Nothing to declare except joy

By ANGELA GREGORY and ANNE BESTON

A month after being rescued from a sinking ferry in the Indian Ocean off Indonesia, 70 refugees finally set foot in New Zealand last night, ending their perilous journey from Afghanistan.

Seven hours earlier they had left the tiny Pacific island of Nauru, excited and happy as they walked to their plane under the relaxed guard of immigration officials.

Their arrival at Auckland Airport could not have been more of a contrast, as immigration officials went to extraordinary lengths to shield the Afghans from sight.

The chartered Boeing 727 parked in a layby at the western end of the runway, far from the terminal.

Refugees disembarked from a door on the far side of the plane and boarded an airport shuttle bus with blacked-out windows.

They were ferried in two trips to the immigration processing area, but any glimpse of their entry to the building was blocked by specially parked container trucks.

Earlier yesterday, the refugees had been ferried from the Australian troopship HMAS Manoora to the Nauru mainland.

Looking fit and healthy, they walked up a short ramp to waiting buses. Children, some of them tiny, outnumbered the adults.

It was the first time the refugees had set foot on land in more than a month.

They had stayed on board the Manoora when it arrived at Nauru last week, while other refugees rescued from the sinking ferry by the Norwegian freighter Tampa were sent to camps on shore.

The 70 New Zealand-bound Afghans, first consignment of a quota of 132, were clearly ecstatic to be on their way, the children especially brimming with curiosity and excitement.

Most of the men and children wore casual Western clothes and waved out with big smiles. The women, traditionally attired in long dresses, were more subdued.

A 35-year-old teacher said he was travelling with his wife and five children.

They had no choice but to come to New Zealand, and he knew nothing about the country.

"But whatever comes is going to be okay."

His family wanted to escape Afghanistan because its rulers suppressed his people. "They massacre and kill us."

The group were taken inside the Nauru airport terminal and kept at arm's length from the media by security guards.

The only refugee from the land camp to join them was Sayeed Taheer, aged 17, whose story of escape from Afghanistan featured in yesterday's Herald.

International Organisation for Migration (IMO) spokesman Mark Getchell said it was an emotional scene when Taheer - whose family sacrificed their life savings so he could get away - finally left camp.

"He had to kiss about 50 people three times each.

"Everyone was very happy for him."

Mr Getchell said that despite his years of refugee work, it was hard not to feel emotional.

"It hits you every time ... you just have to look away."

As the refugees boarded the plane in the scorching midday heat, even the young children stopped to shake the hands of IMO officers.

Some children carried soft toys, while a heavily pregnant woman clasped her stomach as she made her way slowly across the tarmac.

A trailerload of black rubbish bags, containing the refugees' few possessions, was loaded into the cargo hold of the 727.

The plane returns to Nauru today for the remaining 62 refugees.

A further seven asylum-seekers hoping to make it to New Zealand will be vetted by representatives on Nauru of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.