Farewell to Mareeba

If there's one thing we've all learned about this post-Covid world of ours, it's the need to be flexible! I wrote earlier about how my plans to go back to NZ in mid-September were disrupted by the closure of the trans-Tasman travel bubble. This was followed by the MIQ booking system being paused at the end of August as the NZ government tried to deal with an outbreak in Auckland.

In the following weeks, announcements were made about how the MIQ system was going to change to a 'lobby' system, where users would log in and then be randomly allocated a place in a queue to apply for room vouchers - essentially a lottery. I wasn't complaining - it seemed better than spending all of one's waking hours monitoring the site in case a room became available. I also knew that God could use this to ensure that I could get back to NZ at the time He wanted me to.

In the midst of this limbo I had no fewer than FIVE farewell functions at work and church! It felt rather surreal because I had no firm departure date, but I realised it was important for others to have the opportunity to say goodbye, in case I ended up leaving in a hurry (and the school holidays were approaching, where many people would be away).

A gift from my students - T-shirts with 'We survived Bridget's flight training'
I was impressed - there's a lot of forward planning involved in them doing this!

I logged in for the first 'virtual lobby' on 20 September and was allocated 11,139th in the queue for 3200 rooms. My heart sank but I quickly accepted that God could still make things work in my favour if He wanted to. I recorded how the queue progressed over time - roughly 20-30 places each time the page refreshed (every 40 seconds). I knew I was most likely going to miss out, but I figured I would stay till the bitter end and treat it as a data collection exercise.

Not a hopeful sign...

I did end up being unsuccessful, but the numbers told an interesting story. The dates with the longest lead times were the first to go. The process seemed to speed up over time. And most interesting of all, some 7,800 people ahead of me had either got into the booking system or left the queue - significantly more than the number of rooms available. If the number of rooms available next time was X, then if I was allocated a space within 2X in the queue, I might be able to get a spot - especially since I would be able to travel at relatively short notice, and those were the dates that seemed to be more available.

About a week later I logged in for the second lobby. As the minutes to the start time ticked down, I started feeling nervous. How would I feel if I was even further back in the queue than last time? Would the sheer number of people in the first round - 31,800 - put people off from trying again, or would there be even more to 'compete' with? I tried my best to 'take captive' these thoughts and leave them with God (2 Cor. 10:5).

Then it began...

Second lobby

With 3800 rooms available, I was guaranteed to at least get into the system. I prayed that a room would be available on a suitable date! Flights from Brisbane were only departing on Saturdays in October and November. If I could get back before 11 October then the South Island component of my trip could stay intact...

When I got into the system, Sat 9 October had been booked out, but the 2nd and 16th were available. I quickly sent a WhatsApp message to my home support team, who it seemed were waiting on tenterhooks like me, and the resounding message was "Take the 2nd!" I clicked on it and got a message saying my slot had been reserved for 48 hrs pending me confirming my flight details in the system.

What followed next could only be described as a kaleidoscope of emotions. I think the adrenaline had hit me when I reached the front of the queue, and I wasn't at all prepared for the intensity of the emotions that followed - relief and happiness at being able to go back, sadness that I was leaving Mareeba so soon, a little bit of guilt that I had most likely secured a place ahead of others who had been trying much longer than me, and increasing panic at the realisation that I now had 3 days to pack up my life! I fired off a few quick messages to key people and headed home to make a plan of all the things that needed to happen.

I won't bore you with any more details. Long story short, I managed to:
- get flights booked
- get the necessary pre-departure Covid test
- clear out my office
- pack my stuff going to PNG
- sell my car

and get to the airport on time!

MAF is a small world, and I'm sure I'll be back in Mareeba at some point in the future. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, and I am grateful to have been spared the Covid dramas that have plagued more populated areas in Australia and elsewhere.

So it's not 'goodbye', but rather, 'See you later!'