Kalynda Davis, 22, was allegedly caught trying to smuggle 75 kilograms of "ice" out of China.

Australian officials did not negotiate with their Chinese counterparts and had nothing to do with the release of Penrith woman Kalynda Davis, the New Zealand government has claimed.

Ms Davis made a surprise return home on Tuesday after being detained in China for nearly a month, initially accused of smuggling up to 75 kilograms of ice out of the country.

Friends celebrated her return with tears and hugs on Wednesday, bringing gifts to the family's Glenmore Park home and posting happy snaps of the former private school girl.

"The last month has been a daily struggle but today i sit here with tears of happiness I can't even concentrate, drivin off the road and shit haha. so happy!," a close friend, Dan Stella, posted online. 

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However, the mystery surrounding her sudden and secretive release from China grew on Wednesday with New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade saying that no negotiations were ever held.

Earlier reports suggested that Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop had played a role in a delicate diplomatic rescue operation involving weeks of intense negotiations by Australian consular officials in China.

Ms Davis' parents Larry and Jenny thanked the Australian consulate-general and staff in China on Tuesday for their "dedication and work in negotiating with the Chinese government and authorities".

They also thanked solicitors they had engaged in Sydney and China.

However, New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that the decision to release Ms Davis was China's alone.

"We understand the decision to release Ms Davis rested solely with Chinese authorities. The Australian government has advised that no negotiations were held to secure Ms Davis' release, neither by consular officials nor by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop," a spokesman told the New Zealand Herald.

MFAT defended its inability to secure a similar release for Peter Gardner, the man with whom Ms Davis was arrested at Guangzhou airport, saying that it was not dictated by which government lobbied China harder.

Mr Gardner, 25, is a New Zealand citizen who has lived in Sydney for many years. He went to Richmond High School and worked for a local building company.

New Zealand's consul-general has visited Mr Gardner in a detention centre in Guangzhou and said he was being supported by his family and legal representatives.

It is not yet clear why Ms Davis was released but Mr Gardner wasn't.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade would not comment on media reports that she was released because her name was not on the luggage or she was carrying hand luggage only.

Mr Stella wrote on Monday that the amount of drugs was not 75 kilograms, that it "wasn't even on her" and she was never charged.

He said he had prayed for a miracle to bring her home and that the incident was "totally not like her at all, totally out of her character".

"She's nothing but a caring genuine beautiful person inside n out and with a pure loving heart and soul," he posted on Facebook.