Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki returns to social media after being released from prison

He praised his supporters who protested outside Mt Eden prison.
He praised his supporters who protested outside Mt Eden prison. Photo credit: Facebook/Hannah Tamaki

Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki said his time in prison was a "vacation".

The controversial anti-mandate leader returned to social media for the first time since he was arrested on January 17 for allegedly breaching his bail conditions after attending a protest gathering in Christchurch.

"I was in there having a little rest, a vacation," Tamaki said to his followers on Facebook live.

He praised his supporters who protested outside Mt Eden prison.

"You were out there singing, praying, having hāngīs and food and all of that sort of stuff while I was in there on dry toast and Marmite."

After nine days Tamaki was released from prison following a successful appeal and he is on a 24-hour curfew.

Tamaki appeared as a guest on his wife's livestreamed show "Hannah's Truthful Media", saying he was confined to a small concrete jail cell the entire time.

He said he was in solitary confinement and believed it might of been to keep other prisoners safe from him.

Tamaki also disclosed on the show that he ended up losing 7kgs over the course of his confinement.

As part of his bail conditions, Tamaki is on lockdown in his East Auckland rural property with his wife Hannah Tamaki.

"I went from one prison with four walls to another prison at home," he joked.