Peters says he didn't have dengue fever

Foreign Minister Winston Peters says he definitely did not have dengue fever, but the illness that laid him low remained a mystery today after he discussed it for the first time.

He said he contracted a virus while he was in Malaysia last month and had been told it would not recur.

Mr Peters was back in Parliament yesterday after recuperating in Rarotonga following a relapse.

He was reported to have been bitten by an insect, possibly a spider, while he was at a conference in Malaysia.

But he said in an interview with Radio Live today he was not even sure about that.

"That's what we figured it might have been but we're not certain," he said.

"I was at a conference luncheon and I started to feel unwell. Things deteriorated over the next four days."

Mr Peters refused to say what doctors had told him about the virus.

Mr Peters quickly resumed his prickly relationship with the media when he came to Parliament yesterday, avoiding reporters by changing elevators and refusing to talk about his illness.

But he dismissed as "ridiculous" a rumour that he had gone to Rarotonga to get married.

Mr Peters took part in a noisy question time when Labour and National hurled accusations at each other election spending, but there was no sign of the secret emails he is believed to have.

He has hinted in the past that the National Party emails contain damaging information about the source of its campaign funds, and it was reported this week that they might be published.

Today he dismissed that report as "mindless journalism".

- NZPA