A small plane has crashed into a "precarious rock bluff" near Wanaka killing four, police say.
The wreckage, believed to be that of a Cessna 185 fixed-wing aircraft, was found by a helicopter pilot who had been flying over the north branch of the Motatapu River.
Police say there were four people on board, but no one survived the crash.
Recovery teams hope to lift the bodies out by the end of the day and crews are still working to identify the pilot and passengers.
They're also unsure how long the wreckage has been at the site and where the aircraft was flying to or from as there have been no reports of missing planes in the area.
However, aviation sources believe the plane was originally from Christchurch.
The wreckage was initially reported to police around 12:40pm today and rescuers had to secure the site on arrival as the plane was in a dangerous position on the bluff.
3 News
source: newshub archive
