By CATHERINE MASTERS
Jackie Henshall knew her teenage daughter was scared when, trapped in riots on the Indonesian island of Lombok, she kept saying on the phone, "Mum, I love you lots."
The Greenlane woman said last night that it was rare for a 13-year-old to say something like that.
Natalie White is now safe in Bali with her father, Roy White, of London, Ms Henshall's former partner.
Lombok, which is torn by violence between Christians and Muslims, is about 40km east of Bali, Indonesia's main tourist destination.
Ms Henshall, who has been to the island many times, said tourists were an unlikely target as the economy depended on them. But she admitted she was getting worried when she heard a local man had been killed.
Natalie and her father were on the ferry to Lombok as unrest broke out on Sunday but were "blissfully unaware" until they arrived in the middle of it.
"They went down to the beach and, apparently within an hour of arriving, witnessed one of the restaurants or bars being burned at Seniggigi Beach."
Most hotels had already evacuated their guests and they turned out to be among only a handful of tourists left in Lombok.
They found escape avenues blocked and ferries full. Finally, they were able to get on an extra Garuda airline flight late yesterday to Bali and, to her mother's relief, Natalie is due to fly home tomorrow.
"She's extremely well travelled and very, very mature," said Ms Henshall.
"The only way I picked up on the fact I thought she was really starting to feel it, because her dad was there, was she kept saying on the phone all the time, 'I love you mum, see you soon,' and 13-year-olds don't say that a lot these days."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade last night warned tourists to avoid both Lombok and the neighbouring island of Sumbawa, and said any New Zealanders remaining on Lombok should leave.
13-year-old girl's riot nightmare
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