At least 10,000 foreign nationals are on lockdown here, all desperate to get to their home countries.
But economy seats on the few outbound flights to the UK are selling out so fast only business and first-class seats are left. And they are reportedly being priced at between $20,000 and $80,000.
As situations go - the Syndikus family's is pretty grim. Andy, Kristina and seven-month-old Alexander are stuck at Coes Ford on the banks of the Selwyn River - 18,000 kilometres from home in Frankfurt, Germany.
"We hope that we will go home very soon because it's a bad situation here," Andy says.
"It could be much more worse but in the end with a small infant from seven months it's really bad."
The family came here in mid-February planning to travel around the country in their van for two months.
Instead, now they're parked up at a free campsite. There's no electricity, no shower or laundry facilities and the bathroom is an assigned Portaloo.
They are hoping for a flight out on the first of April.
"The German government had a program to bring back the people but the New Zealand Government has stopped it and we don't know what will happen," Andy says.
About 25 freedom campers will call this place home for the next four weeks.
The Selwyn District Council, which operates the campground, says they will keep it open for the duration of the lockdown and they'll continue to provide services like cleaning the Portaloo every day.
On Sunday the mercury only got as high as 11C - leaving campers feeling bleak.
"It's not yet freezing yet at night but it's close," Dutch tourist Bram Stoker told Newshub.
Stoker doesn't have a shower in his Nissan Serena van - it means for the next month he'll have to improvise.
"I just wash off in the river, quickly dry up, and get in my clothes again as it's like freezing cold."
Stoker, just one of the many people in New Zealand tonight hoping this lockdown and his nightmare stranded thousands of kilometres from home will be over in four weeks.
