The families of those killed in the New Zealand volcano disaster are "absolutely jubilant" after police secured the return of six bodies from White Island on Friday.
A daring, high-risk mission is continuing on Friday, even after the airlifting of the six known bodies from the off the active volcano and onto the HMNZS Wellington, stationed nearby in the Bay of Plenty.
A diving squad is now searching for a seventh body, and a surveillance team will renew efforts to find the eighth and final body that police believe were trapped on the island, also known as Wharaaki, after Monday's deadly blast.
The return of the bodies was announced at 11.17am NZDT Friday, four days after the eruption and several hours into the retrieval effort.
NZ Police Deputy Commissioner Wally Haumaha said the news was met with "sighs of relief, joy and clapping" by the families who gathered together while the mission took place.
"These people have been waiting patiently. To hear the news that this recovery mission had gone really well, they're absolutely ecstatic," he said.
"As you can imagine. They've got their loved ones coming home.
"To be able to take them back to Australia. If that was your son or your daughter, like it was my son or my daughter, what would we be thinking?"
The retrieval of the bodies has been a white-hot issue in Whakatane since the disaster, with local families urging police to retrieve the bodies.
The bodies of two young tour guides - Hayden Inman and Tipene Maangi - are believed to be among those remaining on the island.
According to a list released by New Zealand police, the Australian bodies are likely those of Julie Richards, 47, and her daughter Jessica, 20 of Queensland; Krystal Browitt, 21, from Melbourne; Richard Elzer, 32, and Karla Matthews, 32, of Coffs Harbour, NSW; and Zoe Hosking, 15, from Adelaide.
There was confusion in NZ on Friday when Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne says she understood the six bodies returned were all Australian.
Police commissioner Mike Bush called that premature.
"I'm aware of that commentary. I would say it's too early to say," he said.
"We've got a process in hand to identify those six that we've recovered. As you know we will be transporting those six to Auckland for that process later on today."
Friday morning felt like an eternity for many gathered in Whakatane.
At first light on Friday, Family representatives travelled to within one kilometre of the volcano, ahead of the mission to retrieve the bodies.
There, they conducted a Maori spiritual ceremony and allowed family members to be close to the site where their loved ones lost their lives.
Back on shore, they then gathered with broader family and friends at the local Maori meeting house to wait.
The high-risk mission took place despite raised seismic activity in the wake of Monday's blast.
GNS Science warned there was a 50 to 60 per cent chance of a further eruption, posing a major threat to the operation and the lives of the team on Whakaari.
An update issued while they were on the island said the "level of volcanic tremor has dropped but remains very high compared to pre-eruption levels".
Instead of opting for a plan to spend as little time on the island as possible, NZ Defence Force members spent hours on the surface of the active volcano, owing to the bulky protective suits they wore and efforts to preserve the bodies.
New Zealand police deputy commissioner John Tims announced at 12.32pm NZDT the recovery team were " safe and well on board HMNZS Wellington".
However, Mr Bush said the operation would continue as they "need to find" the remaining two bodies.
"We are returning with an aerial search of Whakaari to see if we can identify anyone else on the island and we are also, right now, deploying our dive team to search the surrounding waters," he said.
Some 47 people, including 24 Australian citizens and four permanent residents, were on the island when the volcano erupted on Monday.
Eight Australians are confirmed dead, two are presumed to have died and 13 are in hospital fighting for their lives with severe burns. The rest are unaccounted for.
The official toll given by NZ authorities stands at eight, with a presumptive toll of 16.
Australian Associated Press