WELLINGTON, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand navy vessel HMNZS Canterbury left Auckland on Saturday afternoon to deliver tsunami relief to the South Pacific island nations of Tonga and Samoa.

    Its cargo includes 12 shipping containers of donated goods bound for Samoa, specialist supplies and items requested by the two countries' governments, Radio New Zealand reported on Saturday.

    Delegations from both the Samoan and Tongan communities gathered at Auckland's naval base on Saturday morning as the ship prepared to leave.

    Hundreds of volunteers in Auckland packed the donated goods for shipping.

    A further 15 shipping containers will be sent on a commercial vessel, and 15 pallets of goods are being sent to Tonga.

    Donations include canned food, cooking utensils, tents, sanitary goods and construction materials

    New Zealand Defense Minister Wayne Mapp said a Seasprite helicopter is also on board to survey damage in the tsunami hit areas.

    HMNZS Canterbury will be used to help the Tonga government transport supplies from the capital to remote Niuatoputapu, where nine people were killed in the tsunami.

    The death toll in Samoa stood at 143, at least 33 people died in American Samoa and nine died on Niuatoputapu after a magnitude 8.0 quake triggered a tsunami in the Pacific on Sept. 29.