Michael Stepura and Pavel Pazniak were the two men found dead in Tararua Forest Park on Monday.
The friends set out on an overnight hike to Alpha Hut from a Waiohine Gorge campsite, in the Wairarapa, on Saturday. The alarm was raised when they failed to return the following night.
On Monday the bodies of the two men were found less than a kilometre from the hut.
Mr Stepura, also known as Mykailo, was originally from Ukraine but had lived in Lower Hutt for some time. The 39-year-old was married and had two children.
(Givealittle/ Michael Stepura)
Mr Pazniak, 32, was from Belarus but had lived in Auckland with his wife and two children for a number of years.
Both men worked for software company Xero.
Givealittle pages have been set up to help the families cover funeral costs.
Mr Pazniak was described as a loving husband and father by his friend Mikalai Dunets.
Slava Knyazev, a close family friend of Mr Stepura, said the family was shocked by the tragic loss.
"Michael was the main bread winner for his family, and we are reaching out to the wider community to support his family during this time," she wrote on a Givealittle page.
Police have said the men may have suffered hypothermia, however a coroner's report is yet to be released.
MetService meteorologist Leigh Matheson described conditions in the area at the weekend as miserable, saying the men likely battled against strong gales, rain and low-visibility.
Tararua Tramping Club president Peter Barber told Newshub the trail the men took - via the Dress Circle Track - would take an experienced hiker about 11 hours in good weather.
The men may have survived had they abandoned the trail and diverted to a closer hut midway through the walk, he said.
Newshub.
