The 56-year-old stays in contact with a group buddy via texting for support, and also texts a woman who runs their quit group.
He used to spend $18 a day on cigarettes but has found his taste buds are coming back - as well as a hunger for bakery food and a twice-a-day coffee habit he never had before.
"They say you should reap the benefits financially when you quit but I'm not seeing it yet," he laughed.
Mr Holmes hasn't smoked for more than two weeks and feels he may be over the worst of the cravings.
"I'm starting to cough up a lot of stuff which is a sign you're getting rid of all the crap out of your body."
Wayne McDowell: The sales manager has not had a cigarette since October 5 when he was on holiday in Fiji and feels better for it.
"Being in Fiji helped because I was out of my comfort zone and routine although my colleagues over there all smoked."
He still gets cravings "especially with a wine in my hand" but with the aid of patches he's resisting.
Mr McDowell, 57, says his weekly meetings with other former smokers was also helping "a lot. You get buddied with a person and they ring you to see how you're going."
Mr McDowell, who suffered a heart attack three months ago, was also recently diagnosed with mild emphysema.
"But now I'm breathing a lot better, I feel more focused and I feel life is pretty good without cigarettes."
John Corbett: The 64-year-old is down from more than a packet of smokes a day to just two and is hoping to be smokefree within a week.
Mr Corbett said in the past he would have smoked more than half a packet by midday but when the Herald speaks with him he's had just one.
"By this time of day I probably would have had 12 but things are definitely getting better," he said.
A breathalyser that comes out at the weekly meetings he attends shows the nicotine level in his breath has more than halved since the first meeting two weeks ago.
"The first week's reading was 19, the second week was 12 now it's down to nine."
He says his challenges are to get around behaviours that trigger him wanting a cigarette. He's confident he can do it.
Deb Fox was in to her first week of being smokefree when she took three puffs on a cigarette two days ago.
After grinding her way through days of intense cravings after her "quit day" last Thursday that was three weeks in to her Stoptober programme, she couldn't believe what she had just done.
"Yesterday I lit a cigarette and after three puffs I thought 'what am I doing?' Now I just think getting through this first week to this Thursday is the first hurdle."
Ms Fox is using nicotine patches, gum and an inhalator to help her cope but says quitting is a lot of "hard work and temptation".
"I'm pretty pleased with my efforts, but it's jolly tough work, I'm finding it more difficult than last time."
Keeping herself occupied and changing her smoking trigger habits were helping.
Q & A
How many people die from smoking?
Five thousand New Zealanders each year, or about 13 people every day. It is the biggest cause of premature death in New Zealand.
In what racial group is smoking most prevalent?
In Maori and Pacific communities - 36.1 per cent of Maori and 22.1 per cent of Pacific people are estimated to smoke, compared with 13.4 per cent of Pakeha and 8.6 per cent of Asians.
Where can you get help to quit smoking?
Visit, www.quit.org.nz, call Quitline on 0800 778 778 for free advice and support to quit smoking. A Quitline adviser will help to create a quit smoking plan. The adviser will help you understand the smoking addiction - you will identify the reasons why you smoke. And you'll get tips and suggestions on how to beat cravings.
What is Stoptober?
A 31-day quit smoking challenge designed to help thousands of Kiwis kick the smoking habit for good and it begins today. Stoptober offers free daily texts, emails and a free mobile app. It also has social media, radio, television and events happening throughout the country. Visit stoptobernz.co.nz
