This seldom happened in London, except at an opera house stage door.
"It’s still surreal to be honest, even after a month back," Lemalu said.
"Sitting in cafes or walking in supermarkets and beaches surrounded by people, meeting up with family, friends and neighbours ‘unmasked’ is seemingly simple and yet quite overwhelming.
"It’s nice to feel like a local — the city’s keeping an eye on me.
"There is a constant sense of gratitude and amazement; the fact that this is not normal in many parts of the world, certainly not in London.
"Using the tracing app here feels like a community responsibility which we all take pride in supporting for the greater good.
"It’s lovely having my parents up the road (the biggest reason for coming home to be with them), and the community has been so welcoming to us all, from businesses, schools and kindergarten to the musical community, which has always been so supportive," he said.
After a sometimes "brutal" year of cancelled musical work in pandemic-hit London, he is back in his home town, Dunedin, with his wife mezzo-soprano Sandra Martinovic, and children Joshua and Arabella, mainly for family reasons, as his mother, Tasi, has been unwell.
The Dunedin-trained singer, who arrived back in New Zealand last month, will soon launch a nationwide concert/masterclass tour.
He had earlier realised that, given New Zealand’s success in controlling Covid-19, ‘‘there could be a chance to put on some work’’.
‘‘Even if I wanted to in the UK, it’s very difficult right now.’’
Starting in Wellington on April 24, the tour comprises seven performances, and four public masterclasses, one each in the capital, Auckland, Dunedin and Christchurch.
The tour ends in Christchurch on June 6.
The event offered concerts of two different programmes, opera and song, and a public masterclass in each centre.
Tickets would soon be available.
Dunedin had one concert at the tour’s biggest venue, the Dunedin Town Hall, with Terence Dennis, at 2pm on Sunday May 9.
A public masterclass would also be offered in Dunedin, at a date to be confirmed, with University of Otago voice students.
The acclaimed New Zealand-born bass opera singer aims to pursue musical opportunities back in the United Kingdom autumn, in the second half of this year.
"I’ve lived almost half my life in the UK, having left after graduation in 1999 aged 23 and now aged 45.
"So much of Dunedin still feels organically like home."
