After two weeks away from their families and friends, and ordinary life, the large group of Kiwis and others from overseas in quarantine in Whangaparāoa are finally going home.
The 157 people had been evacuated from the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China and have spent two weeks in quarantine at the military base north of Auckland.
The first person left the military base shortly after 12.30pm today.
But the base won't stay vacant of evacuees for long.
A new group are expected to take up residence there later this week, with New Zealanders who've been confined to the Diamond Princesss cruise ship in Japan set to be quarantined at the base in north Auckland.
Eleven Kiwis are onboard the cruise ship docked in Yokohama, while another two who've contracted the virus are in hospital in Japan
Only eight of the 11 have chosen to take the flight today - organised by Australia - from Japan to Darwin. From Darwin they'll return to New Zealand where they'll be quarantined at Whangaparāoa.
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