October 5th 2021: Pandemics suck

This is the simplistic version. Two years ago we got ripped off by one of the richest men in the world: Richard Branson. He's a character who I admire and who has some philosophies that I think are superb. Then he embezzled $5000 from us. 

Here's how he did it: as a surf-obsessed family we wanted to hit Bali for our first ever six-week surf trip there. It was a big deal for us. My eldest was not far off that point in her life where family trips aren't quite at the top of her list. So we scrounged and saved every penny we could to make it happen. Our travel agent suggested we get travel insurance, so we paid the extra for it.

Back then, in 2019, Covid was nothing more than a couple of sneezing bats in a Wuhan lab. We booked with Virgin, which was $1000 cheaper than Air New Zealand for the whole family. The Virgin flight would take us direct from Dunedin, albeit a red-eye flight upon return.

Anyway, we were stoked. The excitement flowed and Richard Branson had our money, so he could continue planning his moon missions. What a champ.

By February 2020 Covid had a name and the instant the World Health Organisation described it as a pandemic our insurance was nothing more than the flap of hundreds of dollars flying away in the breeze. Virgin Australia went under. New owners offered time-limited credits, but didn't fly to New Zealand. No one had workable answers for us. We'd paid for something that was never delivered, but had no path for reprisal. Burnt. Interestingly, every single one of the accommodation providers in Bali refunded our bookings. Damn, I love that place and I haven't even been there with my family.

Luckily, space has no border or MIQ requirements, so in July this year, Richard Branson and his team managed to get high into space to complete his own dream. I feel a very small pulse of pride knowing that the money he fleeced from us ultimately contributed to his remarkable space flight. We may not have been there in person, but some of our money was right there in space for a moment. Think about that for a minute ...

See you in space ... Derek

PS On a more serious note, this pandemic has started to get out of hand. The bastard thing is out of Auckland now and we've seen what course it will take thanks to our mates over the ditch in NSW and then Victoria. We're fast running out of options other than vaccination. If you're on the fence then do your research, make sure it's science-based and peer-reviewed and get the jab. If you can't do it for yourself then consider doing it for the good of the community and for all New Zealand's children who won't be able to get protected themselves. We can do this New Zealand. This is our path to freedom and, hopefully, one day, we can all travel to Bali again.