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Lockdown 2.0
  • JulieReganAdventures
Jul – Oct 2020

Lockdown 2.0

A 79-day adventure by JulieReganAdventures Read more
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  • Trip start
    July 25, 2020
    JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    Sums up 2020
    Our only visitorTrying to approach lockdown 2.0 like the countdown to christmasSunrises from our loungeNew Office

    Covid Life in Melbourne

    July 25, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Well this second lockdown seems worse than the initial one back in March. Life in a new normal with social distancing, constant hand washing and isolating each time we sneeze or cough wasn’t that bad. But this ramp up has seen most people being treated like lepers, crossing the road if someone comes near, mask production and wearing  them whenever outside the home office.

    With mandatory mask wearing, only people running or cycling can go without when outside. Luckily the banks have stated that no masks are to be worn inside. At least that way they will be able to recognise the customers from the robbers.
     
    Life at home. Well that has really become like living at work. Managing to separate between work and home can sometimes be difficult. Not so much the physical difference within the apartment. More of the fact that there is not always a time that we stop work and start home life. This is called flexible working and all in all there are some really good advantages with that. Julie had to admit we weren’t having any visitors for the rest of the year and turned our spare room into her office. Also the office cleaner is pretty useless and the kitchen bench is always cluttered with tea cups.

    The odd wine arrives on the office desk and always good food from the well-stocked kitchen. The travel time is non-existent and of course the financial saving of this is also good. Disadvantage of no travel time is that I tend to have donated this time saved to my hours worked for the company so instead of doing 7.6hr days with 1hr travel I now tend to do 8- 9 hr days. I am also feeling like I am available for all business hours plus more. I’m an early starter and some of my team prefer to work later in the evening to suit their personal circumstances. This of course is great but it does sometimes extend the working day a bit if there are chats required. I have also had a few people saying that they feel guilty if they log off after their designated hours as they know a lot of people are working later.

    I’m also wondering if we will ever feel ok returning to the office environment. Travel by public transport crammed in with others may actually never happen again. People are getting used to having a greater personal space around them and due to the constant reminders to keep distancing rules I feel that this habit will be hard to break if and when people in close proximity to each other is safe again.

    Most days are Groundhog day. We wake up, get breakfast, open the laptop and work. The mid-winter weather doesn’t help either of course as we do tend to hibernate a little when it’s cold outside. Luckily we have an amazing view and get the best sunrises. We are starting to notice our neighbours movements with one who waters his plants at about 8.15am most days. Nice to see movement but he must look up at me from 2 floors down and say that I am always sitting watching him. I apologise. It’s the only human movement I see from my window.

    The Australian birdlife is always exciting. We have Ravens and Sulphur Crested Cockatoos that come visiting. You can hear them before you see them. The Ravens are real thinkers. They land on the balconies and just watch until they decide what they will do. Then they strut around cawing to each other. The cockatoos are too busy dive bombing and screeching with each other until they get bored and head off to the trees in the park opposite. They certainly like to be heard. They are definitely the comedians of the bird world.
     
    Since lockdown the evening traffic has reduced. We live on a busy road and during the day it doesn’t seem to have slowed down much. What are all these people doing? I am guessing that the daily walkers have increased a bit with people working from home flexibly. It's difficult to tell since we have moved suburbs and there are lovely river trails to use. Thes trails are always busy and with the mix of bikes, runners and walkers it can create a lot of traffic at times.    Read more

  • JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    Knowing how serious the news is.
    Spring is closeLockdown fashion when buying milk and wine. Why bother with clothes!Getting out near home. Lucky we have open spaces nearbyDate nightMy morning "management walking meeting". This is a very helpful walk for me.

    When we longed for Level 3

    August 2, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We are now just over 3 weeks into the lockdown with more restrictions looming tonight due to the continued positive cases and tragedies. We knew things were serious when Daniel Andrews scheduled an afternoon press conference wearing a suit. We are now in a state of disaster with curfew and more rules.

