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New Zealanders planning to travel to Samoa for the rest of the school holidays were last night being advised to cancel until more was known about the aftermath of yesterday's natural disasters.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a travel advisory shortly before 5pm saying there was a high risk to travellers' safety.
"We advise against all tourist and non-essential travel until the situation following the earthquake and tsunami becomes clearer," it said.
Flight Centre spokeswoman Marie Pilkington said most major airlines were waiving fees for people who wanted to reroute flights over the next few days.
"Most airlines we work with are not charging to make changes to flights."
Ms Pilkington said flights could be changed to another destination such as the Gold Coast or Fiji, as long as seats were available.
"There are lots of options - it's not the end of the holiday."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade advised New Zealanders already in Samoa to follow the instructions of local authorities, listen to local radio and stay away from the sea.
Ms Pilkington said some resorts in Samoa had been devastated but others were unaffected.
Whether to reimburse accommodation costs for people who were not already in Samoa was up to individual insurance companies, she said.
House of Travel retail director Brent Thomas said his company had about 250 clients in Samoa and an estimated 350 were due to travel there in the next two weeks.
It might be more difficult than usual to find alternative accommodation because of the school holidays, Mr Thomas said. He believed most people would go ahead with their holiday plans.
Meanwhile, Air New Zealand sent a 304-seat Boeing 777-200 ER to Apia yesterday in place of its scheduled 152-seat A320. It planned to use the extra seats to bring home stranded New Zealanders.
Its general manager of airline operations, David Morgan, said the plane was stocked with several hundred blankets, more than 1000 T-shirts, and packs of toothbrushes and toothpaste.
"We are receiving reports of people turning up at the airport in Apia in as little as pyjamas."
Air NZ said Faleolo International Airport in Samoa was closed for a time yesterday for an inspection but was reopened shortly before lunchtime.
* Advice for New Zealanders in Samoa
If you need assistance, call the New Zealand High Commission in Apia on 21 711 or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Wellington on +64 4 439 8000.
Make direct contact with family and friends in New Zealand to allay their concerns as soon as possible.
New Zealanders with concerns for family members in Samoa should try to make direct contact with them. If that fails call the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
People who are travelling to Samoa are encouraged to register their details with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
How you can help
Pacific Cooperation Foundation
Deposits can be made at at any Westpac branch. All the money raised will go to the Samoan Government
Red Cross
- Make a secure online donation at www.redcross.org.nz
- Send cheques to the Samoan Red Cross Fund, PO Box 12140, Thorndon, Wellington 6144
- Call 0900 31 100 to make an automatic $20 donation
- Make a donation at any NZ Red Cross office
ANZ bank
Make a donation at any ANZ bank branch, or donate directly to the ANZ appeal account: 01 1839 0143546 00
