Many Kiwis will have swapped the sunscreen for a screensaver this morning, as they headed back for their first workday for the year.
While the back-to-work blues may have hit and life is a little duller than when you were sitting on the beach, one personal development coach is encouraging people to let the sunshine in on everyday life.
"You come back to work and it's routines and it's structure and it's the discipline, and people just go 'argh I don't want that'," Sue Kohn-Taylor says.
She says your summer doesn't have to end along with your out-of-office reply.
"Summer's not over, so make the most of the end of the day, the start of your day. Going for walks, doing the barbecue with friends, swimming, going for a picnic, keeping up that holiday vibe."
Many Aucklanders are ready to be back at work, telling Newshub they'd had a great break but it was time to return.
"The money's good. New Year's was a little rough on the wallet," said one person.
"It's okay, two weeks was long enough," said another.
"We had a great time camping but it's time to be back," a third person said.
But Kohn-Taylor advises not to tackle all your work at once.
"Face the fact, there is going to be a load of emails, so just chip through them, don't slog it out for two hours and get overwhelmed by 600 emails. Have a little bite, go and do something else, have a break," she says.
The four-day working week is also being floated as a solution to permanent work-life balance. Several New Zealand businesses have already made the move and claim employees are more productive and engaged in their work.
The idea is proving so popular, Finland's new prime minister wants to introduce it nationwide.
But there is something Kohn-Taylor says is less radical, but will still make a big difference.
"The other thing is, plan your next holiday, because that always makes us feel good."
So you can be swimming in the blue hues of the ocean, rather than drowning in paperwork.
