WELLINGTON: Four German students say they’re glad they’ll finally get to fly home on Sunday but also sad to say goodbye to the New Zealand family that sheltered them for 2 1/2 weeks during a nationwide lockdown.

The adult students had planned to be travelling around New Zealand when the country imposed the lockdown in an attempt to limit the spread of the coronavirus. They are among 12,000 German visitors in New Zealand who are returning on flights chartered by the German government. “It’s been a different vacation,” said Julia Betz, 23. “But it’s been a great experience anyway.”

She and Laura Spottke, 22, had travelled to New Zealand to join their boyfriends Felix Gard and Thomas Metzler, both 23. The men are final year veterinarian students and had earlier spent a month working with horses near Cambridge under the tutelage of New Zealand veterinarian Kate Dingemans.

She had stayed in touch with the students as they began their travels and insisted they come stay with her family during the lockdown. Dingemans said she and her family of five “had gained so much” from their time with the students.

New Zealand has had 1,330 cases of Covid-19 and four deaths. The number of new cases has steadily declined over the past week, giving rise to hopes the lockdown is working.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2020