    Some experiences we are seeing and hearing about.
    Travel within the state is restricted so please don't travel away from you home area. So why would a person cop a fine as he wanted to buy Maccas from Wodonga when he lives in Melbourne? Only a 500km round trip. Maybe the coffee there is the best? (a bit ironic considering Melbourne is the cafe world capital). The odd party happening where the police arrive and fine everyone. The best one was a few weeks ago when a KFC order for 20 people was noticed. That cost the party goers $26000 in fines. Not a bad income for the government on that one.

     There are also "The Karens". These are the people who seem so obnoxious and selfish and act out that it is their God-given right to do whatever they like as the laws to protect are illegal and irrelevant to them. But the funniest part is their absolute stupidity in capturing their actions then posting on social media. Lucky that there is no need to highlight their selfishness as they also help out and do that as well. Great entertainment and even better afterwards as they expect police to protect them from others attacking their actions. Live by the sword.....
    https://youtu.be/spZagrfDXC0

    We have been keeping ourselves entertained with plenty of long walks in our new neighbourhood. This area is much older than where we have come from with beautiful old homes and beautiful gardens. Julie's favourite houses keep changing and also just when we decide we have seen the largest one we discover another one over the next hill. In the last few days we have seen signs of Spring with Julie loving the incredible Magnolias starting to shine (she thinks this is the best city to be able to appreciate their beauty).

    Julie has also been keeping busy with a face mask production line. It apparently required a new sewing machine but it has been well used with over 25 masks made. Luckily there is a fabric shop just up the street although you can't buy elastic anywhere in Melbourne now.    Read more

  • JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    Community Library has been well used
    Mini daffodils are too cuteSpring is here, so excitingJulie's favourite coffee place

    Yes it's still Lockdown

    August 31, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Well a few weeks have passed and we are still stuck in this new Melbourne experience. The government is still finding people to fine for breaking the rules which by now seem a little clearer. We now understand a 5km radius from home which gives us 85sq km to explore. Maybe some streets yet to find but if this Level4 goes on any longer I'm sure we will discover.

    We are trying to keep busy with walking, biking, reading and sewing. And of course we are both lucky to be working and our employers are benefitting from a few extra hours each week,

    The supermarket gets a lot of visits as it is really the only allowed task we can do....but only one of us. The car thinks it's been abandoned but it was started and idled for a while a couple of weeks back. Good fuel savings at least.

    We aren't too bad here as there was a big storm late last week where whole suburbs were without electricity. There are still over 3000 houses without power today and there were 250000 houses had to boil water as well. We avoided all of these problems luckily.

    Spring is definitely arriving with blossom and daffodils greeting us on our walks. Lots of pleasant perfumes that do manage to get through our masks. Those damn masks! We wear them constantly when out of the apartment and I'm sure they are really helping but we look forward to the day when they can be banished into the sock drawer. Most people are also abiding and wearing. I have seen the odd person without but as long as I am protected by my mask then I will let the poor police sort the others.
    So there's not much change here really. I suppose that's the news.....    Read more

  • JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    Caravan covered and stored
    Passports are dusted offBlossom in Melbourne

    There's travel ahead.

    September 19, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    It's getting better! The covid numbers are decreasing. The weather is lovely and we can get outside for 2 hrs a day. Melbourne may be on the way out of restrictions. The curfew still exists but it doesn't really affect us as we can't visit anyone. The masks don't feel any better!
    But our news is that this Friday we board a plane and head to Auckland. As we are kiwis we are allowed to leave Australia. We will of course go into 14 days managed isolation, probably in Auckland but then we are free of germs, free of masks and free of lockdowns (we hope).
    Our plans are for 3 months in Aotearoa then will revisit what the rules are for returning to Melbourne. Hopefully not isolation at least. Our employers have supported us to work from NZ so it's not a holiday. We are still working and paying the bills but we are so fortunate to be able to see friends and family.
    So watch this space as we work our way through our managed isolation. We are excited at this and ready to work through it as the 14 days of isolation is not only an experience, its also worth the final result of us being back with low level covid rules and being with our friends and family.    Read more

  • JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    All packed up
    Weird to be on the planePlenty of spaceThat bed looked so goodMassive bathroomDinner

    Goodbye Melbourne - for a few months

    September 25, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    So as a few of you know Regan and I were lucky enough to get approval from our employees to work remotely from NZ until the end of the year. Yesterday was D-Day with our flights to Auckland departing at lunchtime. Thursday night after we logged off from work we did the suitcase juggle to get everything in and within the weight limits. We had packed a bike box with some of our paintings so we were certainly distinctive at the airport.

