For Jason Pearce, the two weeks spent in managed isolation in Rotorua's Ibis Hotel was 'a blessing”.

It was there that he was forced to stop a cannabis habit that he said had him waking up during the start of his stay with 'the sweats”.

Speaking to Stuff over the phone, Jason, who had returned to New Zealand from Australia, says the enforced break from cannabis has proved to be a positive experience.

He says he was nervous approaching the nursing staff at the hotel, but found the experience 'better than I was expecting”.

He says he was offered mental health care and after speaking to the nurses 'got extra check-ups”.

'If there's anything you want to say, it's confidential,” they told him.

'I really enjoyed it actually,” he says.

'By the end of the two weeks, it's been a blessing. It [cannabis use] wasn't a concerning problem but I'm happy with myself.”

Stuff spoke to Jason, and a number of other people who were either still in managed isolation, or who had just left, ahead of a visit to Rotorua by Air Commodore Darryn Webb, the head of managed isolation and quarantine.

Webb was visiting ahead of an additional 30 New Zealand Defence Force personnel being deployed at the managed isolation facilities in Rotorua.

The vast majority of people Stuff spoke to had nothing but positive things to say about their stays, and the staff they meet during their isolation period.

'I've had a great time. I was obviously really nervous about it as I'm by myself but I found it really easy, I lucked out,” says Gabrielle Raz-Liebman.

Raz-Liebman spoke to Stuff over the phone from the Novotel in Ellerslie, where she was in day eight of her isolation.

She says the hotel had a large space for them to walk around and 'that makes a difference”.

She says she had been using her time to get creative too, making a clay teapot with materials she ordered online.

Jimi Hunt, who left the Jet Park in Hamilton, was equally pleased about his stay.

'As far as being forced to do something it couldn't have been better,” he says.

He says when he got on the bus at Auckland Airport a Defence Force member greeted them by telling them 'there are only four rules here”.

'Masks on at all times, social distancing, hand sanitising and be kind.”

Jimi had special words of praise for the Jet Park manager David Latu, describing him as 'a man who just wants to provide hospitality”.

He was also enthusiastic in his praise for the welcome provided by the Waikato-Tainui iwi, whose representative told them 'you're not prisoners here, we like to treat you as family”.

He says they had flax weaving classes, zumba and Zoom bingo provided.

'I won some pineapple lumps, I was stoked.”

-Stuff