Surfer Billy Stairmand was one of the 30,000 Kiwis logged on to the managed isolation quarantine (MIQ) website, as he was seemingly chasing his tail by trying to book a spot home before the end of the year.
He, like the majority, missed out, leaving him guessing at when he will be home next.
"It was pretty nerve-wracking," Stairmand tells Newshub.
"I was way down the list at like 23,000, I was pretty gutted at the time and was pretty frustrated."
The frustrations turned to prayers, as the hope of being home before Christmas began to fade.
"It's really hard to look at when I will be home - to think I might not be home for Christmas, it's tough."
To make things more frustrating, the Olympian has a flight home booked, but whether or not he can use it remains to be seen.
"I've actually got a flight home on the 10th of December, I just don't have a hotel," Stairmand adds.
"That would get me out [of quarantine] the day before Christmas, or on Christmas Day."
But he's looking to put the disappointment of missing out on a MIQ spot behind him, as he prepares for the US Open of surfing, starting Tuesday morning.
"For me I just tried to brush it off - for me I try not to let these things get to me.
"I'm going to go out there and give it my all - I've got New Zealand on my back now, I've got that support at home and want to make everyone proud."
His quest, to make it onto the top surfing tour at the end of the year.
"I've got big goals - obviously I wanna make that top tour at the end of the year which will be the top 10 of this challenger tour."
That quest starts tomorrow as one of New Zealand's newest Olympians puts the pain of missing a MIQ spot behind him.
