Erena Louise Wilson, 31, died about 2.10pm on Sunday (local time) as she walked through the botanic gardens in southwest London.
An inquest into her death opened overnight (NZT) and heard that she suffered non-survivable head injuries when she was hit by a Lebanese cedar branch as she walked through the park with two friends.
Her friends said they were walking along the path and heard a loud crack, believing it was thunder, and looked up to see the branch falling.
Ms Wilson, an accounts manager with Deluxe Digital Studios, lived in Hanwell in West London.
A statement from the family this afternoon said they wanted to extend their thanks to the emergency services in England, "whom we are told did a remarkable job with their attendance to the scene and their attempts to revive Erena''.
"Our thanks to the police and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and NZ High Commission, both in New Zealand and England, for their promptness at getting in touch with and keeping her mother informed and arranging for Victim Support Services, who were with her immediately,'' family spokesman Alan Hunt said.
Her mother lives in Auckland and her father lives in Australia.
Outside the court where her inquest was held, Erena's colleagues told The Telegraph that she was a star with a bright future.
"It is difficult to put into words how we all feel following the tragic passing of our colleague and friend Erena Wilson,'' Gez Lowry, a human resources manager at the company where she worked, said.
"Whilst it's hard to draw any comfort or understanding at this time, Erena's colleagues are trying to focus on the good times they shared with her on a day to day basis.
"As account manager to one of our major film clients, Erena quickly settled in, becoming popular with her work colleagues and respected by the client she looked after.
"Erena enjoyed working in the media industry and would have gone on to bigger and brighter things, which makes her passing all the sadder. She was happy in her work, had great potential and a long career ahead of her.
"On behalf of everyone at Deluxe, I would like to pass on our deepest condolences to Erena's family & friends at this very sad time.''
