Emotion spilled over at Elim Christian College in Auckland this morning when principal Murray Burton read out the names of the six students and one teacher who died after heavy rain turned a river they were canyoning down into a torrent yesterday.

The names seemed to echo around the two-levelled hall, and the list seemed to go on forever.

The six students - three girls and three boys - and a male teacher died yesterday after in the Tongariro National Park.

Police have released the names of the victims. They are:

- teacher Anthony McClean, 29, of Howick.

- Natasha Bray, 16, of Pakuranga;

- Portia McPhail, 16, of Manurewa;

- Huan (Tom) Hsu, 16, of Farm Cove;

- Anthony Mulder, 16, of Howick;

- Floyd Fernandes, 16, of Howick;

- Tara Gregory, 16, of Mt Wellington.

All seven deaths have been referred to the Palmerston North Coroner for investigation.

The other students from the canyoning trip arrived at the school in a bus at around 1.20pm.

The pupils were led inside, as the rain fell on the sombre scene.

The students were part of a 40-strong group on a course with the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre based in Tongariro.