Sport and recreation is a big part of life in New Zealand, and there is never a shortage of organised activities to reflect the public's desire to get out and about.
But some of the more serious events are set to be busier than ever after the lockdown, with the Tarawera Ultramarathon, Ironman New Zealand and three major marathons all reporting a surge of entries.
Lacing up the shoes and ready to hit the ground running, ultramarathon runner Chris Daley is relishing the opportunity to pound the pavement somewhere other than his own backyard.
"People doing laps of their block, that was me from time to time," says Daley.
And he's not alone.
More than a thousand people have raced to sign up for the annual Tarawera ultramarathon event in the first 24 hours.
"The entries for Tarawera have blown out of the water," adds race organiser Tim Day. "The first day entries were 30 percent higher than the previous year."
Officials are putting it down to four weeks stuck indoors nd it's not just ultrarunning events seeing a surge in entries.
Ironman managing director Dave Beech believes it's a trend seen across the board.
"I think there's been some pent-up demand during lockdown," he says. "We all experienced it.
"There's been a big surge in people who are taking part in the sport that perhaps haven't done so for some time."
Organisers of the Auckland, Queenstown and Hawke's Bay marathons are all reporting a significant increase of new entries
That rise in demand is music to the ears of local tourism operators and competitors alike.
"The event will bring at least $3 million of external revenue into the town," says Day. "They eat out and stay in the local accommodation.
"I was worried that there wasn't going to be a great turnout, so to know there's a good number of people coming is so exciting."
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