Two young Wanaka men are among the Kiwis barred from a repatriation flight from Peru yesterday evening (Saturday March 28).

Caleb Nicol and Conor Hayes, both 23, left New Zealand in December on their first OE. Both former Mount Aspiring College students, Caleb is an auto electrician at Wanaka Auto Repairs, and Conor is a commercial electrician now in Invercargill.

Caleb’s mother Kim Nicol told the Wanaka App the effort to get the boys home has “consumed our lives” for the past three weeks.

The men were among 24 New Zealanders booked on a private charter repatriation flight for Australians with Chimu Adventures yesterday, after paying almost $5500 each. However the Kiwis were told they could no longer board, because there are no onward flights to New Zealand available on the same day the flight lands in Sydney (Tuesday March 31).

Australia closed its borders on March 20. New Zealand citizens who aren’t Australian citizens can usually transit through, but a new rule that came into force yesterday means all transits must occur on the same day as arrival.

Kim Nicol and son Caleb

Kim said Air NZ has said it wasn't aware of the repatriation flight and had cancelled its flight from Sydney on Tuesday. 

“It’s been a tough few weeks and our hopes were pinned on this flight,” Kim said.

The two Wanaka men were due to fly home last Sunday (March 22) when the borders shut in Lima, Peru. They were on a 12 hour bus ride and had nine hours to make it. When they arrived at the airport they weren’t allowed in without a boarding pass. They were among thousands of people, with riot police all around, Kim said.

Kim said people have asked “why did they not come home earlier?”, but she said the family has been trying to get the men home for weeks. “We even tried to sneak them over the border, but it was too dangerous,” she said.

The men are now the only two Kiwis in a hostel in lockdown. There is a curfew and the military escort them to the shop across the road to buy food.

“The shining light is at least our boys are ready to go. Caleb said ‘We’re sleeping in our clothes, we’ve got our bags packed and at any moment we’re up and gone’,” Kim said.

Kim has been in regular contact with the NZ Embassy in Peru. The embassy has been in touch with the men via a group email, and the embassy’s latest advice was for the men to hunker down. The embassy told Kim her family may have to support Caleb financially for the next six months.

“In this household five of us don’t even know if we’ve got jobs anymore,” Kim said. Kim is an administrator at Montessori, and her mother Carol Little works at Cardrona Alpine Resort. Kim’s husband Brett (Bart) is an essential services worker with Aspiring Highways and Fulton Hogan. He is “propping up the family and keeping everyone on the roads safe”, Kim said.

Kim’s father has been unwell and had told Kim he was “holding on” to see Caleb on Tuesday. 

Caleb and Conor are two of 81 registered Kiwis stranded in Peru. Kim said efforts to get the New Zealanders home have been gathering momentum. A Facebook group set up for the stranded New Zealanders is encouraging them to apply to be let into Australia on compassionate grounds.

The Wanaka App will update this story as more information comes to light.

PHOTOS: Supplied