    Friday morning we were awake early after a very broken sleep. We walked up to our favourite coffee place for breakfast and then back to the apartment for the last minute clean up. Our lovely neighbour Pam has offered to keep an eye on the apartment while we are away so we dropped keys and a few left over groceries with her. We had to order an maxi cab to pick us up and the ride to the airport was crazy as there was no one on the roads.

    Most of the airport was shut down with just two international flights leaving at mid day, one to Jakarta and ours. Checkin was very easy, we did have a Border Officer approach us to warn us that as NZ passport holders it might not be easy to return to Melbourne in a few months depending of what happens with Covid. We were surprised not to have our temperatures checked and how many families with young children were travelling. Security and passport were normal but then it was a very different airport. No duty free and all cafes and shops closed and locked Except for just one place to get a coffee open. Regan and I walked the terminal very aware it might be the longest walk we would have for a while.

    The flight took off on time with 50 passengers, it was an empty flight coming over from NZ (not a surprise). The flight attendants were so lovely and lots of “welcome homes” which made me slightly emotional. Services were all normal and we enjoyed some bubbly and watched a movie. When we landed we were held on the plane as they transferred 10 passengers who were connecting to a flight leaving for Shanghai. It was hard work interacting with lots of people. Such a distant memory. Such a pleasant experience again though.

    When we arrived at the passport area in Auckland we had to do a health assessment first. There we had our temperature checked and the usual screening questions. Another welcome home and we did passport and through to a completely empty baggage collection. All our bags were x rayed and out to an empty arrivals hall to a chorus of welcome homes. We were directed to a desk where we were informed we would be completing our hotel isolation at the Stamford Plaza. For our Melbourne friends this was a little ironic as the poor quarantine practices at the Stamford in Melbourne was largely the cause of our latest lockdown. Luckily there are very different practices in NZ.

    On to the bus and a 40 minute trip into the city with the bonus of a beautiful sunset over the Manukau harbour. At the hotel we had an address from the Welfare officer explaining what we can expect and what was expected of us. Our bags were unloaded and handles were disinfected. Once we were allowed off the bus one group at a time we identified our bags, then went to the monitoring stations. A nurse did a health assessment and then a security check to gather contact details and wanted to know the address we are going to after leaving isolation. Everyone was so polite and friendly so the process was pretty easy.

    Finally room check in, we are on the 6th floor with a very large room and beautiful full bathroom including a seperate toilet which we might really appreciate after 14 days. There is a huge picture window but no openings so it is air con all the way. It was such a relief to get the face masks off and to finally be here. We started to unpack and dinner arrived, food quantity is not going to be an issue, online workouts are going to be very necessary! We did not order any wine and had a cup of tea instead and headed to bed.

    It was a very long day but really pretty easy and so excited we are officially on the countdown to being able to see everyone.    Read more

  • JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    Wine for dinner. No wine glasses though
    View from our windowRoof top exercise area from our windowBreakfastFood optionsTonight's dinner who can possibly complain

    Day One

    September 26, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After a fabulous sleep (bodes well for the next 13 nights) we were just awake when we got the knock on the door with our breakfast. Cooked breakfast this morning with all the extras, enough food to last us all day. Took our time eating and we can make our own tea and instant coffee thankfully.

    Lots of firsts today as we tried to figure everything out. So many things to work out, what sort of extras can we request, extra pillows (tick) but no luck with an extra desk and chair. I discovered that I can have pretty good soy latte delivered hot to our room so very happy with that. Exercise has to be booked in early. When we enquired at midday all the slots for the day had been taken.
    Exercise is just circuits of a terrace outside our room so might need to have a podcast handy to sort the boredom. Regan did bring a skipping rope and discovered that the ceiling is too low to allow internal use.

