Last updated: . This update corrects selected March 2020 case and travel details and adds current child-health context; the family’s travel account remains historical. Date information added October 28, 2026.
A 2020 family travel account. Published on April 13, 2020, this story includes an earlier March 2020 snapshot. Case counts, isolation rules, travel plans and business forecasts describe that period. They are not current health or entry advice. An early claim about children’s illness has been corrected below. The New Zealand Ministry of Health’s later update explains that the final emergency COVID-19 orders were removed in August 2023.
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What a whirlwind, huh? This crazy virus is literally changing the world overnight. We are waking each morning to find more and more closures, border closures, and crazy pictures from back home of empty store shelves and grocery store pandemonium.
Meantime, things are pretty calm here in New Zealand. We made it to the store yesterday to “stock up”, but all is normal. There is plenty of toilet paper. No one is panicking. We can find all we need.
Just two days ago, we went to a Thursday night market in Rotorua with friends.
It’s difficult to reconcile the reports and panic from back in the US and Europe to what we have before us.
Bottom line: we feel blessed to be here in New Zealand.
Watch our older New Zealand lockdown film on YouTube. This film records a later stage of the family’s 2020 stay; it is historical footage, not current health or entry guidance.
The eight-case figure in this early snapshot belongs to March 2020: the Ministry’s report for 15 March 2020 recorded eight confirmed and two probable cases. On 14 March, the government announced 14-day self-isolation for arrivals, with a Pacific exception. These were historical measures, not current entry instructions. That was the moment behind our reaction: Honestly, it feels like we are in the safest place in the world!
We are a bit worried about future plans. We are wanting to glance into the crystal ball and see how long these travel bans are going to be in place. It’s really impossible to tell.
In the meantime, we are watching tourism fall through the floor everywhere. Our hearts ache for companies and jobs that survive on tourism. Even a few weeks ago we were hearing from locals about how visitor numbers were dropping drastically. We know this will send many small businesses into severe financial trouble and even out of business altogether.
For now, we are just going to stay put. There is no mass outbreak here, so we will continue to use good health practices, monitor any symptoms in our family, and continue with light sightseeing. This part of our NZ travels has us in a slow period anyway. We are in a very small community and planned to take this time to regroup and sightsee a bit less after all our fun on the South Island. It’s an easy time for us to stay at home more. With lots of local hikes and scenic walks, we have all the outlets we need while still keeping isolated.
We have about five weeks left in our planned NZ stay. We plan to file this week for another 90-day extension in NZ in case we want to stay put even longer.
Our current plans take us to Australia in late April, Tahiti in June, and then to South America. If lockdowns are still in place, we plan to stay in New Zealand longer until we can go to Australia and probably lose the South America portion of our plans. A big bummer, but we were going in the dead of winter, so perhaps it isn’t the best time anyway.
It is a tempting question when considering our future. We’ve chosen not to return to the US for a few reasons:
For a great read on “Flattening the Curve”, read here. It’s my favorite explanation so far.
October 2026 health correction: The original comparison of COVID-19 in children with a common cold was too broad. Most children have mild or no symptoms, but some develop severe illness, MIS-C or Long COVID. See the CDC’s current information on COVID-19 in children. The early reassurance in this 2020 account should not be used to assess a child’s current risk.
Yes, it will. Chris has many consulting clients that have been struggling to get their products from China already. With current shutdowns escalating, two clients already have had to cancel. They basically have to shut down until they can get more products. We are a small cog in their massive stress and my heart is heavy for the decisions they have to make.
At the same time, for now, interest is still high for Chris’s services. Two medical companies wish to begin. If anything, eCommerce will likely boom during self-isolation. As Chris puts it, “there are always companies that want to sell more online.” We’ve always counted our blessings that his trade is not industry-specific and can cross into many different industries at once.
We feel at peace. We know that the world will rebound from this turbulence. There may be economic consequences that are heavy to bear, but the world will survive. We hope the virus spreads slowly and the healthcare system can treat those who need it most. We see God’s hand in our lives guiding us to stay for the maximum time in New Zealand. We have SO many places we want to visit and debated so many locations for this time period. When we both felt New Zealand was the answer, we bought the tickets and went for it. We literally flew from the farthest point across the world: Paris! It didn’t make any sense, logically.
This is how our travels work. We get ideas, we have wish lists, and we do some research. We wait and see what feels right. I have tried to describe it before and think of it as an air pocket traveling up through thick, viscous honey. We can sense the change, feel it coming, but it moves slowly. It works its way up until we can see it clearly at the top and book that travel. Then we wait for the next air pocket to surface.
It can be frustrating when I want to have everything planned on paper. Or when I have family members and friends wanting to visit and I can’t quite say where we will be! But we continue to trust, to wait, to book when and where we feel is right. We forgo places we want to see for the places that feel best.
This is not the first time we’ve seen the blessings of this process and I find it a constant reminder of God’s awareness of us and of YOU. God knows your needs and what you are going through. Take comfort and courage in this. Join us in prayer and express any fears to Him. Stay up-to-date with changes, but keep overall media exposure to a minimum. The media always plays on fears and what is sensational. Be smart, stay safe and keep a clear head without the voice of the media dominating your thoughts.
Even if the world collapses, we are all infected and chaos reigns, we can have peace in our hearts. Our homes can be sanctuaries of love and peace. Keep those you love close (that won’t be hard with schools and offices closed!) and soak up the time together.
In the meantime, we can’t wait to hear how it goes for our friends and family to homeschool! I’m excited about the reports and hope everyone doesn’t go crazy with kids underfoot all day. Believe me, I feel you! Perhaps you also might be working remotely for the first time. Enjoy!
Stay safe,
Leslie
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