Hundreds of thousands of children returned to school and early learning today, squirting litres of hand sanitiser and putting carefully-developed hygiene plans to the test.
After eight weeks out of the classroom, students and teachers admitted to excitement and a bit of nerves.
And not all came back - the Principals' Federation says at some schools as many as two-thirds of children stayed away.
RNZ education correspondent, John Gerritsen, has the story.
