The bus which crashed down a steep bank near Akaroa while carrying a load of tourists on Wednesday has been recovered.
Scrub had to be cleared with chainsaws and two large heavy removal vehicles were needed to winch the bus up on to the road.
The whole process took about two and a half hours.
The bus plunged down the bank on Wednesday evening after a collision with a car.
The 31 passengers on board were from the cruise ship, Celebrity Solstice, which was docked in the Akaroa Harbour that day.
Six people from the US were among those injured in the crash. They were flown and driven to Christchurch Hospital, some in a critical condition.
Four of the six guests have now been discharged from hospital and the Celebrity Cruises sent out a care team to help with their onward travel.
Two other guests remain in hospital in a stable condition.
The New Zealand woman driving the car involved in the crash remained in a critical condition yesterday, while the bus driver was in a serious but stable condition.
The remaining passengers returned to the ship and have continued their cruise around New Zealand.
The hardest challenge in recovering the bus was pulling it up over the lip of the bank and righting it on to the road.
The road was closed while the bus was recovered.
The passengers in the horror crash had spent the day experiencing New Zealand farm life and tasting local produce before the incident.
Royal Caribbean Spokesman Owen Torres said those on the bus were participating in the "Farm Wine and Cheese - Sheep Farm and Dog Show" excursion.
Tragedy has struck Celebrity Solstice on New Zealand roads three times in the past few months.
A Canadian passenger from the ship was severely injured when he was hit by a campervan while cycling with his partner on Otago Peninsula nearly two weeks ago.
And an elderly American woman was killed in November while riding a bike in Tauranga the day the ship arrived in the city.
The same afternoon a bus carrying ship passengers collided with a car on State Highway 29. The car driver died, but nobody on the bus was injured.
It's understood a NZDF aircraft and multiple helicopters are involved.