Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she knows many New Zealanders were upset, frustrated and angry about the Covid rulebreakers which plunged Auckland into lockdown.
Aucklanders appeared to treat the first day of its level 3 lockdown as just another day to head to the beach according to surf lifesaving figures.
Surf Life Saving Northern Region Search and rescue supervisor John-Michael Swannix said lifeguards continued to have a busy weekend overall, with Sunday's figures just 200 fewer overall compared to Saturday's approximate 3500.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Saturday night that Auckland would go into a sudden, week-long level 3 lockdown from 6am yesterday after confirmation of yet more breaches and community cases linked to the Papatoetoe covid cluster.
The shock move saw gridlock around the region's borders as residents followed Government advice and returned home, moving in and out of the area.
Around the whole region, from Whangārei Heads down to Raglan, lifeguards performed 68 preventative tasks.
The message from Swannix was simple during level 3 - stay at home if you live in Auckland.
Last time Auckland was in alert level 3 surf lifeguards rescued a surfer who had written "HELP" in the sand after getting badly injured at a remote beach on the West Coast.
"What others can learn from that incident is that you always need a back-up plan - someone with you or watching from the shore who can call for help in case you get into trouble."
"Surf Life Saving Northern has 17 emergency callout squads from Ahipara to Raglan who're available 24/7 to respond to these sorts of incidents. Just call 111 and ask police for the surf lifeguards."
However, if people did decide to venture out they were asked to assess the conditions and stay within their abilities.
Saturday's assistance incidents were a reminder of how dangerous conditions can be after one swimmer was swept off their feet and sucked into a hole just south of Lion Rock, while three other swimmers also lost their footing in the surf and required help.
Two boogie boarders also got "slightly out of their depth" at Muriwai, while a surfer at Piha came off their board in the shallows and hit their head.
"While we will have flags up on some Auckland beaches over the coming days - we want to ensure our lifeguards are kept safe and that their interaction with members of the public is limited. For that reason we're asking people to stay at home until the lockdown is lifted."