    Daily routine will be a health check in the morning, temperature check and usual screening questions. We will have a covid test on day 3 and day 11 which will be a first for both of us. We are still waiting for our welfare daily call. We also had to decide our our food for the next 4 days. Each time we open our door we have to wear a mask. We now have masks hanging on our door handle.

    We did have a big reality check this morning, on the hotel PA system we were informed there had been a positive infection amongst one of the passengers. Luckily not someone from our flight. We were confined to our rooms for about 90 mins. We were allowed to leave around midday but were restricted again between 2 - 3 as they were transferred to full quarantine at the Jet Park hotel at the airport and did a deep clean of the lobby. There are two large flights arriving at this hotel early tomorrow morning so we are again confined to our room from 4am to 8am so not really going to affect us. Flights are coming from Japan and Doha.

    We can go outside the main lobby at any time for 20 mins if there are less than 12 people outside. It took about 1 min to do a lap but it was the best 20 mins of the day soaking up the sun and fresh air with more security guards than inmates. The rest of the day was spent organising our room, connecting our work laptops, doing a bit of work, doing some Pilates and now we are enjoying a very pleasant Pinot Gris waiting for our dinner delivery.

    Update: Dinner was seriously delicious and we ended the evening with a video call with friends and a 20 min walk in the front car park.    Read more

  • JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    Close to Skytower
    General Finance office welcomes us.Supermarket deliveryOur room window overlooking the exercise areaour exercise area

    Day 2

    September 27, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Daylight saving happened early this morning in NZ. We are now 3 hours ahead of Australia for the next week. This will keep us thinking a lot about our working hours and when to be in work meetings. We had blinds and curtains pulled and our room was very dark and quiet which allowed us to sleep in. But the knock on the door for breakfast was welcome. The routines are starting to show as the hotel staff appear to have predictable delivery times. They are all really nice and friendly.

    There are so many officials around. From hotel staff to security, NZ defence people and NZ police too. I don't feel there is a need to lock our door or use our room safe. After all, who would want to enter our room when not only do they need to break into a secure facility, they then also risk a serious virus. Would be like breaking into a prison!

    The Auckland weather was very wet this morning so was glad to be inside. Once the rain stopped we ventured out into the front lobby and entrance for our 20 minute walk around an area about 50 metres long and 10 metres wide. Nice fresh air of course. This may be the place when I can spend my work meetings instead of walking the streets of Heidelberg. No real change........Still wearing a mask.

    After lunch we had booked a more serious exercise area on the roof terrace. 45 minutes of running and walking around a bigger area. The circuit I was running was 200 metres long with lots of corners but I did manage to get 5.8km done in the time allocated. We have it booked tomorrow also.

    Tomorrow is our first ever covid test. Paperwork arrived today for this. More tomorrow about that.(teaser!)

    Kudos to Countdown today, we ordered some supermarket food at around 11 am and it was delivered by 4:30, how good was that! Some fresh fruit and salad and also some coffee for Julie and fresh milk for my tea. The food here is really nice but this way we can mix it up a bit and have some healthy alternatives to the high carbs.

    The TV choices in NZ are slim but we have worked out a way to stream netflix to the hotel TV. It was quite locked down for any streaming but as I had a few spare hours to play I trialled multiple ideas until success. The tv will also probably get used for a laptop monitor for work if either of us need it.    Read more

  • JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    Sunny room in the morning
    Lunchtime entertainmentLunchDinner

    Day three - First real work day

    September 28, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    So today was the ultimate test of how well we can work in the same hotel room. It was a bit of a brutal week to start this exercise as there is currently a three hour time difference with Australia not changing over to daylight saving till next week. We thought we would get some exercise in early before our Melbourne colleagues woke up. Great plan but after 20 mins waiting for a lift we gave up and started work. As there are only 2 lifts for us interns to use we can’t share with anyone, we have to wait a long time. This could be a taste of our office return when it finally happens. Attention to our Aussie office buddies!

