Samantha Motion: Dear Auckland, all we want for Christmas is you

Aucklanders, all we want for Christmas is you. Photo / Michael Craig

OPINION

Hey Auckland,

It's your mates, The Provinces.

We give you a lot of stick about your big-city ways so we never thought we'd say this, but, we kinda miss you.

We've never been apart this long - 66 days and counting - and we still don't know exactly when we'll get to see you again. Another couple of weeks at least.

We miss our trips to our biggest city for a show, the big game, a night on the town - heck, we'd even take a boring business meeting at this point. We miss icecream at Mission Bay, wineries on Waiheke, cherry blossoms in Cornwall Park, wandering in the Waitakere hills, and basically all your bars and restaurants.

Spring cherry blossoms in Cornwall Park this year. Photo / Michael Craig

School holidays have been and gone with no trips to Rainbow's End, Kelly Tarlton's or Auckland Zoo. 'Tis almost the season for shopping, but your mega-malls and outlets remain off limits.

But most of all, we miss Aucklanders. Our friends and colleagues, family and whānau.

The first time around in lockdown, everyone was in the same boat. This time, you've endured New Zealand's longest lockdown so we didn't have to.

You've been our manu taupunga, the sentry bird that stands guard and fends off enemies while the flock is eating or resting.

The team of 1.7 million or so has done a real solid for the other 3.3 million.

We joined you for a spell - some of us longer (Waikato, Northland) than others - but while we've been mostly been dodging Delta's bullets (Katikati, Tauranga, Coromandel, Wellington) you've taken the hits.

We probably haven't said thanks enough for that.

To prevent the spread of Delta and protect many lives, some of you have seen your livelihoods put at risk. Some of us are hurting in that way too, ironically because you can't visit.

We're trying to hold the economic fort but let's face it: it's not the same without you at full steam (nor would it be if Delta were ripping through the country - it's worth saying).

Today, the Government is set to give you more specific detail about what the path out of lockdown will look like.

There have been hints: the three-step "road map" to ease lockdown that gave you picnics, a draft traffic light alert system, vaccine passports, and discussion of fully vaccinated people who test negative for Covid-19 being allowed to cross the border.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said she believes Auckland will be out of lockdown by Christmas.

That seems a long time to wait to see you, but we also don't want to see your efforts to contain Covid-19 be in vain.

We'll be watching on Friday too; we have plans to make.

For those of us missing people in Auckland, all we want for Christmas is you.