Police have recovered the four bodies of those inside a light plane which crashed near Wanaka this afternoon.

Emergency services received a call around 12.40pm from a helicopter pilot who'd been flying in the area and had spotted the wreckage.

A Wanaka LandSAR team was flown into the scene to examine the wreckage, which was situated on a precarious rock bluff.

The plane is a Cessna 185 fixed wing aircraft.

The bodies of the victims have been taken to Wanaka where a formal identification process will be initiated.