The key components of the Squirrel helicopter which crashed on Fox Glacier last Saturday killing all on board, are en route to Wellington, but some parts will remain embedded in the glacier.
Alpine rescue teams yesterday recovered the remaining three bodies before bad weather again hit South Westland.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has now removed three loads of wreckage, including the rotor blades, transmission, engine, tail boom and cabin.
They were yesterday loaded on to a truck for transport to its Wellington technical facility.
Spokesman Peter Northcote said it had sent on all the wreckage received from rescue teams. They had the major pieces of interest.
However, there was "significant fragmentation" and some pieces could not be reached from the creviced crash scene.
He said they had not yet sat down with a parts list to assess exactly what they had.
It was unlikely the helicopter would be reassembled, but parts would be analysed and tested.
Two members remained in Fox today conducting interviews and doing documentation collection.
The commission expects findings could take 18 months, though pressing matters can be reported before then.
The inquiry is likely to involve input or assistance from the commission's colleague agencies from France, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
West Coast police area commander Inspector John Canning, said today that police involvement at the scene was now over.
A total of 26 personnel - including police, alpine rescue staff, and investigators - were at work at the scene yesterday.
Sergeant Sean Judd said completing the job was not an easy task.
"Its a mixed feeling - the kind of job that we're up there doing, but it is good to finally get that done. There's a lot of pressure on all of us this week and of course the families are the ones we feel for the most."
Two Australians, four British tourists and the New Zealand pilot all died in the crash on Saturday.
The CAA said this morning the no-fly zone restriction in the area would end at 4pm today.
By Laura Mills of the Greymouth Star
