Just in time: British family celebrates one year in Hawke's Bay since pre-Covid move

Shahin and Juber Hafiji, along with Ayesha, Rayyan and Zayn, at Havelock North Village Green. Photo / Supplied

The Hafiji family didn't know it at the time, but their pre-Covid move to Hawke's Bay from the United Kingdom could not have been better timed.

Shahin and Juber Hafiji, along with their three children, made the move from Canterbury, in Kent, to Havelock North on January 4, 2020 – less than three months before Covid-19 sent New Zealand into lockdown.

Juber, a dermatologist and specialist skin cancer surgeon, said as the family of five celebrate their first anniversary in the country, they feel lucky to be living a normal life.

"Shahin and I had made the decision to move here with our three children for a better quality of life," he said. "We couldn't be happier to be here.

"We could not have known, given the trajectory of Covid-19 in the UK, just how much better it would be."

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced another strict new nationwide lockdown on Tuesday (NZ time), amid surging cases and patient numbers due to the new strain of Covid-19.

While feeling lucky to be enjoying their freedoms, Shahin said the feeling is bittersweet, with friends, family and former health industry work colleagues directly affected by the virus.

"Family is incredibly important to us and we had plans for them to visit us and for us to go back to see them in 2021," she said. "But that is unlikely to happen in the near future.

"Thank goodness for the digital connections we have in this day and age."

Since moving to Hawke's Bay, the family have immersed themselves in what the region has to offer.

For eldest child Rayyan, 11, new activities like canoe polo, surfing and swimming have been vital, while Zayn, 7, and Ayesha, 6, are new converts to taekwondo.

For both parents, witnessing an increase in confidence and resilience in all three of their children has been a highlight.

"I don't need to be a helicopter parent over here. We feel so safe, everyone is so friendly and there is so much space and room for the children to explore," Shahin said.

"There is no way we would have let our older son walk to a friend's home in the UK; here we are very comfortable," Juber added.

"I'm just as busy at work here as I was in the UK but in Hawke's Bay it's so easy to take a few hours to spend time with the family at the beach or the park. Between the distances I needed to travel and the traffic, that just did not happen in the UK."

From walks up Te Mata Peak to trips to Waimarama beach and family outings to Napier, the family have definitely made the most of their time in Hawke's Bay to date.

For Rayyan, jumping from the rope swing at Maraetotara Falls was the best day of his life.

"That's despite the fact that he has travelled all over the world and stayed in some amazing places with us – so that's pretty high praise," Juber said.