About

In late 2019, news of a previously unknown Coronavirus started creeping into the pages of our newspapers, onto our TV screens, across our radio waves, and appearing in our social media feeds.

As the virus started escalating in faraway countries, life here in New Zealand, carried on as usual. That was, until 28 February 2020, when New Zealand’s first Covid-19 case emerged. 

A national state of emergency was declared on 25 March 2020.  And at 11:59pm that night, New Zealand entered Lockdown.

Lockdown Wakatipu, a photographic record by Toni Caldwell, chronicles the state of Queenstown and Arrowtown during this time as the region went from bustling adventure capital to ghost town.