‘Stranded in a good place’: Travel veterans hunker down in NZ for lockdown

Last updated on 13 April 2020

RNZ – A globe-trotting Canadian family of five say they are lucky to have ended up stuck in Queenstown for the lockdown.

The Patton family has been travelling the world since 2013, blogging and making videos about their adventures.

Chantal Patton said they were travelling through Asia as fears grew about Covid-19 across the world.

She said they decided to cut short their planned trip through India and went to Thailand and Cambodia.

But not long after that, they decided to fly to New Zealand, where they were planning to travel before meeting up with friends in Rotorua.

Instead, they’ve had to hunker down in Queenstown for the lockdown.

They were grateful to be able to extend their accommodation and buy some warmer clothes before the lockdown started, Patton said.

The family calls Switzerland home and were offered the option of a repatriation flight, but decided not to take it.

“The prices are extremely high and we are on complete lockdown back home in the sense that you can’t even go to the lake for a walk, so what’s the point?”

Patton said they were happy to ride out the next little while in New Zealand, and hope that they would eventually be able to get to Rotorua in a few weeks to see their friends.

She said her three daughters were home schooled anyway, and they were able to continue making and editing videos about their earlier travels and trips.

“I feel like we’re stranded, but stranded in a good place.”

They were also hopeful that they would be able to explore New Zealand once the Covid-19 restrictions ease.