Coronavirus: German couple spends honeymoon locked down in NZ

While it might not be the honeymoon they planned, one German couple thinks they hit the jackpot with their lockdown location. 

Eric Wallner and Nathalie von Berg were two weeks into their three week honeymoon when New Zealand went into level-4 in response to Covid-19. 

The pair tried to catch a ferry to the North Island on March 24, but after seeing how chaotic the terminal was, they decided to go back to Smiths Farm Holiday Park, in Linkwater, where they had spent the previous night. 

“The original plan was to stay there a few days, but then the lockdown happened and it’s been our safe harbour,” Wallner said. 

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“We considered it the right thing to stay where we were, there wasn’t anything we could do. So we are waiting until it’s over.”  

Each day, the pair get up and have breakfast with everyone else in their “bubble”.

They talk about the latest news and then, depending on the weather, fill in the day by spending time with people at the park, taking walks around the Linkwater area or talking to family back home.

There’s about 20 people in lockdown at the Farm Park, they said. 

“There’s a family of four kids here. They help keep the mood up. You have to stay positive because they don’t quite realise what’s going on,” Wallner said. 

“Among us is a Swedish wine expert. So two nights ago, we had a nice, private wine tasting.”   

They were waiting to hear from the German government about getting home, but in the mean time, were happy to wait it out in New Zealand. 

“Everything is perfect. We hear that many campsites closed their open facilities because they can’t get cleaned on a regular basis.

“They can do that here because there isn’t heaps of people,” Wallner said. 

von Berg said she found New Zealand was beyond all of the “most beautiful” spots in Europe combined. 

“It was always a wish of ours to come to New Zealand.

“We heard lots and lots of stories of the countryside. I’s a dream, but not necessarily something you do, so the honeymoon was the perfect opportunity to do it.” 

Wallner described the way they met as a “fairytale” – as they met at a castle. 

“We met in England. We were both volunteering with the National Trust, so the biggest charity for culture and national preservation.

“We both worked at a beautiful castle, Scotney Castle in Kent in 2013.” 

In 2017, Wallner proposed at the castle while they were on holiday. They married during last year’s European summer. 

They said the owners of the park, Barbara and Chris Faulls, had become their New Zealand parents. 

“They have adopted us. It’s a small family of international stranded people.

“Barbara is baking bread and muffins for us. We have to stay positive. 

“From day one, they’ve said this is our bubble,” von Berg said. 

“We’re making the most of it. We see the positives. It’s like a farm park holiday. There’s beautiful weather, and it’s such a nice place to be.” 

“We want to come back and see the North Island one day. We aren’t done yet,” Wallner said.