Shipping Update - Sep/Oct/Nov/Dec 2021
This post contains updates on shipping and delivery timeframes throughout September, October, November and December for MoonAmaia orders. It starts with the earliest update and runs through to the most recent update below.
For the latest update, scroll to the bottom of this post.
Update 18 September
As many of you know, New Zealand is currently in lockdown due to a covid-19 (delta variant) outbreak - as I write this update, Auckland is still in Level 4 lockdown and the rest of New Zealand is at Level 2.
For everyone who is in lockdown, whereever you are at the moment, kia kaha - stay strong, and hopefully we will see some improvement soon!
I’m currently in Auckland looking after family - and as a result, in lockdown in the big city!
I am hoping to see some shift in lockdown levels in Auckland soon. My biggest issue is that I don’t have any of my MoonAmaia inventory with me in Auckland, and as a result, until regional travel is allowed (so I can leave Auckland and get to my business inventory), I can’t prepare or deliver any orders. And over the last few weeks, I have received a few orders from some awesome customers (yay! But uh-oh…..).
To all of you who have placed orders with me over the last few weeks, I so appreciate your support and understanding during this challenging time. I will definitely be putting some extras into your packages to thank you for your patience (once I can pack and deliver them). I’ve emailed all of you to let you know what the situation is, and I will continue to keep in touch with you to let you know when I will be able to deliver your package to you.
There will be an announcement about lockdown levels in New Zealand this coming Monday, so I have my fingers crossed we will start to see some movement in levels for Auckland. Depending on what happens, I’m not sure whether I will be able to travel out of Auckland until Auckland is at Level 2 - but we’ll see what Jacinda says on Monday.
For anyone who is keen to place an order - please do! Just know that an estimated delivery date is hard to predict at the moment so there could be a bit of a wait - even once I’ve sent the package there could be shipping delays too. I will email you to confirm the situation when you place your order.
Thank you so much for your patience and rest assured I will let you know as soon as I know what delivery/shipping estimates will be.
Update 20 September
Hi all - just a quick update.
This afternoon, the New Zealand government have decided that Auckland will shift from Level 4 to 3 tomorrow evening (woop!) - unfortunately, I still can't travel out of Auckland (to be able to pack and send any packages) until Level 2 - aargh!
They are hoping we can move to Level 2 in a couple of weeks - so I have my fingers crossed big time for that.
For those who have orders pending at the moment, or for those who are thinking of placing an order, I hope you are still o.k to continue to wait this out with me!
I will keep in touch x
Update 7 October
Hello! A little update regarding shipping as of today.
Currently, Auckland is still in Level 3 and the government announced earlier this week that the move to Level 2 will be managed in a phased approach. There are no timeframes given for how long this may take - so we continue to be in limbo/wait mode.
I applied for a business travel exemption last week to see if I would be able to cross the border to pick up inventory etc. (just a day trip) so I could fulfill orders from Auckland - but my request was declined. I will continue to vigilantly keep track of regional travel and border rule changes because as soon as I’m able to cross that border, you better believe I’ll be hitting the road!
I’ll continue to keep you all informed of what the situation is in this ‘Now’ post. If you want to order something and you’re not worried about when you receive your package, please still put an order in. I will keep in touch with you to let you know when I have a delivery ETA.
When I’m finally able to, I can’t wait to put all of these lovely orders and packages together.
Its gonna be a party! x
Update 23 October 2021
Well everyone, we unfortunately continue to be in limbo.
The New Zealand government have a plan for moving Auckland out of lockdown (beyond the previously mentioned three phase plan), and hope to implement a brand new framework for managing the pandemic ongoing for the entire country - with a significant focus on vaccination rates. But it unfortunately means that Auckland will continue to be in lockdown until vaccination rates increase to 90%. They will review the state of things by 29 November, but things could change earlier if vaccination rates increase before then. Its looking more and more likely that Auckland could potentially be in lockdown until Christmas or even (sadly) beyond that. Its an increasingly upsetting situation.
I am definitely planning on applying for a travel exemption again because I do think I have a case for travelling home safely. But I’m conscious that the exemption process is very strict right now so will just have to see how that goes.
Beyond that, I will continue to watch the developing situation with much interest. I am so appreciative of the patience of all the people who have open orders with me - I will continue to do all I can to be able to be in a position where I can get home to send your packages soon. Hang in there with me! x
Update 5 November 2021
Hey hey y’all! Hope you are all staying safe and well as we approach the Christmas season - like a downhill bike ride on one of those little wooden bikes that little kids ride that have no brakes. A bit dramatic, but its definitely feeling a little chaotic of late as the end of year quickly approaches.
Despite things moving and changing on a daily basis in terms of the covid lockdown situation in Auckland (and indeed, throughout New Zealand), there is still no certainty for when people in Auckland will be able to travel to other regions. Vaccination rates in Auckland are actually very close to the target the government has initially set, and there is a lot being discussed currently around the use of vaccination certificates etc. - so I’m hopeful that things will start to free up a little in the coming weeks - possibly with restrictions depending on whether you are fully vaccinated or not (rest assured, your girl is double/fully vaxxed!). There is an undercurrent of unrest that has developed over the last few weeks - lockdown fatigue and frustration - so I’m sure the pressure to start working on ways to start lifting restrictions before Christmas/summer holidays is great.
So no definitive update except to say that hopefully, things are starting to move and shift - which I will take to be a positive sign! I still have my fingers crossed that I’ll be able to get orders packaged up and sent before Christmas - fingers and toes and everything crossed!
