Catching a break
WHETHER they were riding the waves, lining up at the drivethrough, or getting back to work, people in the South had a busy first day at Alert Level 3.
Many businesses reopened yesterday after weeks of Level 4 lockdown sparked by the outbreak of Covid19.
For some people, it meant a very happy meal as they enjoyed their first fast food fix in five weeks.
Retailers were also able to start shipping goods purchased online, or package them for contactless clickandcollect services.
And, after weeks of nearempty streets, southern roads were again busy with vehicles as people headed back to work.
Early yesterday morning, many of those vehicles were heading for fast food outlets.
First in line at Dunedin’s Andersons Bay McDonald’s at 6.30am was Rhonda Daane, who joked her family had been saying she would be first in line as soon as the golden arches were again lit up.
‘‘I’ve been hanging out for it for ages,’’ she said.
She was joined by about 15 other cars waiting in line for the store to open at 7am.
McDonald’s Dunedin owner Justin Stonelake was expecting ‘‘a busy day at the office’’.
Outlets were up to speed on strict hygiene and social distancing measures inside the store, and were working from a reduced menu, he said.
His prediction certainly came true last night, as lines of cars trying to get into KFC, Burger King, and McDonald’s drivethroughs in Andersons Bay stretched for nearly 1km in some cases.
Cafes were also doing a brisk trade, and there were queues outside many businesses, although an overloaded app led to some teething issues.
Ordering app Regulr, used by several Dunedin eateries, crashed for much of yesterday.
Morning Magpie owner Troy Butler logged on to Facebook to tell his cafe’s customers to call or text in their orders instead.
‘‘It’s been good, pretty steady,’’ he said.
While business had been good, reopening in Level 3 was essentially like starting from scratch, he said.
‘‘We’re being cautious with food, doing the bare minimum until we can kind of gauge what demand is going to be.’’
Many retailers were busy sending out items which had been preordered during Level 4.
Nichol’s Garden Group marketing manager Annabel Roy said the company got its website up and running on Friday at 8.30pm.
On the first night, there were 70 orders.
‘‘We’ve been totally blown away by the amount of support, and the sheer number of orders. ‘‘It’s been insanely awesome.’’ Nichol’s had been able to supply essential items such as pet food during Alert Level 4, but was now selling a broader range of products.
‘‘Our stores now look like dispatch centres,’’ she said.
Level 3 still has significant restrictions.
Travel for recreation is allowed, but people should stick to their closest beach or park.
Surfers enjoyed eased restrictions by getting back in the water at St Clair at sunrise yesterday, while people were also back to fishing at first light.
People were also keen to get out and about around southern centres.
Oamaru Victor Nelson Cycles owner Pat Conn said he was happy to be trading again, despite a relatively quiet start.
‘‘Businesswise, there was not much happening before 10am, and then people started to move around then. I have sold a couple of bikes, so that’s been good.’’
Only a handful of cafes opened for takeaway coffee and food in the central business district of Wanaka, while over the Crown Range in Queenstown, Social Clothing & Co owner Casey Ravenwood said she had to put fencing up because so many people wanted to shop.
In the centre of the resort, Vudu Cafe and Larder owner Michelle Freeman said she opened to help give life to the centre of Queenstown.
However, her normally busy cafe had been quiet and it was not a sustainable business model in the long term, she said.
The return of more motorists also meant the first traffic alert in weeks was issued in Central Otago: for horses loose on State Highway 85 near Chatto Creek.
Balclutha builder David Latta said adjusting to the ‘‘new normal’’ would take time.
‘‘It’s a bit different out there now. We’ve got several new health and safety systems in place to ensure the safety of our team, and even something usually quick and simple like picking up a dozen washers is a process requiring extra time and effort.
‘‘But we’re pleased to be back and into it.’’
In Invercargill, industrial areas were buzzing with movement and noise which had been absent for weeks.
Des Hogan, who was working on the Langlands Hotel site, said it was good to be on the job again.
‘‘It’s quite stimulating to be honest. We’ve had to take a step back and prioritise things; health is much more important than concrete.’’