Covid 19 coronavirus: 107yo Bob Moorfield doing well in lockdown - but misses his weekly drives

He is one of the oldest people in New Zealand, but 107-year-old Bob Moorfield still lives alone and is now self-isolating on his own.

Global pandemic or not, the centenarian would not have it any other way.

"I'm doing alright," he told the Herald cheerfully.

"Everything's going well, I suppose, and I've got [my son] Warren next door, so can breathe down his neck if I need to," he chuckled.

Asked whether he thought Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was doing well in the situation, he paused before giving a firm: "Yes."

The Te Kauwhata resident has lived on the same piece of land for more than 100 years and celebrated his latest birthday last November.

He is the oldest person in the Waikato region and is one of our oldest Kiwis.

Two other centenarians celebrated their 108th birthdays - Ron Hermanns and Nina Brown, respectively - last September.

Moorfield still wakes up at the crack of dawn and cooks his main meal - meat and vege - at lunchtime and can even drive still.

Centenarian Bob Moorfield, pictured four years ago, says he is managing well during the Covid-19 lockdown. Photo / Doug Sherring

Youngest son Warren Moorfield, 71, lives in the house next door with his wife and said that despite some discussion, their father insisted that he did not need anyone to stay with him during the four-week Covid-19 lockdown.

"The housekeeper is not allowed round anymore. He just wants to look after himself. He just said: 'I'll manage'.

"He's still walking around and cooks his main meal at lunchtime still - usually with a potato or kumara."

Every two or three days, Warren Moorfield pops over to his father's house to drop off a bag or two of groceries, the odd meal and any other essential items on the doorstep.

He admits it was a bit of struggle to tell his father - who enjoys driving and is officially New Zealand's oldest driver - that he could not go on his weekly outings during the lockdown.

'NO, YOU CAN'T GO OUT, DAD'

"He seems to think it's not such a big deal. He thought he was still allowed to go out driving.

"I had to say: 'No, you can't go out, Dad. The family wants me to take the keys off you'," Warren laughed.

"He gets out of town - to Hamilton, Huntly and Auckland - to go to book shops. He loves reading, especially history books. He's got a lot of books."

Te Kauwhata resident Bob Moorfield, 107, says he is managing well during the Covid-19 lockdown. Photo / Doug Sherring

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

The car is now parked out front and has not moved since lockdown started.

Warren Moorfield said he had not spoken too much to his father about how the worldwide pandemic compared to some of the other big events he has lived through.

But he acknowledged his father's grand life - and all the great and tragic events that had happened over the past 100 years.

"The wars, the plague - Spanish flu, that is. He's lived through it all."

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