And finally, I just, again, want to thank all of you who have placed orders and are patiently waiting for your treasures to arrive. I appreciate your support and patience and understanding more than you know. You guys are the absolute best! x
Update 19 November 2021
The tide begins to turn….FINALLY!
This week, the New Zealand Government announced upcoming changes for how Covid-19 will be managed moving forward. Lots of changes to frameworks etc. etc. but what many wanted to know was what the plan was for allowing people in Auckland to travel into other regions across New Zealand. Especially with Christmas looming large and many missing their families who they haven’t seen for many months.
As of this week, they are anticipating that everyone in Auckland will be allowed to travel into other regions by Wednesday 15 December 2021. YAY!
Travellers will either have to be fully vaccinated (with proof) OR have had a negative Covid-19 test 72 hours before they leave Auckland. Given I’m fully vaccinated, I’m ready to go as soon as that border opens!
The only unknown now is how the border opening will be managed - it is likely that many people will be wanting to leave Auckland as soon as the border opens, so I’ll be very keen to hear how this will need to happen.
For those who have orders waiting to be sent, my plan is to travel home soon after the border opens and try and get everything packaged and picked up by couriers by Monday 20th of December at the latest. I will probably aim for Friday 17 December if I can, but I’m really not sure how things will go just yet - hopefully I will know more in the coming weeks (there will be another announcement by the government around the end of the month to confirm more detail around how everything will work).
I’m so glad to be able to provide some hope that we may still be able to get orders packaged and out to you all before Christmas. In saying that, if you have any concerns about addresses to send to (given it may cross into the holiday period when many aren’t at their usual address), feel free to get in touch - we’ll figure it all out.
Watch this space - hopefully the next update is a ‘road trippin’’ update! x
Update 3 December 2021
Hi all! Just a quick little update to say - wow its December already!
And to confirm that as of today, my plan is still to leave Auckland as soon as the border restrictions lift on Wednesday 15 December so that I can get home and send all outstanding orders out to all the special people who have been waiting for their treasures for sooooo long (hopefully I’ll be able to get them ready for couriers to pick up by Friday 17 December).
Today, New Zealand moves into the new covid-19 framework or ‘traffic light system’. Although it provides a lot more freedom for people in Auckland, the border restrictions are still in place until Wednesday 15 December. So people in Auckland are unable to travel to other regions outside of Auckland without an exemption (until Wednesday 15th December). And sadly, this is the one thing I really want to do!
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll be aware that I’ve been doing daily lockdown readings throughout lockdown - and although technically, we are now out of ‘lockdown’, I’ll be continuing to do daily readings, but they will be ‘countdown’ readings - countdown until the border restrictions end and I can travel home again. I seriously can’t wait!
Its going to be such a busy/hectic time - I’m anticipating that it will be very busy on the roads when the border lifts. And once I get back home, I’ll be saying a quick ‘Hi’ to Grandma and then seriously, I’ll be in packaging mode until everything is done and ready to be picked up. No stops, no sleep (jokes, I might need to sleep ha ha!). If there is any chance I can get packages to some people before Xmas, I really want to give it a good try!
So, not long to go now…just under 2 weeks to go before your girl can hit the road - hang in there, we’re almost there!!! x
Final Update 17 December 2021
Woooooop! As of right now, I’ve juuuuuust finished packaging up the last two very special packages in all the outstanding orders I needed to fulfil - and I’m so happy! Yaaaayyyyyyy!
We made it back home on Wednesday 15 December after the borders lifted in Auckland. Packing the car was a mission (says the hoarder herself), but that was probably the hardest part of the trip ha ha! It wasn’t busy on the roads at all and we had a really good journey.
And then the fun began - if you could only see the whare (house) right now, there are boxes, packing materials etc. everywhere. And although it took way longer to prepare the packages than I anticipated (because I’m fussy and spent lots of time making each package special, individualised and amazing - an all-nighter was necessary to get most packages ready for the courier on Thursday - lets just say the afternoon involved Kristel crashing out for a few hours!), I enjoyed the process thoroughly. Music was playing, vibe was high. There were so many packages I had to wheel them out to the couriers when they arrived using a wheelbarrow - should have seen their faces - ha ha! And only two more left for them to pick up today - and then we’re done!
There are some pretty magical packages winging their way to special people in New Zealand, Australia, Thailand and Japan and I’m so grateful to everyone who stuck with me and waited for their treasures to be sent to them. It’s meant so much to have that support and faith over the last few months. Amazing!
I’m so keen to see all the beautiful treasures in their new homes - that will be my present for Xmas this year!
Delivery timeframes for those packages are a big unknown - the couriers didn’t want to commit to a timeframe, but I’m hoping that packages sending within New Zealand may have the best chance of making it in time for Xmas - but we’ll see. Best not to expect them and then if they arrive by Xmas you can be pleasantly surprised! Packages being sent outside of New Zealand are very unlikely to make it to you in time for Christmas, but hopefully they will arrive soon after.
So, in more good news, as of now, you can order on the website to your hearts content (I’m not going to close the shop). Packages will be able to be prepared within 24-48 hours of you placing an order unless I notify you otherwise. So absolutely go for it! Online readings are available too so if you would like one, fill in the form here.
In the next month or so, I’ll be focusing on loading more products/items onto the website so definitely watch this space. Its gonna be a busy time!
And finally, merry Xmas to all of you and to your whanau and loved ones - I wish you all the best for a happy and fun celebration!
Kristel x
