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ANDY JACKSON / Stuff
Ramidu Galappaththi finally returned to New Zealand after being trapped in Sri Lanka for nine months.
A chef from New Plymouth is finally home, after a five-week dream trip turned into a nine-month struggle to get back to New Zealand.
Ramidu Galappaththi of Sri Lanka and his Russian-born wife, Lidiia Berkutova, had planned the trip of a lifetime from February 24 to March 30, with him visiting family for the first time in five years.
But while on vacation, Covid-19 took over the world and the borders of New Zealand and Sri Lanka were closed.
RNZ
Tourists are advised to have backup plans if they are unable to return home during the summer holidays due to Covid-19.
Galappaththi and Berkutova were in New Zealand on work visas and in the process of applying for permanent residence before going on vacation, complicating their return.
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Berkutova had to return to Russia when her holiday visa in Sri Lanka expired and Galappaththi was trapped in Sri Lanka.
Galappaththi is sous chef at The Hourglass restaurant in New Plymouth.
His employer applied for a visa waiver to get him back, but Immigration New Zealand rejected it in June.
ANDY JACKSON / Stuff
“It has been a stressful nine months,” Galappaththi said.
It wasn’t until the government opened a new exception category at the border to allow the return of some temporary work visa holders who were abroad and had strong and ongoing ties to New Zealand that things began to look up for Galappaththi. .
After completing several forms, his application was accepted on November 9 and ten days later he had landed on kiwi soil.
Galappaththi was one of 850 people out of 10,000 who applied for the border waiver, who was accepted.
He still knew people who were trapped abroad, but said his best advice was not to give up.
“Just hold on.”
After arriving in New Zealand, Galappaththi spent two weeks in a managed isolation facility in Wellington, before returning to New Plymouth on December 3.
“I was so happy,” he said of his return.
STUFF
The Minister of Response to Covid-19, Chris Hipkins, and the Director General of Health, Ashley Bloomfield, are warning tourists to be prepared in the event of a closure during the holidays.
“It has been a stressful nine months.”
Adding to the stress was the fact that the couple’s home was damaged in an attempted robbery and their car was stolen.
Galappaththi is still awaiting the arrival of his wife, who will remain in Russia until after Christmas, before requesting to return home in the New Year.
And although Galappaththi still doesn’t own a car and has since moved home, he was grateful to be back at his old job.
“It’s good to be back in the kitchen,” he said.
