of the Auckland airbase on Thursday evening.

DAVID WHITE/STUFF A chartered bus carrying evacuees from the coronavirus-stricken cruise ship Diamond Princess leaves Whenuapai airbase in Auckland.

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* Coronavirus: Two more passengers test positive

* Kiwis 'strongly encouraged' to leave Diamond Princess

* Coronavirus: Evacuees leave Whangaparāoa

Fire engines parked in front of both the jet and bus in an apparent attempt to stop media filming the evacuees as they boarded the Pacific Tourways coach.

Those aboard the coach appeared to be sitting as far apart from each other as possible, in groups of two.

They were led out in a convoy with a police car at the head, followed by a St John Ambulance four-wheel drive.

A smattering of West Auckland locals waved on as the latest evacuees headed up the coast to quarantine.

DAVID WHITE/STUFF A chartered jet carrying evacuees from the coronavirus-stricken cruise ship Diamond Princess lands at Whenuapai airbase in Auckland.

Earlier on Thursday morning, those six Kiwis joined about 165 stranded Australians on an Australian Government-chartered Qantas flight to Darwin from the ship docked in Yokohama, Japan.

The Diamond Princess has become a hot-bed for infection - tallying up the highest concentration of the virus outside of mainland China.

As at Thursday, 621 people were confirmed as coronavirus-positive out of 3011 tested on board the ship.

When the evacuated Kiwis arrived in Darwin about midday, they disembarked and got onto a smaller, New Zealand Government-chartered flight accompanied by a St John paramedic and a doctor.

They would be housed at the Whangaparāoa Military Base for two weeks in quarantine.

More than 150 New Zealanders earlier evacuated from Wuhan were able to leave Whangaparāoa on Wednesday, having been in isolation for two weeks.

Meanwhile, the health ministry earlier said on Thursday it was looking at opening smaller facilities to house evacuees.

However, director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the ministry had not yet looked into where such facilities could be.

LONG FLIGHT HOME

The six New Zealand passengers were asked to pay a fee of $500 to cover the costs of the assisted departure.

Two other Kiwis who were expected to get on the plane to Darwin with the six evacuees were unable to board the plane after testing positive for coronavirus on Thursday morning.

The pair were not heavily symptomatic before testing positive, Bloomfield said.

It brings to four the number of New Zealanders on the ship who contracted the virus. All are being cared for in Japanese hospitals.

Bloomfield said the earlier two who were diagnosed were doing "well" and in "good spirits".

They were expected to return to New Zealand once they were cleared.

Bloomfield said while the ministry was watching all research developments "closely", findings that coronavirus could return to people who had already contracted it were "very speculative".

He expected those who recovered to have some form of immunity.

AP A passenger stands on the balcony of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which scientists said was a "failed experiment" in quarantine.

WESTERDAM KIWIS CONTINUING TO RETURN

Sixteen Kiwis are also returning home from a second cruise ship - the Westerdam - which was docked in Cambodia.

An American woman who was on board the Westerdam was diagnosed with coronavirus after most passengers left the ship.

Bloomfield said a further eight Kiwis arrived home on Wednesday, and were in self-isolation.

They joined five Kiwis who had arrived and gone into self-isolation previously, leaving three still abroad.

MONIQUE FORD/STUFF The Ministry of Health's Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says the ministry will start to look at the idea of opening another smaller facility to house evacuees.

GLOBAL PICTURE

Between February 3 and midnight on February 18, more than 8250 people had arrived back in New Zealand, having travelled from or through China in the past fortnight.

About 3600 of those would have completed their 14-day self-isolation period, and the ministry was continuing to follow-up on those who had not yet registered for self-isolation, Bloomfield said.

On Wednesday, there were about 800-odd people who the ministry had yet to contact.

Bloomfield was unable to provide an updated figure on Thursday, only saying that the number had not grown.

AP Photo/Jae C. Hong Six New Zealanders who have been in quarantine on the Diamond Princess cruise ship for two weeks have arrived home and will be quarantined for another two weeks.

He reiterated the ministry's register was "not there to police people".

New Zealand was the only country Bloomfield was aware of which had a register.

There have been more than 75,000 reported cases of coronavirus worldwide, and more than 2100 deaths - the majority of both in mainland China.

There are still no confirmed cases in New Zealand.