Goodbye 2020…Hello 2021

Wellington @TePapa,Vinneve photo

“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by discomforts.”

Arnold Bennett

So here we are in the New Year of 2021. Somehow my emotions overruled and I started my new year blog with sort of negativity, though I can say I don’t regret it but it’s just wrong timing or perhaps I just want to justify my absence or lack of motivation for writing in WordPress these past months though I had one blog per month, still I cannot ignore the fact that writing is still my first love than any other social media means. That nobody can steal away from me. It is my own thoughts and my own ideas what’s in here as the real author of this blog under evewanderer Wanderlust – A new chapter. It is a new chapter again indeed.

I can say we are pretty lucky to get away with 2 hard lockdowns in Auckland particularly as most of New Zealand’s other region and cities only had it once. The citizens and residents who wants to come home from overseas (@Akl Quarantine facilities) who are unfortunately had the virus in them created so much havoc into our lives here when lockdowns came. Yes we finally overcame it and I thanked everyone for cooperating and also the government on deciding what is right for their people and acted promptly though it can be better but yes we have to be happy with the outcome nevertheless.

We are one of the few countries in the world who are experiencing some sort of FREEDOM last year up till now and can travel the whole country. For us personally, we started traveling again last September 2020 after our 2nd lockdown in August as you can see from my post last year. So without any further ado here are some happy travels around New Zealand since September. Please check >> Pinoy Swiss abroad Youtube channel to watch some more.

@PinoySwiss abroad

@PinoySwiss abroad

@PinoySwiss abroad

There’s more video over YT channel so please check them out.

I hope you are all well and let’s hope for a better tomorrow this 2021.

Thank You very much to all who stayed with me and will check your blog too ASAP.

COPYRIGHT

The photos and articles on this blog are a property of the blogger EveWanderer11 (Vinneve) unless otherwise stated. None of them should be used without her permission. Snippets and links could only be used on one condition: full credit is given to Evewanderer11 and the site, “Wanderlust, A new chapter”.

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Christchurch: Gardens & Avon River

Avon RiverCH, vinneve foto

We are delighted and excited that we finally can travel again (by plane) last September and enjoy the sceneries outside of our own hometown and City of Auckland for a change! We have been in two lockdowns in March & August and yes the second time around the people aren’t happy about it. So this is quite a relief and people are driving crazy to go around the country and spend their little savings to help the community to get up and going again. Since the borders are still closed and I believe though it is harder for the economy… at least we are safer like this. Mind you, those lockdowns are brought by the overseas travellers and citizens. So in respect to those who departed because of this we must protect ourselves and best to close the borders until we are really sure of the practical measures will be in place when accepting tourist again into New Zealand.

Here are the beautiful sceneries of the Botanical Gardens and Hagley Park. I cannot get enough of them but unfortunately I can only choose a few to post it here. If you want some more best to save money and when all things get better next year please come and tour my beautiful country!

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I hope these photos will give you an inspirations to come here in the future when all is safe and make sure you don’t bring the virus with you! 🙂 unlike others… we in NZ are afraid of getting sick and I for one believe that this nasty covid-19 is REAL as real as your hunger for freedom! So keep safe and obey the rules to irradicate this pesky virus!

Thanks for reading! Appreciated all your kind comments and valuable thoughts below. More travel blog to come! Cheers!

Domestic travels in New Zealand while on level 1

Auckland City waterfront, vinneve

I am happy to announce that we are covid free now here in New Zealand!! This is also in response to WOTD: Victory We are now on level 1 and it may stay like this for awhile, restrictions still in place. Personally, I prefer it this way to protect our safety so I am not keen of opening the border, although there are some citizens and residents (repatriation) coming home from overseas and they may bring the virus with them so they are required for a 14 day quarantine. It took 5 million people, a big team effort to do this as when we were on lockdown we cooperated and only going out to buy essentials like food. Though of course anywhere in the world there may be some silly people (not a lot here) still goes out that time to do silly things but they are being apprehended by the police and given a penalty depends on their situation/alibis. FUN FACT. Normal police officers here in NZ doesn’t carry any firearms. They carry confidence, kindness and diplomacy.

Since we are now on level 1 the government is pushing domestic travels to help our economy and communities. Buy NZ Made. Buy local products which mostly people are doing right now including me. Both Jetstar and Air New Zealand are having their sale these past couple of weeks and it has been sold out faster! I use our voucher/coupon to redeem and bought tickets to Christchurch finally! Looking forward to it. So for now we are talking about domestic travels and here’s the following information thru personal experiences from other bloggers who went here in NZ before the pandemic. Please click their link, and they have some amazing photos to show you while traveling around New Zealand.

Before you travel to any country or even if you were stranded here in New Zealand it is a MUST for your own sake to have your own travel insurance. Though our healthcare system helped this young tourist as per this link >> “How NZ generous healthcare system saved my ass”

Birds eyeview Queenstown in gondola, vinneve

No pain no gain. So yes there was a time that New Zealand looks more like this. Here is the link for “When Paradise in New Zealand becomes a ghost town”.

Auckland Sky Tower, vinneve

Here above is the response for the June Photo of the Day: REFLECTIONS.

For sure people are now thinking of reuniting / partying with their friends and families more than a group of ten since it is now permitted. It may not be the same as before but this new normal surely will stay for quite awhile. So we better adapt to it and accept all the challenges in life. Stay safe peeps!

UPDATE: We suddenly not a covid free country anymore (just of today’s news June 16th) because of 2 female citizens/residents coming from the UK and testing positive for covid but for some reason was given a COMPASSIONATE GROUNDS to drive to Wellington (from Auckland) to attend a funeral of their parents. Shall we understand this or not?!! For goodness sake! we suffered in lockdowns and up to level 3 to becoming covid free for 3 weeks and the communities all over the country cooperated and because of this hindsight WE ARE AGAIN IN TROUBLE. Why? simple. Driving from Auckland to Wellington is 8 long hours Non Stop! I do not believe they didn’t even stop to pee, eat or put on gas that is simply lying. Those people who doesn’t know that they served these women are now at risk even their loved ones! So is this harmless? NO. I cannot understand why there is compassionate grounds at all since those people who died because of covid-19 didn’t even had the chance to see their loved ones. I am so annoyed with this news. It is unbelievable and I put the blame on the health department who didn’t think twice about this compassionate grounds. That is plain stupidity if I may say so! Sorry for the outburst but we will know within this week or so if there are people at risk now because of this. Our sacrifices (life, jobs, businesses, etc) and cooperations are now put in the drain.