Police and Cardrona Alpine Resort management have praised the actions of the bus driver, who managed to bring the 1986 Volvo bus to a stop in boggy ground near a creek.
The bus, loaded with 45 passengers from Selwyn College university hostel who were on a weekend ski trip, left the gravel road on the final corner of a twisting 12km descent from the mountain.
No-one was seriously injured in the crash. Eight people were taken to the Wanaka Medical Centre for treatment. Three passengers sustained moderate injuries, while those remaining had minor scrapes.
Driving conditions at the time were good, with fine, sunny weather. The road had been graded that morning.
A police commercial vehicle investigation unit (CVIU) sent from Alexandra on Saturday has turned its attention to the bus operated by the charter company Passenger Transport out of its Dunedin branch.
The accident site was cordoned off by a police and recovery team yesterday afternoon as efforts were made to retrieve the bus using a digger.
The Otago Daily Times was not allowed to speak to the on-site police commercial vehicle unit investigator yesterday. Constable Mike Johnstone, of Wanaka, said the police investigation would "possibly" be finished by today.
Passenger Transport's fleet maintenance manager, Kayne Baas, of Dunedin, said he did not believe a mechanical fault was to blame for the crash and was waiting for the CVIU's final determination.
The company's 250-strong fleet was regularly serviced in accordance with standard industry practice and the bus in question had "just recently" been in the workshop for a check-up.
The bus driver was an experienced employee, "in his late 30s", who now worked for the company part-time after returning to university to study, he said.
None of the company's buses had been involved in an accident with circumstances similar to the skifield road crash, but there had been "minor" component failure incidents before, which CVIU had investigated.
Students on the bus told the Otago Daily Times on Saturday, shortly after the crash, that they thought the brakes had failed.
Selwyn College resident James Hackett (19) said he could smell the brakes "burning" as they came down the mountain.
He remembered the sound of crunching gravel as the bus careened off the road and smashed through a fence.
"People from the back [of the bus] were thrown forward and ended upside down on everyone else. We were lucky not to roll. Things could have been heaps worse," he said shortly after the crash.
Patrick Dowle was shaken by the incident.
"It's freaky, man. A lot of people are in shock. My mate's over there injured," he said.
Cardrona Alpine Resort staff arranged alternative transport for the Selwyn College residents and spent time with them after the accident.
Some of the students returned to Cardrona's slopes yesterday to continue their weekend of skiing. The group was scheduled to return to Dunedin last night.
