MOUNT MAUNGANUI (AFP)

Efforts to rescue at least six people buried alive by a landslide at a New Zealand holiday park ended Saturday, with police shifting into a recovery operation.

Police Superintendent Tim Anderson said human remains had been uncovered beneath the mountains of dirt and debris that crashed into a campsite in Mount Maunganui on Thursday, adding that it could take several days to locate all of the victims.

Two teenagers are among those missing after heavy ​rains triggered the landslide at the island's east ‌coast, bringing down soil and rubble at the ​site in the city of Tauranga, crowded ⁠with ‌families on summer holidays. The ​youngest of the missing is aged 15.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand said on Saturday that 35 rescue workers, assisted by heavy ⁠machinery, had removed debris at the site after a ⁠partial slip in a section of the search area around 6pm local time on Friday.

Prime Minister Christopher ‍Luxon visited the site on Friday and met affected families. "They are grieving incredibly hard, and I know that New Zealand grieves with them," he said.

The heavy rain this week unleashed another landslide in the neighbouring ‌suburb of Papamoa, killing two.