Sunrise behind Rangitoto Island
April 2020 – a month of mostly lockdown life in New Zealand. We were largely confined to our “bubble” – our home, with whoever we live with there. We were allowed to exercise, but not to swim. To supermarket shop, if we did it alone, sanitised and spaced. To see our friends and family – through a video screen. I worked from home all month, and thanked our luck that we live so close to the sea that my daily walks could encompass gazing out to the horizon. Unlike March, April seemed to fly! And I took a lot of sunrise photos…
Hanging with my lovely friends via Zoom: image captured by Kate Hursthouse
I tried to get out for a run or walk every morning before work, which resulted in a lot of lovely sunrises
Socially distant beach walks are easier on New Zealand’s beaches – you’d hardly believe a bustling city suburb was behind me!
Battling at Bananagrams with Joe’s family – a trans-Tasman competition!
Geese are rubbish at social distancing
I adore how clear the water gets at this time of year – it seems so tropical (although it’s not that kind of temperature!)
A gorgeously still morning
The sunrise on Anzac Day
Anzac Day is New Zealand and Australia’s shared day of remembrance. Ordinarily we would attend a local dawn service. Instead, many New Zealanders gathered at the end of their driveways and listened to the service on our national radio station. At the end of our road, a neighbour had a large speaker set up, so we listened separately but collectively. It was quite beautiful. Then this stunning sunrise!
May promises more change – and hopefully all positive. New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has been so fantastic and such a strong leader in this time. The policy was to “go hard, go early”, hence the heavy restrictions. But now, with very few cases, it looks like we might be able to get back to a new normal, with workplaces, restaurants and bars reopening (with new restrictions), and domestic travel allowed again. I can’t wait to hug my family, see my friends in person rather than on a video screen, and start to explore again!
How is May looking for you?
