While New Zealand’s health minister responsible for ensuring people stay home troubled 12 miles to go mountain biking, ordinary New Zealanders following the advice and exercising in their own homes.

One man, engineer Aaron Campbell, 39, even managed to run round his garden so many times that he notched up an 18 kilometre run after four hours on the go.

Speaking to ClipZilla, Aaron said: “I am keen on rugby but it gets a bit tougher as you get older, so I started running 12 months ago.”

He said he was inspired by his wife Jessica who was also a keen runner, and together they had tackled the garden as an alternative to heading out on the streets while the country is on lockdown.

He added: “I measured the route around the garden, which was 97 metres from the front gate and then back to the front gate. We then set off on a did 100 laps, stop for a break and then did another hundred laps.”

He also recorded it on Strava creating a solid wall of orange as the application tracked him repeatedly circling the perimeter of his garden.

Afterwards a satisfied Mr Campbell said it was great to have managed to keep his fitness challenges without leaving home, and also constructively filled up some of the day were unable to leave home.

Ironically the person that impose the rules, New Zealand health minister David Clark, was reprimanded after he drove 12 miles to the coast from his home in Dunedin on New Zealand’s South Island to take a walk with his family.

Mr Clark had earlier admitted driving to a trail at a park near his home to go mountain biking. His car with his face on the side was seen by locals who reported it.

In a statement, Dr Clark said: “As the health minister it’s my responsibility to not only follow the rules but set an example to other New Zealanders.

“At a time when we are asking New Zealanders to make historic sacrifices I’ve let the team down. I’ve been an idiot, and I understand why people will be angry with me.”

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