It should have been a trip filled with happiness for couple Sovannmony Leang and Josephine Gibson. But their travels to New Zealand have ended in tragedy.
The NSW pair were confirmed dead after the helicopter they were flying in crashed on to the Fox Glacier on the west coast of the South Island on Saturday. 
They are among seven, including four British tourists and the helicopter's pilot, who died in the crash.
Close family friend Stephanie Llalo, who lives in New Zealand, got to know Mr Leang, 27, during summers she spent in Sydney with her family.
"I was really shocked when I found out," she said. "I can't really believe it. it doesn't seem real."
Ms Llalo said Mr Leang had been dating Ms Gibson, 29, for almost a year. The pair loved to travel and had gone to New York earlier in the year.
"I think he was going to marry her," she said.
Ms Llalo said Mr Leang was a friendly, big-brother figure who was happy to help anybody who needed it.
"He's the type of person you can trust or tell anything to, and he won't judge you," she said. "We had a heart-to-heart talking about something that had happened. He gave me advice I'll never forget."
Three bodies have been recovered from the crash site, but poor weather conditions have hindered the efforts of recovery teams to retrieve the rest.
West Coast Inspector John Canning said crews would take every opportunity between breaks in bad weather to assist.
Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said she had spoken to the families of the two Australians on board.