    We tried again an hour later but as it was Covid testing day it was hopeless and we returned to our room again. We got a knock on the door just before lunch asking to come down for testing. They were very quick and it was not too bad. I had the extra privilege of having to have both nostrils swapped as they couldn’t get deep enough in the first one. Not sure when we will get the results back.

    It was a little weird having our first meetings of the day while our lunch was being delivered. The day went well and we only had two meetings where one of us had to be in the bathroom. The last meeting of the day finished at 7.10pm but this will get better next week when Australia heads into daylight saving time.

    We are getting used to our exercise pattern doing the same laps of the terrace. Regan upped the anti adding a skipping session to the running. I just stuck to the walking and did some exercises back in the room.

    The food was good again today although I did have a fail with the coconut porridge, Thank goodness for the Countdown delivery. In the lunch bag today there was a puzzle sheet which was a lovely touch from the team looking after us. The day went very quickly which was excellent.    Read more

  • JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    Skytower view from the hotel main entrance
    Our menu. No we have not tried the congee James!

    Day Four- waiting for results

    September 29, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Our routines are yet to settle. We both started work at 9.15am after a brisk walk around the hotel entranceway. The circuit is just over 100 steps so no speed but the fresh air is great after being in aircon for the night. We have learnt to use the lifts at odd hours in the day to avoid the queues. But once again we were caught out today as we booked our rooftop exercise for 1.30pm and took just on 20 mins for an available lift. A bit frustrating as we are on Level 6 and we only need to get to Level 5. Stairways are closed to us due to the massive cleaning task the hotel would have if (suspected) germ ridden inmates used them.

    Our exercise was therefore a bit shorter so Regan ran and skipped and Julie walked briskly. So far we have been really lucky as our exercise times seem to avoid the sub-tropical downpours that Auckland is known for. We are still to get our covid test results back. No news is good news I reckon. And we honestly have no idea where we could pick up covid over the past few months as we have been really isolated from any other people.

    Our day revolved around work mainly, our food deliveries including a coffee, a visit from the nurse checking our temperature and our mental health. She mentioned that some people can be grumpy in isolation which is a bit unfair on the workers who are just trying to make our lives as comfortable as possible. We greet everyone with a smile (behind our masks) and a cheery conversation.

    It's always interesting to ask how far others are through their isolation journey. One guy yesterday was on Day 11 and he appeared quite happy to be close to release. I expect we may feel the same by then. Our photos are reducing as we find less to share. Maybe by Day 10 you will just know that it's "just another day" for us.    Read more

  • JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    Office space
    Our second officeMore dinner choices. Still congee!Exercise

    Day 5 - Negative

    September 30, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Well as per today's heading we received 2 forms slipped under our door to let us know that we both tested negative. Although we were sure we would be negative, there was that small anxious thought that we had picked up germs somewhere. But now we can safely plan our departure next week and will be confident that our next test on Day 12 will be negative also.

    Day 5 started with a stroll around the hotel entrance before breakfast. Then work for both of us. Back in Heidelberg I would walk during my management meeting so today I did the same back down at the hotel entrance. But today this area was party central. One of our fellow inmates always has his Bluetooth speaker playing music which is great. We call him Bob as he wears a Bob Marley beanie. He has picked up a few smoking mates so today there was a real party happening. I was on mute a lot anyway so not too much music was streamed back to Oz.

    We have moved the furniture. Yes its only one room but it's possible. We now have the desk in front of the TV so we can use the screen on our laptops more comfortably. The TV cabinet which is obviously part of a ships anchor was moved out of the way. We will move it back before we leave. We sent our first load of laundry away today. We get 40 pieces of clothing washed for free and then we are charged after that. Fresh towels, teabags, and dishwashing detergent arrived at our request. And a coffee of course. The service here is really good. The hotel workers need to count their steps as they never stop and always say hi.    Read more

  • JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    A little alone time
    World heart dayBreast cancer awarenessDinner

    Day 6 - starting to feel like ground hog

    October 1, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Woke up this morning and thought here we go again for the first time. Breakfast was poached eggs and beans and then we had a lovely zoom catch up with Ngaire and Graham before we started work. Regan went downstairs for a walking meeting and to book tomorrow’s exercise session. It was around 11am and all the sessions had been fully booked. Tomorrow we will do a pre-breakfast walk to ensure we don’t miss out on Saturday’s walk.

