"We got quarter pounders, Big Macs, drinks ... I've still got two cheeseburgers left but I can't finish them," Tai Perez, who arrived at a McDonald's outlet in Auckland at 4am, was quoted as saying by the New Zealand Herald. Loading Surfing, walks on the beach and a round of golf were other popular pursuits on Tuesday as the country's 5 million residents experienced a taste of freedom after one of the strictest lockdowns in the world in response to the coronavirus pandemic. New COVID-19 infections ticked up by two on Tuesday to 1124 cases, with a community transmission rate of just 0.4 per cent. There have been 19 deaths. Still, Ardern was quick to stress that the reduction in the official threat status was merely the first step and it would be weeks before all movement restrictions were wound back.

"It's an ongoing battle," Ardern said at a televised news conference. "There is no one point in time that this mission ends. We are in the next phase of the battle and we are not done." The level-three restrictions, which limit people to local travel and keep malls, pubs, hairdressers and other businesses closed, will last for at least another two weeks, Ardern said. Any further step down would depend on a review of the situation on May 11, she said, adding it was also possible some restrictions could be reintroduced. "No one wants a second wave in New Zealand and we must guard against that," Ardern said. There was growing debate about the terminology that should be used for New Zealand's status in relation to the coronavirus spread, with some experts saying "elimination" would not allow for recurrent small numbers of cases.

"Elimination does not mean zero cases," Ardern clarified. "It would be an ongoing campaign and zero tolerance for cases." Loading The Ardern government banned all restaurants from operating during the five-week level-four lockdown, making New Zealanders reliant on supermarkets and local dairies for their food. With the restrictions lifted, many want straight for the golden arches. In New Plymouth, the local McDonalds store had customers waiting in line at the drive-through from 3.30am, according to Radio NZ.

There were around 40 cars in a row, snaking outside the facility, when the store actually opened at 5am. Hutt South MP Chris Bishop posted his McDonalds and takeaway coffee haul on Twitter, saying "It's hard to explain how good this tastes." In Porirua, near Wellington, NZME reporter Jason Pine said there were 21 cars waiting to be served at 4.40am. While Tuesday's frivolity was an event out of the box, New Zealand has a problem with fast food. New Zealand is the third-fattest country in the OECD, with even worse figures for children, according to the organisation's Obesity Update 2017.

But the shift to level three also returned many to their healthier habits. Ardern's government now faces the challenge of restarting the $200 billion trade and tourism dependent economy as it heads into national elections in September. Ardern told Parliament on Tuesday that economic activity would now rise to about 60-70 per cent of its usual capacity. Westpac warned NZ$20 billion ($12 billion) of government stimulus may not be enough to prevent a steep slide, forecasting GDP to fall 6.3 per cent in 2020. It also said the RBNZ would likely need to double its existing NZ$30 billion quantitative easing program next month and reduce the official cash rate to -0.5 per cent in November.