My NZ Covid Experience-Part 1

I think we all breathe a deep sigh when we reflect on the moment reality set in during the news of COVID-19 this year. Maybe you heard news around the world and began to prepare, or maybe you believed it wasn’t that big of a deal and wouldn’t affect you. Either way, I don’t believe anyone was truly prepared for the impact this pandemic has had on each and every person far and wide.

I arrived in NZ on February 5th and really hadn’t heard anything about the virus. I had stopped in Sydney for a few days before arriving and there were no signs of fear or any expectation as to what would come. Once arrived in NZ I went straight to Akaroa to meet with Emma, a close friend and old housemate from Australia. I worked for about 3 weeks at a little beach bar on the harbor and really enjoyed my time in the little French settlement town. On March 11th, Emma and I packed up her van and headed out to explore more of the NZ’s South Island. Still, we hadn’t heard much at all about the virus.

To be fair… it’s very easy to be ‘disconnected’ in New Zealand, which is one of the many reasons I fell in love with it! It’s rural communities, beautiful landscapes, and laid-back lifestyle is one that most would envy.

Emma and I were absolutely loving our time traveling. We had been to beautiful places, lucked up with some pretty awesome campsites, and met so many amazing people along the way. Queenstown may have been my favorite spot along the way because of the Irish lads we ended up spending St.Paddy’s day with, the bungee jump/canyon swing, and the excessive amounts of Fergburgers we ate while we were there. The town was like something out of a storybook and we were loving every minute of it.

Around 2 weeks into our trip, we had made our way up the West Coast of the South Island when things were starting to set it. We were having to log our names in campsites that we stayed at and everywhere was starting to look a bit abandoned. We didn’t have much cell service on the west coast so we were keeping our ears peeled for any news, and on March 22nd, everything changed…quickly.

We were in the van and finally found a radio station that would broadcast the anticipated press conference where Prime Minister, Jacinda Arden, would announce where the country stood as far as the COVID outbreak. Mrs. Arden announced that the entire country would be going into a Level 4 lockdown for a minimum of 4 weeks, and that we had 48 hours to prepare.

I swear to you, I have never said the word f*ck so many times in my life. On the brink of a full blown anxiety attack, Emma and I had cursed and nervously laughed for a solid 30 minutes. What the hell were we going to do?! Where are we going to live?! We’re in a freaking van!!

We finally collected ourselves and began to plan. I called a friend I had already planned on traveling up north with and we decided to meet in Blenheim. It was a 6 hour drive across the island and we would figure out what to do when we got there. Our first stop when we arrived…the damn bottle shop. If we were going to get through this, we needed something strong to just relax and remember that this a part of the lifestyle. We always handle any curveballs thrown at us and we would get through this.

My friend Laurent and Emma’s friend Mateo met us at a campsite on the river in Blenheim that night and we from their we made dinner, piled up in the van, and passed around a bottle of tequila while laughing at our experiences that day. For that moment, we stopped the stress and worry and felt gratitude for being together. When you’re traveling long-term, the people you meet along the way will quickly become family to you. A family you can lean on when times get hard and can bring a smile to your face in even the toughest times.

This was something completely foreign to all of us, and we were familiar with spontaneity and uncertainty in our lives. This certain circumstance just happened to affect us all at one time.

In Part 2 I’ll be sharing the journey to our quarantine home, our 7 week lockdown, and the even larger ‘family’ that came from it!