Lockdown Heroes: Teddy bear hunt taken to new level by Rotorua carver

Welcome to our rotoruadailypost.co.nz feature celebrating great Kiwis going the extra distance in lockdown. Do you have a Lockdown Hero? We want to hear heartwarming stories about businesses or individuals going above and beyond to get us through lockdown. Email: david.beck@nzme.co.nz

In 2020, when New Zealand was plunged into lockdown for the first time, a nationwide teddy bear hunt put smiles on people's faces.

While they could not interact with each other, they could go for walks as a family. Households started putting teddy bears in their front windows so other children, while on walks with their families, could see how many they could spot, all while keeping within the rules for alert levels 3 and 4.

A year and a half later, with New Zealand back in lockdown, the trend has continued and teddy bears can still be seen in many windows.

Rotorua's Geoff Innes has delighted his neighbourhood with a carefully carved teddy bear. Photo / David Beck

However, one Rotorua man has taken the teddy bear game to a whole new level.

Geoff Innes, alongside his wife, owns Lexy's Stylish Beauty and is out of work until a return to alert level 2.

While it was a struggle to get by during lockdown last year, he kept himself busy by using his carving skills to create a teddy bear piece of art on the side of a tree stump outside his house.

Now, back in lockdown, he is at it again, carving another teddy bear on the other side of the stump.

"It was the whole teddy bear movement last year, and I just thought I'd put a teddy bear on the tree," he said.

"I do regular projects, I've made trophies and I do wood turning and painting, I'm a bit of an artist I guess."

Innes said he had been blown away by the positive reactions his piece of work had received.

"So many people have come past and it just makes their day. They stop for a chat, they think it's absolutely lovely and they all take their photos - school kids have come by and had their photos taken with it, it's quite neat.

"It's absolutely satisfying, it does do you good. We can't go back to work until level 2, we have to be very careful, it is a struggle. What we get from the Government helps but you wouldn't stay on it forever.

"This has absolutely brightened the mood. I've learned a lot myself and I've met dozens of people who live locally and just walk past and want to have a chat. I spend more time talking than I do carving bears."

He said he appreciated the support he'd had and the sense of community the whole teddy bear movement had created during what is a tough time for many.