    Work was pretty straightforward today with not too many meetings so neither of us had to use the bathroom office. We are starting to think more seriously about what we do when we leave here next Friday. Once we actually make some decisions we will update everyone.

    After dinner we did our usual laps around the car park. We have been enjoying checking out the colour of the Sky tower each night. It was red last night to support World Heart day and tonight it is pink for Breast cancer awareness month.    Read more

  • JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    Celebrating exactly 1 week to go before release.
    Our walking area with smokers corner.Steak dinner. This was very nice considering the hotel staff delivered hundreds of these meals all at once.

    Halfway!

    October 2, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Today marks our 7th day in Hotel Stamford Plaza. Another work day and it definitely helps to keep us busy. We tend to do some long hours and starting 3 hours before our workmates gives us both some uninterrupted time to hit our tasks. Our days are normally broken with a knock on the door for food and coffee deliveries and our health check of course.

    The hotel has got a lot busier. Another plane load of inmates arrived this morning and swelled the population. There are now about 350 people incarcerated. This does cause a few issues with the lifts as only 1 bubble is allowed for each lift. We have waited up to 20 minutes for a vacant lift during busy times. The exercise slots have been extended due to popularity. But at least we can get fresh air out at the entrance near the smoking area. Another medical event today with a guest so we were asked to return to our room while the ambulance attended. It was not covid related evidently.

    Tomorrow is our first day off work so no big plans so far. We are slowly planning our days after release and will fly to Christchurch a couple of days after we leave the hotel. We are looking forward to normality of a cafe where we can sit down, no masks, and no takeaway coffee cups. Simple pleasures that we used to take for granted.    Read more

  • JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    People leaving isolation and being greeted

    Day 8 - day off

    October 3, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Today was our first break from work so we made the most of it. It's funny how we can fill in a day when there is little to do. After breakfast in bed (we never do that) we had a leisurely morning reading and talking to a friend. We also did some basic housework as there is no cleaning done by the hotel for the duration of our stay. But of course whatever we request arrives at our door soon afterwards. Sheets, towels, teabags, toilet paper all delivered with a smile.

    The afternoon was similar except that we had our 45 minutes exercise booked. The army guys looking after us on the roof exercise area were really relaxed and were happy to let us do 55 minutes before the next bunch of people arrived. The weather was fine and sunny and the fresh air is really good for the mind and attitude. Regan continued his running and skipping and Julie powered around the circuit listening to a podcast. Regan still managed to complete his step goal of 11000 steps per day even in isolation.

    Some of the inmates were released late in the afternoon. The lobby gets closed to everyone else for an hour or so. We managed to watch a few leaving and was great to see the hugs from the people being collected. Just like the airport arrivals hall plus 14days!

    Another catchup with friends and family later on in the day and then it was over. Food was as good as ever but we are now eating a little more sensibly and not devouring all that is served.    Read more

  • JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    Lentil dal
    Kiwi roast lamb

    Day 9- weekend done and dusted

    October 4, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Sunday and we had another day without any big plans. No booked exercise today but we managed 3 walks at the front entrance. 12000 steps on a circuit that’s about 120 steps. We both tried a YouTube yoga workout. Will update tomorrow on how our muscles are feeling.

    We watched a couple of netflix comedies and documentary called The Social Dilemma which was excellent.

    More people left isolation today. We watched with envy as the security guards opened the gates for them. Then later on more replacements arrive to keep the hotel full. Catching a lift down tonight took almost 20 minutes but it gave us a chance to talk to others who were also waiting.
    Lunch was lentil dal which was very nice but dinner was roast lamb which was just as good as last Sunday.    Read more

  • JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    Care package
    Happy kiwiAwesome burgerRegan's running trackWinner winner chicken dinner

    Double Digits Already

    October 5, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Back to work today which all seems perfectly normal now. Luckily Melbourne has now switched to daylight savings so only a 2 hour difference. It was so much easier to calculate the difference.

