Covid 19 coronavirus: Bubbles burst as Rotorua gets back to 'new normal'

Wild hair has been tamed, fresh ink tattooed and vacuum cleaners bought as Rotorua celebrates the new normal.

Lines stretched along the footpaths yesterday as customers waited eagerly for doors of salons, cafes and shops to open for the first time in seven weeks.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday, retailers, malls, restaurants, cinemas and other public spaces can reopen today with physical distancing measures in place.

Pubs and bars will be allowed to open earlier if they adhere to rules including serving patrons a meal, not only drinks.

Rotorua mother Stella Crabb waited in line at Kmart for an hour before shopping with her two of her daughters.

Crabb has five children and the shop was as much a necessity as it was a trip of sanity to get out of the house, stocking up on household items as well as school supplies before her children head back on Monday.

Schools and early childhood centres will open on Monday.

She said the shop took a total of two hours, it was calm inside the store and staff were swift at the checkout.

Angus Hunter was happy to finally get a "well-needed" hair cute yesterday with Ukiah Tamaki at Honey Comb Rotorua. Photo / Andrew Warner

My Barber owner Ants Haines said they were busy even before their usual 9am opening time, and Honeycomb Hair and Beauty's line began picking up at 7.30am, an hour and a half before doors opened.

Owner Sarah Pearson said colourists were almost booked out for the next three days and the evening hours had been extended to fit in the rush of people.

"It's so exciting, I couldn't even sleep last night," she said.

"It's like Christmas, it's just nice to be seeing people."

Two people were allowed in the salon to wait on the couch but the rest had to queue outside.

It had been six months since university student Angus Hunter's last hair cut, and taming the mane was "well-needed".

He was happy to be around new faces at the salon and said staff were taking extra care to keep everyone safe as they made the transition to normal life.

The Otago University computer science student would fully embrace level 2 and planned to go to the gym between studying.

CrossFit Ruark owner Josh Gardiner said although it was not the rush he expected, the steady flow yesterday morning was "exciting".

"It just felt like a fresh start."

Classes, which now had a maximum of 15, had already been booked out this week.

He was surprised with the number of inquiries from non-members during lockdown who were keen to join.

Image 1 of 11: Eric Perenara-Hodge.

Moko101 owner and tā moko artist Hōhua Mohi expected to take a hit as 40 to 50 per cent of his clients were tourists.

His first client was at noon and said it will be good to get back to normality but also said the time away had given artists a "well-needed rest".

"It gave a time for a lot of artists to sit back and recharge as well as afford some time to study the craft - and that's good too."

He said now it was important to figure out how to do their mahi while still following the right procedures, which now also meant no walk-ins and no support people for those being tattooed.

Doug Bracewell came from Hawke's Bay to Rotorua yesterday specifically to get his family tā moko by Mohi.

He had originally been booked in to have it two weeks before lockdown after seeing the work Mohi had done on a friend.

"I just thought the quality was unreal, I've got to book in there."

But Bracewell postponed when the crisis started to escalate.

The tā moko would take two days and Bracewell stayed with family last night in Tauranga before heading home today.Cafes and restaurants were able to provide takeaway meals during level 3, but could now have people in their establishments.

They would need to adhere to the "three S's" rules - seated service, social distancing and single servers.

Despite the restrictions, open doors meant one thing to loyal customers who streamed in the minute Capers Epicurean opened at 7am.

Okere Falls Store's famous Thursday burger night also went ahead, with one customer booked in set to arrive by boat.

Owner Sarah Uhl said the contactless pickup and delivery had run for the past two weeks and the burger night tradition had sold out each Thursday.

Uhl said the first day at level 2 had been steady and regular customers had come in to get their coffee and snack fixes and say hello.

She said the future would pose a lot of challenges but with that could come opportunities, too.

Retail

The first thing Rotorua man Eric Perenara-Hodge did yesterday was head to The Warehouse to replace his vacuum cleaner, which broke just before lockdown.

"It's a hell of a mess," he said of his home.

Perenara got to the mall just before 8am, wearing a mask, to find a line had already formed.

As he was early, the store was quiet and he made sure he was an "in and out". He said he was excited life was beginning to look a bit more normal.

Rotorua Central Mall general manager Peter Faulkner said, as of 9.35am, 346 people were in the mall. The Warehouse attracted the most customers while the other stores remained steady.

A queue formed outside the mall, which Faulkner said was possible as people got used to signing in for contact tracing.

He was expecting the surge of people to last for the next five days from the novelty of being able to shop again as well as people needing to replace goods that have worn out.

The mall would keep a headcount to ensure they stayed within the targeted numbers of 300 people in The Warehouse, 200 in the food court and 100 for all the other shops.

He said people and retailers were "really happy to be out".

Glassons store manager Elle Reid said customers were excited to be back but had been thrown by the new normal of spacing in the store and signing in before entering.

"They're just a little bit taken aback that this is actually happening. I guess it's just about getting used to the new normal."

A woman who owned a lodge on Lake Tarawera, and who did not want to be named, said three boats had been on the water this morning but had disappeared by lunchtime.

"It's a bit choppy."

She said there had been some bookings from "wonderful" and supportive Kiwis, but they, and other accommodation owners were holding out for the Australian bubble to help with more business.

Bay of Plenty Police had noticed an increase in the number of people out and about but there had not been any significant issues or concerns as at 1pm.

"Our focus is on keeping everyone in our community safe. That's why we're urging people to remain cautious, keep their distance from strangers, limit any gatherings to no more than 10 people and maintain good personal hygiene."

Council facillities

Public facilities such as the library, Rotorua International Stadium, the Aquatic Centre, Rotorua iSite and the Rotorua Nursery opened yesterday. All playgrounds and sports facilities, parks and reserves also opened yesterday.

The landfill is open with safe operating measures in place and rubbish and recycling collection remains the same as during level 3.

Building and other site inspections have resumed and the Rotorua Energy Events Centre will remain closed to the public.

Inner-city parking services resume and the Rotorua Lakes Council said parking payments and time restrictions will need to be adhered to when parking in the CBD.

Play it safe: Level 2 golden rules

• Covid-19 is still out there. Play it safe.
• Keep your distance from other people in public.
• If you're sick, stay home. Don't go to work or school. Don't socialise.
• If you have symptoms of cold or flu call your doctor or Healthline and get advice about being tested.
• Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands.
• Sneeze and cough into your elbow, regularly disinfect surfaces.
• If you have been told to self-isolate you must do so immediately.
• Keep track of where you've been and who you've seen.

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website