The North Island got the memo. The South Island got the memo too. The past two weeks have apparently set records for NZ Ski across its three South Island ski fields. Kiwis are throwing themselves off bridges and hiring campervans. For families unlike ours these are new experiences. Time will tell what’s around the corner … More Domestic Travel

We don’t have Covid-19. Yet…. Ruby and I headed up for the test, taking our place in the long line of cars. It was only when we stopped and took our place, realising that we’d be stuck in the car for hours to come, that I noticed the empty red light on my petrol gauge. … More Testing Times

Sophie turned to me before leaving for school today, holding her scooter at the ready and sharing an excited smile. “Mum, Mum. Today’s the day I can hug my friends again”. Our pavements are no-longer decorated with yellow crosses to mark mandatory social distance. The sign in registers are diminishing too. We’ve been subject to … More Nama Kotahi # Number One

It’s a week of beginnings and ends. The beginning of our ‘new normal’ in Level 2 (it’s everyone’s new cliché) and calling to a close our home-schooling experiment. It’s confusing. I was excited to buy a real book from a bookstore this afternoon, and yet I feel like I’ve been through some kind of Orwellian … More Staying Put

I skipped away from the restaurant like a 5-year-old leaving a sweet shop with a dollar mix. Others have reported a similar sensation over their first coffee. The process was so seamless. Aromatic food in brown paper bags, positioned neatly on the table. THAT table that blocks the threshold of every retailer in the country … More Curry

This week we hit hump day. Mostly because we’d like to see an end to this crisis. And perhaps we just felt grumpy that we couldn’t follow our usual Easter camping tradition. It’s a very strange time in history and as we enter our fourth week in lock-down it’s a good time to reflect. Home-schooling: … More A Strange Moment in History