    Before breakfast we did our car park walk and made sure we booked our exercise hour for Tuesday. The mornings always seem to fly by and just when the Melbourne day was just getting going when we realised it was lunchtime for us. As we were waiting for the brown bag rattle signalling lunch there was a knock of the door and we were handed a surprise parcel.

    Some very special friends had sent us an isolation surprise package. Inside were some delicious kiwi treats, magazines and some beautiful hand lotion and bath bombs. Queue a soak in the bath tonight and now I smell rose scented. I managed to resist the Cookie Time cookie for all of 30 minutes. Man it was good.

    Lunch today was Regan’s favourite a Korean chicken burger with kimchi. It was also super sized today as the photo shows. The afternoon we did our loops on the terrace rather than the car park and Regan clocked up 4km running. Excitement later in the afternoon with our second covid testing permission forms pushed under our door. Last tick towards liberation on Friday.

    More fried chicken for dinner and a car park walk to help with the digestion. The sky tower was white tonight, not sure if it is supporting anything or just the default lighting.    Read more

  • JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    The last food order
    Another view of our 300 metre exercise circuitSome entertainment by a family in the window during exercise

    Day 11 - the start of the "lasts"

    October 6, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We discovered today that there are levels of "groundhog day". We thought we were ok with some days feeling the same but today was quite hard on us. Work started early and finished late for both of us. We had our normal 45 minute exercise time but we both commented that walking and running around the same 300 metre loop for 45 minutes each day is just boring. We are over it but we also knew this day would come. Quite pleased it took til Day 11 before we really felt this way.
    The good thing is that we only have 3 more sleeps in our lovely cocoon. It's a bitter sweet feeling as the luxury is great but the isolation isn't.

    Our second and final covid test today, Julies test was fine and better than the last one. Regans test was uncomfortable and seemed like the nurse was twisting the swab right into the throat. Lots of tears after that one but it's the last time!!! Tomorrow we will get the results and the "golden ticket" to freedom. Once that happens we will be packed and ready for departure on or after 5.34pm on Friday.

    The last couple of days menu plan arrived. We have enjoyed the food but we have now cycled through it and am ready for something else. In fact anything else will be fine by us. Our Friday restaurant "freedom" meal will be amazing. Auckland comes out of Level 2 lockdown tomorrow night so we will experience what we used to have almost 7 months ago.    Read more

  • JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    Salted cramel tart- our expectations are high if we have dinner with friends!!
    Beef cheeks. tasted better than they looked

    Day 12 - 2 sleeps til freedom

    October 7, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Another one of those days where we feel like we shouldn't be here. We are ready to leave. If we thought there was a chance to sweet-talk the officials to set us free we would have attempted it. But we will be around for less than 48 hours now so we are on the homeward stretch.

    Same routine, walk before breakfast for 10 minutes, food delivered, then work. We both attended meetings while walking today. Great for the step count and added to the total nicely. Our exercise on the rooftop was a bit shorter due to a storm. We like fresh air but not desperate enough to get wet.
    Our food today was impressive. Massaman curry for lunch and beef cheek for dinner. No complaints from Room 613. On the walking terrace are the exhausts for the kitchens. Today we enjoyed the beef cheeks being cooked while we were on the roof exercising. Impressive aroma.

    We were warned that there was a new planeload of inmates arriving in the evening so the lobby area is closed to all while they are processed. Straight after dinner
    we went downstairs for air before closure. Not long after we arrived another guest came out to the smokers area. Soon after that the army guy in charge of the hotel came out and isolated him from the rest of the people including us and had some very terse words.

    It appears the guy is in complete isolation due to either a positive test or symptoms and had been confined to his room. He chose to ignore the direction and went and had a smoke. From then on he had an army guy near him while the lifts were deep cleaned. He was not popular. We watched the well oiled isolation management machine in action as they isolated him, cleaned, and told him in straight words the trouble and risk he has caused.

