Five people died after a charter boat capsized off Goose Bay (pictured) near Kaikōura on Saturday. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
The couple who operate a fishing charter business at the centre of a fatal capsizing south of Kaikōura say it is an unprecedented tragedy.
In a statement, Fish Kaikoura owners Mark and Sharlene Ealam said their thoughts and prayers were with the families and friends of the deceased.
They requested privacy during what they described as a "terrible time".
Sharlene told RNZ they were in shock.
"What has happened is an unprecedented tragedy and our thoughts and our prayers and our love is with the families and friends of the deceased," she said.
"We're devastated. We're beyond words."
She said the Kaikōura community, their friends and family have rallied around "so we can get through our grief with what's happened".
"All of us are just devastated and we are just thinking of the deceased family and friends and a number have reached out to us. We're just trying to get through this time."
Investigators have started contacting witnesses to the weekend's incident, which saw the 8.5-metre boat overturn with 11 people on board.
Five people who were in the cabin - which had been chartered for a birdwatching trip - died when the boat capsized at Goose Bay on Saturday morning.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission is investigating, in conjunction with Maritime New Zealand and the police.
The commission has started to contact witnesses and wants to hear from anyone who saw or recorded what happened.
Police said the boat had been recovered and would be examined.
Six people survived, including the skipper.
Those onboard the charter were members of the Nature Photography Society of New Zealand.
Among those who died was Cathye Haddock, who was taking her first trip with the photography group.
Her husband of 30 years, Peter Simpson, said Haddock was excited about the trip, loved the outdoors, and spent much of her career working in that area.
As soon as he saw the news of a boating accident, he knew it was his wife, he said.
Shock, confusion for bereaved, local community
The wider Kaikōura community is still coming to terms with the weekend's tragic incident.
Richard Hill, who owns a local fish and chip shop, said many were wanting to know how such an accident could occur.
He said it was "very unusual" as the sea was "flat".
"First I was told it was a whale, and now - we just don't know," he said.
"It's just scary for our kids and everything, going out fishing; you don't know what's out there."
Hill said the small community would pull together to support each other.
A friend of one of those who died in the capsizing said his friend's death was a shock.
Stuff yesterday reported that Christchurch man Peter Hockley was among the victims, with his daughter telling the media organisation her father was in the vessel's cabin at the time the boat overturned.
Otematata Residents' Association chairperson Steve Dalley told RNZ he became good friends with Hockley, who had a holiday home in the Otago town.
"He was extremely well thought of locally and it's quite a shock to everybody."
Dalley said Hockley would often take photos of the area's wetlands.
Friends of Susan Cade, who was among those who drowned, remembered her as a warm and multi-talented woman.
In a post on the Wellington Sea Kayak Network Facebook page, Celia Wade-Brown described Cade as a warm community-minded woman who was a kayaker, dancer and photographer.
Wellington dance studio Feet with Heat also paid tribute on their Facebook page, saying her life was cut short while on her adventure.
Her friend and dance teacher Jo Matsis said she was an incredibly warm person.
Her dance class was devastated and still coming to terms with the tragedy, Matsis said.
Whale-strike a possibility
A marine biologist said it was possible a whale did strike the boat, causing it to capsize - as the town's mayor had suggested.
Simon Childerman said collisions between whales and boats had been reported in the past.
"They've been impacts between smaller vessels and whales," he said.
"Some high-speed passenger ferries around the world have occasionally struck whales and there have been quite big damage to the vessels and the people themselves, so it's certainly a possibility."
Childerman said if a whale had hit while the boat was travelling at speed, there may be whale skin on the vessel, meaning the species, and possibly the individual, could be identified.