In the meantime they are "just waiting for him to come home".
Michael Denton died while touring with his team, the Nedlands Rugby Union Football Club, which was competing in an invitational rugby 10s competition.
The 29-year-old was found unconscious on Friday last week by a team medic, after he went to bed early feeling unwell.
Attempts to revive him were reportedly made before he was rushed to hospital, but he never regained consciousness.
Mr Denton's sister, Louise Denton, said yesterday the family did not know what had caused him to become ill, and did not expect to receive an autopsy report for "at least six weeks".
She expected his body to arrive in Dunedin "in the next couple of days".
"We are just waiting for him to come home. We are a very close family and the grieving and reality of the situation will only begin properly once he comes home," she said.
His funeral was planned for Tuesday afternoon, with a wake at the Dunedin Rugby Club. The family expected a large turnout, including many people from Australia.
A memorial service will be held at the Nedlands club in Perth next weekend, which Miss Denton and her brother, Greg, will attend.
Mr Denton left Dunedin about five years ago to join the Nedlands club and played in five premierships, as well as games for the Western Force's A side.
In Dunedin, the fly-half played for Kavanagh College before joining the Dunedin Rugby Club's colts team and the club's top team when it won the banner in 2005.
While studying accounting and marketing at the University of Otago he worked at the Captain Cook Tavern.
The Nedlands club website said messages of condolences had been received from All Blacks Richie McCaw, Ali Williams and Adam Thompson.
