The first New Zealanders able to flee riot-torn Noumea flew out of the troubled holiday paradise last night.
An evacuation flight containing dozens of Kiwis stranded in New Caledonia arrived at Auckland International Airport in rainy, foggy conditions.
More flights are set to continue throughout this week, after about 50 people were rescued from the French territory’s capital on the first flight, which touched down around 10pm.
Among them were Mike and Christine Reilly, from Kerikeri, who said they were grateful to be back in New Zealand after a “frightening” eight days.
They had arrived in Noumea with no notice there was unrest. “We were dropped by Air New Zealand right in the middle of it,” Mike Reilly said. “So as soon as we got off the plane, it was going off and they didn’t say anything ... It was very, very scary getting from the airport to the hotel.”
Unexpected explosions would come from across the city, the smell of smoke was in the air most mornings and they could see columns of smoke rising in the distance, Reilly said.
Though they had been staying in a mostly “safe and peaceful enclave”, it was “pretty hellish”, he said. They had been trapped, with little information coming through apart from what they could find on Google and the Herald’s reporting of the unrest.
The Reillys expressed their gratitude to staff at the New Zealand consulate who had been going without sleep as they worked to get Kiwis home.
He said the hardest part was leaving the others at the hotel.
“We’re the first 50 to come out. But there’s another 200 plus people still there, and you know, they don’t know when they’re going to get rescued.”
Also landing last night were retired couple Bob and Beverley Jones, from Auckland’s Buckland. The pair were relieved to be back, though they had been staying in a relatively safe area in south Noumea.
They had planned to spend five days in New Caledonia but were stuck for eight. “We got one day of holiday and the rest was just chaos,” Bob Jones said.
“If you want to go to the bakery you had to queue for about 50 minutes to get any bread and things, and the supermarkets were empty.” Curfews had also been in place from 6pm-6am.
Following their “once in a lifetime trip” in the Hercules the Jones planned to go shopping today to enjoy the sight of full shelves.
Women, children and the sick and elderly have been prioritised in the evacuation effort, according to the Government, with the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s (RNZAF) C-130H Hercules carrying about 50 passengers out of Noumea.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters announced the flight only an hour before it took off from RNZAF Base Auckland at Whenuapai, saying it would be the first of several emergency evacuation missions.
Noumea’s airport, La Tontouta International, has been closed since unrest broke out last Monday, May 13. Yesterday’s mercy flight landed at Noumea Magenta Airport, the town’s domestic aerodrome, just after 5pm.
There were about 250 New Zealanders reported to be on the island, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFAT) said.
One Kiwi stranded in New Caledonia said they were “highly concerned” the first busload of New Zealanders being evacuated were not accompanied by a police or military escort between their hotel and the airport.
“The Australians had riot tanks, Gendarme [civil paramilitary] riot police and were well protected. The bus of Kiwis waited 50 minutes and decided to leave as [it] couldn’t wait for the escort any longer,” the anxious person, who wanted to remain anonymous, said.
Kiwi woman Nat Jones told the Herald she was asked on Monday night whether she wanted to be on Tuesday afternoon’s flight and she jumped at the opportunity, packing her bags and giving away food immediately.
“We can hear the gunfire, we can hear the explosions, we can smell the smoke,” Jones said.
“I’m just a bit anxious because now is the scary bit. We’re leaving the safe zone to go to the airport.
“Yesterday, nurses were heading to work at the hospital and were hijacked by [men with] machetes during the day.”
Shelves in shops were bare and food was hard to come by, she said.
A New Zealand MFAT official called Jones on Tuesday morning and arranged for her to be picked up from outside her hotel and taken to the airport. However, Jones said she had been waiting for hours to be picked up, causing further anxiety.
There would be more mercy flights throughout the rest of this week, Peters said. He could not say how many flights would be put on, saying: “We will see who wants to come.”
Peters said there had been “a lot of hard work from the Foreign Affairs team” and others involved in starting the mission to get Kiwis home.
He said he was “grateful” for the help from French authorities, who also believed they could ensure a safe passage to the airport for the 50-strong first lot of New Zealanders to leave the island.
“The number one objective here is you have New Zealanders in a situation of danger and our job was to ensure we did our utmost to get them out,” Peters said.
“And I am confident we can do that”.
Peters said the list of New Zealanders who wanted help in Noumea was “300-plus”.
Peters earlier said New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days and bringing them home has been an urgent priority for the Government.
“We want to acknowledge the support of relevant authorities, both in Paris and Noumea, in facilitating this flight,” he said.
“The situation in New Caledonia remains dynamic, and New Zealand officials are continuing to work with French counterparts and other partners, especially Australia, to understand what is needed to ensure the safety of our people there.”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said it was “good news” New Zealand’s plane was on its way.
There had been a lot of dialogue between New Zealand and French authorities over the past 48 hours, with the main issue surrounding “confidence on the ground” that it was “safe and secure” to land and start the evacuation, as well as the earlier travel to the airport.
“We have been waiting for French authorities to say it is safe and secure to do so and they have given us those assurances,” Luxon said.
Passengers for subsequent flights will be prioritised by consular staff, he said.
Peters and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong met French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné late last night to re-emphasise that both countries shared the urgent need to evacuate their citizens from the island.
Air New Zealand confirmed last night that all commercial flights remained suspended, with its next scheduled service not being until Saturday. The airport at Noumea remains closed to commercial flights.
Captain David Morgan, Air New Zealand’s chief operational integrity and safety officer, said flights would recommence only “when we can be assured that the airport is safe and secure and that there is a safe route for our ground staff and customers to reach the airport”.
Another stranded Kiwi, Mike Lightfoot, told the Herald he had been talking with other New Zealanders and Australians, trying to keep his mind off the danger unfolding around them.
“I’ve been having a coffee with some this morning and they are excited to know there is a plan in place and it has kicked off today,” Lightfoot said.
