What was supposed to be an exhilarating scenic trip up in the air turned into a tragedy when an ill-fated hot air balloon crashed at Carterton in New Zealand.

The Cameron A-210 flight struck powerlines, resulting in a blaze that made the balloon plummet to the ground. Five couples were on board with pilot Lance Hopping, and they were all killed in the tragedy.

The New Zealand Herald reported the names of the passengers on board, even as identification of the bodies was still in progress, as the passengers have been charred to death.

The reported fatalities in the crash are: Valerie Bennett, 70; Denise Dellabarca, 58; Stephen Hopkirk, 50; Belinda Harter, 49; Chrisjan Johannes Jordaan, 21; Alexis Still, 19; Desmond Dean, 70; Ann Dean, 65; Howard Cox, 71; and Diana Cox, 63; and hot air balloon pilot Lance Hopping, 53.

Some of the families of the victims saw how their loved ones went ablaze after the balloon hit a power line during its descent at about 7:25 a.m. Saturday.

All victims are from the Wellington and Wairarapa regions.

"Yesterday's fatal crash is not only a tragedy for the people of Carterton and the wider Wairarapa community, but for the whole of New Zealand, who are also mourning the loss of these victims. We will continue to support the families of the deceased as they begin to deal with their grief," said Wairarapa Area Commander Inspector Brent Register.

Register said the Disaster Victim Identification process to formally identify all of the eleven victims will take several days to complete, with the bad weather hampering the work of forensic investigators.

After bursting in flames, the balloon reportedly shot up "like a rocket" before crashing to the ground 250m away, leaving a large area of scorched ground.

Transport Accident Investigation Commission spokesman Peter Northcote told the Herald the investigation might take six months to a year to complete.

The hot air balloon, operated by Early Morning Balloons, took flight in Carterton about 6:45 a.m. The pilot was preparing to land after a 45-minute trip when it hit wires.

The Herald reported two of the 11 victims leapt to their death, but they have not been identified.

The Herald spoke to Geoff Walker, the photographer who has been taking photos for the company for four years. He caught the entire balloon trip up to landing, but he let the police take custody of his shot to help with the investigation.

Walker said the passengers were in great spirits before take-off. He said he stopped shooting when he dialed 111 for help.

Walker said the pilot, Hopping, was a "fantastic guy."

"He did so much for other people. He went from a freezing worker to a helicopter pilot which is amazing. He was a really down-to-earth guy and he was all about safety," Walker told the Herald, which also learned that the pilot had wedding plans this summer.

The balloon debris was scattered over an estimated area of 50m, said Register, who added the tragedy was "a tragedy as bad as tragedies get," and the whole Wairarapa community is grieving over the unfortunate turn of events.