Intrepid travellers fly out to Bali

By GAVIN ENGLISH

As one nearly empty Garuda flight left Auckland for Bali yesterday, another nearly full flight landed - bringing people home, still shocked at the nightclub bombings.

About 30 passengers checked in for flight GA713 destined for Bali yesterday. There were no queues.

Tasha Wadeson, 26, had tried to change her flight to avoid a three-day stop-off in Bali before travelling on to London.

All Garuda could manage was to shorten her stop by a day. She declined the offer.

"Three days is the same as two if I have to be there," she said.

"I would have stayed in New Zealand but my visa is up and I have to go."

She is staying in Kuta tonight before travelling further north for two nights.

"I'll stay somewhere quiet - a long way from the American embassy and away from tourists.

"I'll probably read a book. I definitely won't go out."

Ms Wadeson was in Bali one month after September 11 last year.

"There weren't very many tourists then either. At least it will be cheap."

Violet and Patrick Gomez were travelling home to Singapore. They are stopping off in Bali for one night.

"The first thing that came to my mind was to change the arrangements," Mr Gomez said.

"But then I thought, what the hell. Security will be at its best now.

"We have decided to change the side of the island we are staying on," he said.

"Instead of staying on the Kuta side we are going over to Sanur."

Mrs Gomez added: "God is with us. Singapore is safe. We will just go."

The couple had been worried about an attack in Malaysia or Singapore but said security was very tight in both countries since the September 11 attacks.

A Brazilian traveller, who did not wish to be named, said he had intended staying in Bali for 12 days before going to Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

He altered his plans after the attack but could not avoid a one-night stop-off in Bali.

He was not sure where he would stay.

"I want to go to Bali but I think I will go in about one month's time after I go to Thailand.

"It is bad but it should be okay by then."

Moments after GA713's final boarding-call, incoming passengers from Bali walked through the arrival gate.

Among them were Joseph McPherson, 17, and Melissa Kelly, 18, who were 30m from the explosion outside the Sari Club.

They were knocked off their feet but a concrete wall that collapsed in the blast sheltered them from the fireball.

"I just picked her [Miss Kelly] up and started running," Mr McPherson said.

"An Australian woman came up to us missing half of her arm," Miss Kelly said.

"She had no toes and she said, 'Help me'.

"I said, 'We can't help you. We don't know where to take you'.

"We knew all the people in the nightclub because we had been talking to them all night. There were about 50 of us who went from the hotel," said Miss Kelly.

"One man's wife was dead and some other people's daughter was killed."

Mr McPherson said Bali went into almost military-style lock-up after the blasts.

"Helicopters were landing on the beach and soldiers were running past with big guns.

"After that we couldn't go out shopping.

"We couldn't change Australian dollars anywhere. Shopkeepers were saying, 'Get out, Aussies. We don't sell to you'.

"I did my shopping in the hotel in the end."


Bali messages and latest information on New Zealanders
New Zealand travellers in Bali, and their families around the world, can exchange news via our Bali Messages page. The page also contains lists of New Zealanders in Bali and their condition.

Foreign Affairs advice to New Zealanders

* Travellers should defer travel to Bali

* NZers in Bali should keep a low profile and remain calm

* Foreign Affairs Hotline: 0800 432 111

Feature: Bali bomb blast

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