Walking the 100 steps around the forecourt, you can pause and read the letters of praise and thanks from former inmates

As I’ve mentioned, the fifth floor has the added excitement of corners, but there’s also the opportunity to peer into the rooms of other detainees and judge their creative pursuits

And when we go for our Covid tests, the staff, possibly trying to alleviate their own boredom, get all halloween-y

We approach the last days

Roll on tomorrow. We’ve clearly been here too long: this morning room service rang and, in a worried tone, tell me they haven’t received our coffee order. When the kitchen is anticipating your every need, it’s time to leave.

In an example of bureaucratise, we will be moved to a hotel closer to the airport tomorrow. Our inbound flight touched down at 7.52pm. If your flight touches down at 8.00pm or later, you stay in the MIQ facility one extra night and leave first thing next morning. I can tell you already get the picture. At 5.30pm tomorrow, 1 November, they will move us to a non MIQ hotel, which is paid for by MBIE (aka the Government) then at 7.00am Tuesday 2 November we fly back to Wellington, clutching our dispensation to leave Auckland in our cold, dead hands. Huzzah! (we have been watching The Great)

And returning from our penultimate walk on level five this morning, I chuckle at the sign forbidding resting in what can only be termed a come hither pose, taking a toileting break, and soliciting for the purposes of prostitution. Possibly some people are having a more exciting time than we are.