The bodies of two overseas students who died when kayaking on Lake Tekapo in Canterbury will soon be home, allowing their families to farewell them.
Daniel Hollnsteiner (21), of New York, and 20-year-old James Murphy from London, died on September 25 but there was a delay in identifying them as authorities sought information from overseas. This took some time to arrive, leaving the pair's families waiting.
Today a spokesman for the Chief Coroner confirmed that the identification process was finished on Tuesday and the bodies had been released to funeral directors representing the families.
Mr Hollnsteiner and Mr Murphy were part of a group of 11 from Monash University in Melbourne visiting New Zealand during a break.
Tragedy struck when the group ended up in icy water. They were tipped out of their kayaks when a gust of wind caused a swell.
All were wearing life jackets, but Mr Hollnsteiner and Mr Murphy are thought to have succumbed to hypothermia and died.
From New York, Mr Hollnsteiner's mother Ria David said her son was "coming home" on Friday, which was a relief.
"But it's also that moment when I see him for the first time. It's heartbreaking to see your son not alive anymore."
Mr Hollnsteiner's funeral will be at the Matthew Funeral Home in Staten Island on Tuesday. The family will hold a wake on Sunday and Monday.
Ms David said family members from the Philippines will be there, including her sister.
Previously, the family said the wait for Mr Hollnsteiner's body was frustrating.
Earlier this week, the Chief Coroner's office issued a statement saying it "sincerely regrets" that the identification had taken longer than normal.
"The bodies were identified by a witness and police at the scene but the identification documentation was not correctly transferred to the bodies.
"As the witness had then left the country, the coroner requested additional information be provided from overseas to ensure an accurate identification occurred," the statement said.
"While this is naturally a distressing time for the families, the coroner must be certain of the identification of any remains before they are released."
A police spokeswoman declined to comment.
- By Jimmy Ellingham of NZME News Service
