Only 7 NZ travellers still delayed in Andes

Seven New Zealanders remain stranded at the fabled Machu Picchu in Peru after a weekend of flooding and mudslides that cut access to the area.

So far 14 New Zealand tourists have been rescued from the area and flown to Cusco in southeast Peru. But a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman said she did not know when the remaining seven would be airlifted out.

"But we're in contact with them and they are safe and well.

"Peruvian authorities are continuing their evacuation efforts and that's been working quite well," she said.

"We're just waiting to hear the news about the rest of them coming out."

Meanwhile, clearing skies has eased the evacuation process of the stranded tourists.

Helicopters had ferried 1402 people out of the remote village, the closest to the ancient Inca ruins 2500m up in the Andes mountains.

Tourism Minister Martin Perez told Lima's RPP radio that only 800 tourists remained in the town.

Mr Perez said helicopters had evacuated 2542 tourists since Monday. More than 3000 travellers were trapped in the town for days, strapping resources and testing their patience.

"It's been an adventure, a bit more than we bargained for," Karel Schultz, 46, of Niagara Falls, said as she waited to be flown out.

Authorities said if the weather held, they would be able to evacuate the rest of the tourists within a day.

"Right now it is raining heavily in Cusco, but we believe the weather will be better tomorrow to continue evacuations," Mr Perez said.

The Machu Picchu site will remain closed for weeks, until the Government can repair highway and railroad tracks washed out by mudslides and the raging Urubamba River.

Dozens of ragged-looking, middle-aged tourists lined up outside the train station, where they waited to make the walk of a few hundred metres to a makeshift helicopter clearing.

Younger backpackers played soccer with locals and lent a hand stacking sandbags and clearing train tracks to pass the time.

The evacuation was being done by age, oldest first.

- NZPA