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New Zealand officials have had their first glimpse of the battle to help the victims of Asia's devastating Boxing Day tsunami.
Foreign Minister Phil Goff has arrived in Phuket, Thailand for a tour of affected areas, including the temple where the New Zealand victim identification team is working.
Goff says most bodies are now so badly decomposed that DNA samples are the best hope of identifying them.
He also visited a Thai village which was severely affected by the disaster.
Deputy police Commissioner Steve Long is also in Phuket to provide moral support for his team working to identify bodies there. He will also report back to the commissioner on any health concerns at the mortuaries
As well as their forensic work New Zealand police are keeping a presence along Phuket's littered streets. They are hoping to find anyone who may be able to shed light on the whereabouts of missing New Zealanders.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says fewer than 800 New Zealanders are now still unaccounted for from the entire area affected.
Three have been confirmed dead.
The ministry has serious concerns for four people and is mounting a concerted effort to determine the whereabouts of another 18 people.
Another three New Zealanders remain in hospitals.
Ministry officials are also working hard to establish the whereabouts of others believed to be travelling in the wider region at the time.
Meanwhile, donations to the tsunami aid appeals are continuing to pour in.
The New Zealand Red Cross says it has now raised almost $3 million, Oxfam New Zealand estimates it has received donations totalling more than $650,000 and thanks to a $100,000 donation from a business on Wednesday, World Vision has raised about $1million.
CARITAS has also been adding up its tsunami donations, which equate to $200,000.
A range of other appeals are also continuing to receive funds.
The New Zealand government has pledged $5 million in monetary aid and will also match dollar for dollar the donations made by New Zealanders - up to $5 million.
Prime Minister Helen Clark says she expects the government's contribution to tsunami stricken regions to increase substantially as the long term reconstruction needs become clearer.
Phil Goff says the decision to help repair the damage to the environment follows a discussion with the Thai foreign minister, who would like to draw on New Zealand expertise for remediation work.
Clark and Goff will attend a special summit in Jakarta where she says they will get a better idea of how New Zealand can help over the long term.
She says overall, New Zealand's contribution will be very significant for a small country.
Clark says cabinet will be in a position to consider more funding for reconstruction in the region when it meets in mid January.
