Martin Rapley (R) from Waihi was met by his son Jarryd in Auckland. Photo / Richard Robinson
It may have cost him $3000 in airfares, but Waihi farmer Martin Rapley says it was worth it to get away from the chaos and turmoil of Bangkok.
Mr Rapley was one of four stranded Kiwis who managed to get out of Bangkok and find their way to
Singapore and a flight to Auckland yesterday.
His journey started with a two-hour taxi ride to U-Tapao naval base 150km from Bangkok.
From there, he caught a flight to Kuala Lumpur, then another to Singapore.
"I'm just so glad to be home," said Mr Rapley. "It's just complete chaos there, and people are really starting to show their frustration."
Tourists who are arriving at U-Tapao now have reportedly been camping outside the airport and using portable toilets.
Built in the 1960s by the US Air Force and equipped with one x-ray scanner for bags, the airbase can handle about 40 flights a day, compared to the 700-flight capacity of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport.
Singaporean visitor Alan Leong, who arrived on the same flight as Mr Rapley, said at least 20 other New Zealanders were at Singapore's Changi Airport last night waiting for the next available seat.
Singapore Airlines' general manager for New Zealand, Looi Tien-Po, said more New Zealanders would have been able to get home by late last night, and others would find seats on flights this morning.
Thai tourists and students returning to Bangkok from New Zealand have also found a roundabout way to do so.
Students Ken Prasitnarit, 15, and Pisarut Umagangtongkul, 18, have swapped their Thai Airways direct-to-Bangkok tickets for a Qantas flight, which would take them to Sydney.
From there, they will take a flight to Chonburi, and then a three-hour bus ride to Bangkok.
"It will take us twice as long to get home, but at least we will get to go home," said Mr Pisarut, a student at Nelson College.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has issued a warning against travelling to Bangkok.
