Former Wānaka man Topher Straus was in Israel when Hamas attacked last Saturday, and found himself among many scrambling to find a flight to escape the country Photo: Supplied/ Topher Straus via Otago Daily Times
Former Wānaka man and artist Topher Straus went from heaven to hell within hours of arriving at Tel Aviv Airport in Israel last weekend.
The former Wānaka film-maker now lives in Denver, Colorado in the United States, where he grew up, but still has many friends in Wānaka, where he lived for several years with his family.
Now safely at home in the US, Straus described to The Wānaka Sun how his exciting first trip to Jerusalem to paint descended into a nightmare when Hamas struck Israel last Sunday, resulting in an almost immediate declaration of war and thousands of deaths of Palestinians and Israelis in less than a week.
Topher made his first post on social media shortly after arriving in the country.
He filmed himself swimming in the Mediterranean Sea while reflecting on his intended art project.
The only thing bothering him in that relaxing moment was a rather large fish following him in the water.
Topher Straus. Photo: Supplied/ Topher Straus via Otago Daily Times
Soon, he was running on the beach, with the sound of explosions going off and missiles flying overhead.
That night, Straus filmed himself again running barefoot on city streets looking for an air raid shelter as warning sirens wailed, before returning to his accommodation and posting an emotional update to his family and friends around the world.
"This is crazy. I think there are sirens going off.
"I just landed here in Tel Aviv and everyone is packing up and heading to the shore.
"I don't know what is going on, I am a little scared," he said as explosions went off around him and missiles flew overhead.
Straus said he had to ask other people what was happening and later filmed chaos at Tel Aviv Airport as he attempted to leave the country.
"I don't know how anyone lives with this. It is scary," he said tearfully in one of his videos.
"Thank God for medication," he said in another.
Topher said people were afraid and emotions were high when they realised 95 percent of the flights in and out of Tel Aviv and Israel had been cancelled and they began wondering how to leave the country.
As he waited at the airport, all he was looking forward to was getting back to his mother and son in Colorado, he said.
He finally managed to get a flight to Milan, Italy and flew from there to the US, arriving on Thursday.
He reported he felt "very grateful and exhausted" to be able to leave Israel.
Although devastated by the loss and destruction, he pledged to return to Israel and visit his friends there when it was safe.
" miss Wānaka more than ever," he told The Wānaka Sun.
- This story was originally published by Otago Daily Times.