Since authorities assess that no one is alive in the rubble, the rescue operation on the North Island, at the foot of Mount Maunganui, has turned into a salvage operation.
Local media reports say local authorities have been criticized for not evacuating people from the site despite reports of landslides there and in neighboring areas earlier that day.
The landslide hit Beachside Holiday Park in the town, which is named after the extinct volcano, on Thursday, following heavy rains in northern New Zealand. The same day, two people died in a separate landslide in neighboring Tauranga, AFP news agency reported.
