Iso done

The last few days in isolation continued pretty much the same as day 10. As we mentioned in the last post we were able to get two or three exercise sessions each day which was handy as I had a few potential work calls and banished Regan to the car park. Nothing concrete yet but some promising leads we hope. The last couple of days was fabulous weather so getting outside was even more enjoyable.

Our last Covid test was on Friday and we got the negative test results on Saturday morning. We received our permission letters to travel home and it was frustrating for everyone in the hotel having to stay closed up for another 48 hours. On Monday morning we stayed in bed late then had a walk before lunch. After lunch the packing began. It was all done and dusted within an hour and we had 5 very large bags.

It was a very slow afternoon once we were all packed and just waiting. Thankfully we had saved the Netflix series “Clickbait” until our last few days so we immersed ourself in a couple of episodes. The health nurse called at 5pm and give us the final sign off. The shuttle arrived at 5:45pm and we were allowed to leave our rooms. There were only 5 of us heading to the airport.

Auckland airport was completely dead, there was only one entrance. We needed to show photo ID, our permission to travel letter and our boarding passes. Air New Zealand was all self service and allowed our luggage on the plane. We had intended to have a bite to eat before our flight however we were totally out of luck as everything was closed.

There were approximately 50 people on the flight so plenty of space. They had suspended food service however we could get water if we requested it. It was a very smooth flight and we landed in Christchurch early. Our friends Deb and Gerard were there to meet us and give us the car keys. The masks come off as soon as we got in the car.

It was a miserable evening in Christchurch, drizzly and cold. The heating went on when we got home and had a cuppa before we climbed into our own bed. Neither of us slept very well. I think we were processing that we were actually home. The weather today has been just as miserable and the slippers and jumpers have been unpacked.

Mum delivered some of her incredible scones for breakfast and some essential supplies. We then exploded and emptied 7 large suitcases (shipping and plane) into to at least the right room. The house is looking very lived in! This afternoon we caught up with friends and stocked the fridge. We thoroughly enjoyed a simple dinner and sitting in our living room.

I think it is going to take a few days for it to sink in that we are back in Christchurch permanently and our Aussie adventure is finished. We have one last blog entry to put up in the next couple of days which will be a highlights summary and then we will be done and back to a normal working life......until next time.Read more