Eight people have died and the Fijian Government has declared a state of emergency since floods struck the western side of Fiji's main island, Viti Levu, on Friday.

The main access road linking Nadi airport and tourist destinations at Denarau Island and the Coral Coast has been cut.

An Australian who owns a property in the area, Ian Hoskinson, said the roads were "chaos" as tourists tried to make their way to the airport against the odds.

Confusion was also reported at popular resorts as large numbers of tourists missed their flights home.

"There's been people on package deals who probably can't afford to stay any longer and they've got no option of where to sleep," he said.

Mr Hoskinson said the local helicopter service, Island Hoppers, had been inundated with bookings from desperate tourists trying to get to the airport.

The Shangri-La resort's general manager, David Hopcroft, said the army and police helped take guests to the airport in a military truck over the weekend and all of the 150 guests who needed transport - most of them Australians and New Zealanders - had made it to the airport.

"We got assistance from the military - they provided a huge truck to assist both Australians and a large group of Kiwis. They took them through the floodwater to get through the airport. They did a stirling job."

The hotel cooked lunch for 250 villagers who had been cut off from supplies in Nadi, and pleaded with the Australian Government to "put aside politics" in donating aid.

The New Zealand Government yesterday offered $NZ100,000 ($84,000) to assist Fiji with its clean-up efforts.

A spokeswoman for the Australian Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith, said a decision on what aid is needed will be made "over the next couple of days". The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said about 1000 Australians were registered as being in Fiji, but it was not known how many were in the flood-affected western end of the island.

The department issued a travel warning yesterday that advised tourists to "contact your service provider to check whether tourist services at your planned destination have been affected".

Access roads to the airport were reopened yesterday. Four-wheel-drive vehicles were let through, although much of the existing road and one bridge had been swept away in the floods.

Virgin Blue confirmed last night that a flight will be diverted to Nadi early this morning to pick up about 40 stranded Australians.

Fiji's Department of Meteorology has warned that another depression is on the way, bringing with it heavy rain and strong winds.

The Fijian Minister of Defence and National Security, Ratu Epeli, told a local website that police and the military would patrol Nadi to prevent looting as authorities cleaned up the island.

Morika Young, from Tui Tai Adventure Cruises, said nine Australians were aboard the company's ship, which had changed its itinerary to take shelter from winds and heavy seas.

The group has been in touch with local authorities and offered to take aid to remote villages, cut off from vital supplies.

As for the weather, Ms Young said there was little to do other than go ahead with planned kayaking and snorkelling trips. "We figure [the guests] are going to get wet anyway."