Former National Party leader and Reserve Bank governor Don Brash and his partner have described a "scary" escape from Israel after war broke out.
Over the weekend, the political couple passed truckloads of military equipment as they raced to Tel Aviv's airport in the middle of the night in order to leave the country.
Brash and his partner, Margaret Murray-Benge, were back in the country and on the campaign trail today — campaigning in Tauranga with ACT's David Seymour.
The former Reserve Bank governor led the National Party against Labour's Helen Clark at the 2005 general election. He has since affiliated himself with ACT.
As of this morning, there are currently still 238 Kiwis registered as being in Israel and 11 who are registered as being in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Speaking to 1News, Brash said he didn't have any difficulties returning to New Zealand aside from an "uneasy" time flying out of Israel.
He said seeing signage at the airport calling out shelters and a safe room at his hotel had reminded them of the "reality" in the region.
"We were on a four-week trip through Egypt, Jordan, and Israel, organised by an Australian tour group," Brash said.
"It was by pure coincidence that we were there when all hell broke out on the weekend."
His partner, who is a local Bay of Plenty councillor, said the group leader of their tour told them it would be a "10-minute wonder" and "all over within 24 hours".
"Within 24 hours, we knew that it was serious and that it would go on for a long time," Murray-Benge said.
The former party leader said he was in Haifa and had still been scheduled to catch a flight to another part of Israel.
"But look, they said, 'the airport may be closed by that time, flights may be cancelled also, we suggest you leave as soon as you can.'
"So, we left the hotel about two o'clock in the morning, driven at high speed down the road, passing heavy transports carrying tanks and personnel carriers."
Murray-Benge said: "To see past all those trucks with all those tanks sitting on them, all heading in the one direction to the Gaza Strip — frightening."
She added: "We were just scared stiff that we wouldn't make the aircraft and make the connection in Dubai… Planes were being cancelled all the time and people were having to re-take different routes to get home."
Brash said he felt "uneasy" being in an Israeli aeroplane as he left the country due to the risk of it becoming a target. He said he felt relieved being back in New Zealand.
"We thought when we got in, 'how wonderful to be home in quiet, boring New Zealand,' Murray-Benge said.
"It's not boring at all, but that was the immediate reaction compared to where we were."
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