Hercules expected to leave for Tonga today with water and food - Henare

A plane carrying water and food is expected to leave for Tonga today, with as many as two flights a day to follow, as Fua'amotu International Airport reopens.

Late last night WHO liaison officer in Tonga Dr Yutaro Setoya, who is in Nuku'alofa, confirmed the airport runway had been cleared of ash.

A thick layer of ash had been preventing planes from landing.

It's expected the Hercules will leave today, after a few things are confirmed with the Tongan government, Minister of Defence Peeni Henare said.

"Without a doubt water and food is the thing the Tongan government is telling us that they need the most."

"What we know though is once that airport is open we can make flights regularly so we'll be able to send more and more aid over the coming days.

"My understanding is that they can do up to two [daily trips] if we push the Hercules and the loading at this end is done efficiently but we'll be looking to do it as regularly as possible and as regularly as needed, of course keeping our people safe too."

Bigger supplies will be sent by ship, he said.

Naval ships are due to arrive on Friday.

The Wellington ship has a seasprite helicopter on board which will allow it to reach some of the smaller islands, with hopes the supplies can be taken, Herare said.

He said the information about the wharves on some of the outer islands is limited.

"We've seen the pictures, some of the reporting from the Tongan navy talks about the challenges of being able to service those islands. A couple of the islands ... have been evacuated - up to 150 people is my understanding.

"Because of limited communication I really can't give a solid picture..." he said.

"I appreciate the anxiety of some of the whānau here in New Zealand and around the world with a lack of communication but once our ship gets there my understanding is the ship is able to do a heck of a lot more communications through satellite communications."

This will allow the New Zealand government to get better intel from Tonga, he said.

The repair cable ship is on its way to Tonga, Henare said, and it will stop off at Samoa to pick up supplies.

"The sooner that ship can get there the better."

'It really hurts to see the motherland like that'

Digicel has confirmed that its international calls connectivity has been restored in Tonga, providing limited 2G coverage.

Tonga's Speaker of Parliament Lord Fatafehi Fakafānua, who was stranded in Auckland, told Morning Report he had managed to speak to his wife in Tonga.

"Lines are very busy and I had to try 10 or 12 times before I managed to get through and even then I spoke to my wife for less than a minute before it broke down again.

"She's safe, I'm just glad to be able to hear her voice and it's a shame that we couldn't continue a conversation but it's good to know that people in New Zealand can get in touch with their loved ones back at home.

"My message to the Tongan community is just keep trying and you'll be successful eventually."

Even limited communications would help to coordinate supplies, he said.

"I think Tonga is currently in recovery mode and the country is sweeping the streets, everyone is hands down to clean up the ash that has covered the entire country."

One farmer contacted Lord Fakafānuato via email about his crops that had died.

"I really feel for them because agriculture is a big part of the Tongan economy."

Moana Pasifika halfback Manu Paea was waiting to hear from his little brother who had been staying in Tonga for the past two years.

Paea last spoke to him two days before the eruption.

"I do have worries, just really scared at the moment, not being able to hear from him really scares me and not knowing what's going on or if he's safe or not.

"I'm feeling just scared and nervous... I guess it's just the thought of not knowing if he's ok or not."

Everyone in New Zealand is doing it tough, Paea said.

He said he had seen some of the photos of the devastation on Facebook.

"It really hurts to see the motherland like that."

It's important to try to stick together, hang on and pray, he said.