    We of course stayed well away and waited for the lifts to be cleaned. And once in the lift we tried to hold our breath, touch nothing and thorough washing when we got back to our room including binning our masks. We had earlier had some banter with one of the security guys who was asking us how long we had to go then made the wise crack that the rules had changed and we had to stay an extra 5 days. Even with his mask on his smiling eyes gave the joke away. Contact like that is common. It's all very relaxed but with firm rules for us to adhere to. As we saw tonight, if you break the rules you are subjected to a pretty serious talking to. We are unsure what the next steps will be for that guy.    Read more

  • JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    Congee or bacon and eggs?
    Our negative testsLast dinnerOne of the many window dressings from other inmates

    Day 13- Release imminent

    October 8, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    With only a day to go before we leave our thoughts are focussed on the countdown. We still have a day of work ahead of us but we also will pack and move all the furniture back to original placement. Our second test results were slipped under the door this morning with negatives. Funny that having a negative result is a positive outcome.

    So with the result starts the exit process. Tonight we received our exit plan. A final health check as we leave the hotel. From there we are going to transfer a couple of blocks up the road to another hotel. Big difference is that we can leave whenever we want to and no masks required.

    Todays food was a highlight. Due to popular demand (you know who you are) we ordered congee just to please the readers. Congee is a savoury rice porridge looking food that appears to be available for any meal. We did try it. It was savoury with a soup flavour but the after-taste was more like stale bread. At least we tried it. The other meal was bacon and eggs. Tough choice really!

    Lunch was a lamb wrap which was really good and then our last meal tonight was steak which was as tender as last week. But even with the best food today does not give us any incentive to stay around any longer than we need to.

    Since we arrived we have really noticed the kiwi accents. Admittedly they are stronger up north where we are due to the Pacific Island influence but we have enjoyed not copping flak when we say our room number (sux-one-three).

    Tomorrow we will update this blog in freedom, no masks, and having had a restaurant meal in a restaurant with other people. This is foreign to us after nearly 7 months of restrictions.    Read more

  • JulieReganAdventuresLockdown 2.0Traveler
    The other side of the fence
    Great food and companySkytower putting on a rainbow theme for our anniversary

    Day 14-Freedom

    October 10, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    The day started the same. Walk around the hotel entrance, breakfast, then work. We were watching the countdown timer until our release at 5.34pm.
    No exercise today but we both went outside for meetings while we walked.

    A couple of days back I watched as the defence guys would go across the road to the 24hr shop to buy cigarettes for the inmates and it gave me an idea. It's our wedding anniversary and in the rush to plan this escape we both forgot that we would be locked down on the big day. So I asked if one of the guys could buy me an anniversary card. The airforce guy said he would ask if anyone was available. What he really meant was that he had no taste and would rather ask one of his female counterparts to choose a card. When I asked her she said there was no way she would get a quality card from the 24hr shop so she opened a plastic bag for me to drop my credit card in (no contact alowed) and 20 minutes later came back with a tasteful card. Such a lovely thing to do for us. That is yet another example of how well we have been looked after. A lot of the officials knew all about our anniversary by the time I had my hands on the card. After smuggling it back to our room it was ready for the big day.

    Packed the bags and discovered we had a lot of stuff. We are still at our weight limit for our flights on Sunday but we will trim. Final health check and signed release forms. All good so far. After moving the furniture back to its original placing we managed to wait til 5.30pm then said goodbye to our luxury suite to sign out.

    There was quite a queue at the lobby but we waited patiently for our turn to check out. We have been waiting to do this for 2 weeks so another few minutes won't hurt. Received our golden ticket to let us through the gate. The police lady wishes us both a happy anniversary. Yet another personal touch from the officials. All good and the gate opens for us while other inmates look on. Freedom. A really strange feeling to look at those fences from the other side.

    We moved about 200 metres to our new hotel wheeling our luggage, checked in, then back to grab our bike box with more stuff to take to Christchurch .
    Out for a lovely meal with friends at a bustling restaurant . No masks, no social distancing, no cold food and Julie wearing lipstick for the first time in 5 months. A few wines and great company. Initially it all felt strange after 7 months of restrictions but the wine relaxed us nicely. Hopefully Melbourne will get back to this normality soon.    Read more

    Trip end
    October 11, 2020
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