Well I guess we should buy Lotto tickets.
Some of you know we have secured MIQ (managed isolation and quarantine) spots for the 18th October. This is no mean feat, as even a cursory reading of the media reveals. On “opening day” of the new booking system, the 20th September, over 26,000 wannabe returnees crowd into a virtual waiting room between 8:00am and 9:00am New Zealand time.
At 9:00am a virtual hand, possibly Maradona’s non virtual hand of God, randomly allocates those 26,000 into a queue. It doesn’t matter if you are first in the waiting room, or 26,000th, your place in the queue is the luck of the draw – or lack of.
Prior to this date, we register on the site: it is possible to register more than once if you are a couple, family or group, as each person in turn may take a lead. I register us as the Marshall-Wilsons and Scott registers us as the Wilson-Marshalls. We look at the dates when there are flights from Perth to Auckland – this is tedious: you can’t search Perth – Auckland, you have to look at every day in turn and see which flights are flying into NZ that day. There are only two flight dates from Perth before the end of the year that we can see: 18th and 25th October. We have always planned to come home around the end of October so the 25th looks good for us.
Match Day.
The alarm rings. It’s 4:30 am (imagine my joy), but in NZ it’s 8.30am. We both fire up our laptops, go to the site and enter our passport numbers. There’s nothing to do then but watch the countdown to 5.00am (9:00am NZ) and await out fate. When the random queue forms at 5:00am Scott is a surprising 2200ish and I’m in the mid 4,000s. PTSD means we do not remember the exact placings, and irrationally, are too terrified to take screen shots in case we lose our places.
By about 5:30am Scott is through the (non existent) door into the booking office, where the staff are invisible. The 25th is gone, the choice is Hobson’s and we book for the 18th October. I drop out to let someone else through. We then go to the Air NZ site and book our flights. We then have 48 hours to enter the flight details into the MIQ system or we lose our spot.
So our days are numbered – for this trip at least. Now comes the scramble to organise storage for the car and caravan for an undetermined period of time. Some initial enquiries are not promising. So many people from the Eastern states (New South Wales and Victoria in particular) are unable to get into WA to pick up their caravans this year, the storage facilities are full. WA has been so stringent in its border closures, international and local, who knows when we will be able to return.
We love our travels here and I would be happy to stay on if we had to. WA is good to us and we are both now fully vaccinated. It is immeasurably safer from COVID than almost anywhere else, including NZ at this point; there’s more chance of contact in MIQ than we have now. That aside, I do feel a bit guilty that we have an MIQ allocation when there are so many people in desperate straits who need to get home.
On the plus side, as we will be back in NZ within six months, the NZ Government won’t be clawing back our superannuation; I’m running out of drugs, so won’t have the trauma of getting them sorted here; my Drivers Licence runs out in December so I can renew that; Scott can go on the KTM motor bike ride at the end on November; we will be home for what passes as Summer; we will be home to meet a new great niece/nephew and excitingly, for the birth of a grandson; and not least, we will see many of you.
And we did buy Lottery tickerts – it’s drawn tonight and $30 million is up for grabs – we’ll let you know.
NZ826 leaves Perth at 9:15 pm on 17/10 and arrives at Auckland 8:20am. Yes, we will be in front of the plane having a large gin and a lie down.
It is a mystery where we will be put in isolation. We request Huka Lodge or Blanket Bay, but probably we’ve used all our luck and will score the Waipuna Hotel and Conference Centre.
We are keen to hear from anyone who has suffered through MIQ and can offer tips to make it easier. We’ve already thought of alcohol.
Wow well done both of you! We’ve heard so many horror stories about the MIQ queue so good you are in the first batch😀👍
Woo hoo! Well done and see you somewhere, sometime.
You are really lucky to be able to get back. Niece Sarah has now missed out twice on the lottery but is still trying. Needs to get home. They could open up half of NZ hotels to MIQ’s – they would make more money! Have a safe trip and as long as you don’t stay in Auckland, we will catch up 💕
Yes, we will sometime
Lucky you!! Seems an odd system.. some poor buggers could potentially be there for as long as this nightmare persists!! Earlier had hoped to come back to NZ over Xmas… maybe next year??
Safe travels 🙏🥰
Hopefully widespread vaccination will help.
MIQ boredom busters. Yoga mat, jigsaw puzzles, painting set, start knitting for grandson(YouTube how to)
What grandson? Will be lovely to have you home, fabulous photo of you both, Felicity
You’ll have the family news by now
Never know your luck, Waiouru army camp would make a good MIQ
For you maybe bro.
Stressors can’t leave you alone even when on leave. Bring your kindle. No Oz for us yet. Love to both Mary
always need plenty to read – recommendations of good books welcome
Congratulations!! This really is like winning the lottery. I know it has been a nightmare for so many. 🙁
Charlotte’s comments above sound pretty good. People I know who have been in MIQ have either been continuing to work remotely and/or done a LOT of jigsaw puzzles, board games and making creative works of art out of recycled meal containers and toilet paper etc. One couple had a theme for each day and kind of made it a competition to add some spice to it. 🙂
Crazy times we are living in for sure. xx
Sadly neither of us are terribly creative! Maybe its a chance to sort out the photos – lol
Welcome home soon.
Spot on the boat if you are doing a road trip North…
but I have a feeling you will just be hanging around home
for a wee while.
Talk soon’
Jan and Stephen
Don’t know about that – we’re used to moving about. Rather hoping we don’t come home to more lockdowns when we’ve had so much freedom here.
The Hunter Gatherer’s skills came to the fore I reckon, not luck. Looking forward to seeing you both.
We will miss your travel tales but look forward to catching up when you are back. 😀
Stand by for tales from MIQ!
Well done team – no need to feel bad because of a crazy system. Make time to head north and stay 💋
HaHa I have done x2 MIQ… indeed the last one at Waipuna Hotel and Conference Centre.
I really don’t know where to begin…let’s compare stories after you’re out 😎
Ps they don’t let you take your own alcohol. You can buy a bottle of house wine , 1 per day . Good lick with that if you’re at Waipuna. Also they won’t let anyone drop off alcohol
Lucky you two. I didn’t realise you wanted to come home so soon. Well done. Hope John and I have you come see us. We may have a cousins reunion or something!!!!! Please keep in touch. We love you both. Take care until we see you.
Helen and I are looking forward to catching up at Xmas time.