There were feelings of happiness and relaxation in Rotorua today as businesses fully opened their doors under level 1.
New Zealand moved to the lowest Covid-19 alert level at midnight, removing most restrictions on gatherings.
Guidough's Bakery owner Guido Bachmann said on Tuesday morning he was thrilled to be going into level 1 and was excited to have all the friendly faces back in store again.
"I could hug my customers!"
In saying this, Bachmann said social distancing had been beneficial in his larger Ranolf St store to manage customers.
He said he was considering keeping social distancing in place within that store, but his small Springfield store would be open for all.
"We've all learned a lot."
He said it would be interesting to see what the future of business may look like as unemployment takes hold.
Morgan Wilson, owner of Zippy Central, said it was like a "whole new world" opening the doors this morning.
He said it had been a busy morning and such a treat to have full seating available.
"It's so nice to see people coming out and making the effort to support us."
He said it had been such a hard time for the hospitality sector, but they were feeling "a lot more relaxed today" as a sense of normality swept over.
Central Mall manager Peter Faulkner said he was looking out at a "very full carpark", which almost spoke for itself.
He said retailers had been "ecstatic" to open their doors with no restrictions.
Trading had been good in level 2, but Faulkner said it would be even better with less queuing and contact tracing stress.
He said it was now up to the individual to manage their tracing and social distancing, but the mall would still be providing hand sanitiser.
Marketing manager at Capers Epicurean, Philly Angus, said it was "fantastic" being able to see the cafe as a full house again.
For weeks, the busy cafe had needed to turn away customers to keep in line with level 2 social distancing rules, but not anymore.
"Limiting cafe numbers has a huge effect on our bottom line, this will make a huge difference for us."
She said they would still ensure hand sanitiser was available and QR codes would be visible for anyone wanting to contract trace.
Hennessy's Irish Bar owner Reg Hennessy said a lot of stress had been lifted after an extremely difficult few months.
He said he was looking forward to seeing his pub full again and people sitting at the bar with a pint. Saturday was expected to be chokka as Super Rugby kicked off again, he said.
"I'm really looking forward to it. You don't realise the things you'll miss until they're gone."
Ponsonby Rd Lounge Bar and Our House general manager Hapeta Manley said all the staff were "looking forward to seeing the regulars and getting people back out on the dance floor".
The bar was reopening on Friday with Manley saying he expected lines "all the way down Eat Streat".
He said they would not have been able to reopen if it hadn't been for locals coming down and spending at Our House over level 2 and 3.
Big changes were coming to the bar, which Manley said the customers were going to love.
He took his staff rafting on Monday to thank them for their hard work over the last few weeks and to support another local business.
Rotorua Lakes Council underlined that from today, council venues would begin to operate without alert level restrictions and all parks, playgrounds, public toilets and recreation areas would open.
Council-owned freedom camping sites in the city would also reopen.
Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Bryce Heard told the Rotorua Daily Post on Monday he expected the move to level 1 to have a lot of positives.
"The difference is obviously going to be around public spacing and public gatherings.
"There are a lot of hospitality-type businesses who are still slowed down through the spacing requirements and can't fit enough people in. Ones I've spoken to have mostly said they are operating at 70-80 per cent of their capacity [in level 2].
"A lot are saying they think they can survive but they are worried about winter and a possible further dip to come."
Heard said, with no active cases of Covid-19 left, the public would have to confidence to get back to normality and further supporting local businesses.
"Enabling people to get back to normal in those public spaces will make a big difference, it will help sport, it will help events, it will help hospitality-type businesses."
I haven't cleaned my hands with sanitiser quite so much. I'm feeling proud of our country.
Anne Keller, 53, Glenholme
It's been great. Things are really starting to feel normal again.
Tony Whitney, 39, Central
It doesn't feel too different to be honest. The mall was as busy as ever.
Niall Dinning, 50, Waikite Valley
It's been lovely. Good weather, good vibes.
Helen Creagh, 39, Lynmore
Pretty good. I've been gradually going back into the office so was not too much of a shock today.
Pushpander Sharma, 41, Hillcrest
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