It won't have been a surprise to see Auckland still locked down pretty tight, after yesterday's Cabinet meeting. 

The PM talked about this so-called road map, and about going safely and carefully. 

But reading between the lines, I don't think she's especially comfortable with even these tiny little changes. 

As I said yesterday, we are stuck between a rock and a hard place; we can't go forward with less than half the country vaccinated. 

And we can't stand still because the people just won't have it, they're climbing the walls. 

So the freedom, such as it is, of being able to gather in groups of 10 outdoors with no more than two households, is a very reluctant relaxation. 

And it's one that could be snatched away with a moment's notice if this thing gets away on us again. 

This, and all the other changes, will be reviewed on a weekly basis. 

When you hear that, you might think that in maybe three weeks or so we're starting to see some normality. 

But you'd be wrong; 20-odd minutes into media conference the truth emerged from Dr Bloomfield, when he said we'd be in this phase for another four to eight weeks. 

Which could mean it's the end of November before hospitality gets anywhere near normal, hopefully a bit sooner for shops to be able to open again. 

But already we're being told even this tiny little loosening of the noose could be enough to see the virus get away on us. 

And if that happens, we'll all be wondering why we went along with this massive sacrifice, only to delay what's perhaps been inevitable since the very beginning. 

We had an amazing run of luck. Is it over? 

Let's hope not, and I truly do hope not. 

But as time goes on and we keep seeing 20s and 30s of new cases every day, I'm beginning to feel a sense of futility.