Kiwi woman tells of Bali jail ordeal

Leeza Ormsby told New Idea she thought her life was over when she was jailed.

The New Zealand woman held in a Bali prison for the past nine months has spoken exclusively about her ordeal to New Idea.

Leeza Ormsby, 38, was two days into a holiday in Bali when she was caught with 0.8g of marijuana - a half-smoked joint - in her handbag.

The Rotorua-born woman was released from Kerobokan Prison on November 12 and returned to New Zealand the following day.

"It was terrifying. I thought my life was over," she told the magazine, which is out today.

She said the holiday to Bali was supposed to be a sunny escape to relax, enjoy some time off and recover from a broken heart, but instead she ended up in jail.

Despite the ordeal, she told New Idea she would like to return to the popular Indonesian island.

"I definitely want to go back to Bali. I'm not just going to put it behind me. It completely changed my life."

Ormsby, who lived in Sydney when she went to Bali, described her time in prison as "not very pleasant" when she arrived at Auckland Airport a day after being released.