Down to Level 2

From midnight last night, the covid levels have dropped down to Level 2 for the bulk of New Zealand.  Auckland, where the majority of the cases have been recorded, must remain at Level 4 in the meantime.  It has been so scary to see the infection go from one individual to more than 800 during this outbreak  in such a short time, with sadly one death recorded. 

Prime Minister Jacinda Adern at the daily Covid briefing

We can get out and about during Level 2, so caravanning here we come!  Scanning the QR codes on entering business is now mandatory, as is wearing masks when going into shops, malls, and the like.  Libraries are now open, that’s good, so I can finally return my books – without fear of overdue fines as these were all waived while the country was in lockdown.  And we can go out for lunch, dinner or just a coffee too.  And no, we don't have to try and eat with out masks on, we don't have to wear then once we are inside these establishments, although there are rules about seating and table service.  So things are moving along well here.

So what have we been doing over the last week or so, along with being riveted to the TV briefings each day?  As seems to be a common trend during lockdown, everyone has ben doing a lot of cooking, Robin lent a helping hand the other night.  Although takeaways can now be purchased, we decided to do our own and cooked up hamburgers and chips “fake-aways”.  With a hamburger patty, cooked onions, bacon and egg, the burger was delicious. 

Bacon and egg burger and chips

The last few days have been wet, cold and miserable.  The rain finally stopped, the shies cleared, so I went out for a quick walk around the village.  And look, there’s a sprinkling of snow on the Tararua Ranges behind us.

Snow on the ranges

We have a weekend caravan rally coming up soon, and we may well extend the time away.  Robin is getting cabin fever, he tells me!