When the bubble bursts
How to escape as new trans-Tasman era dawns
Covid has brought a wave of firsts for most of us. The first time borders have been closed; the first time we have ever experienced a lockdown; the first time we’ve made sourdough at home; the first time we all realised the value of toilet paper . . . the list goes on. I’m not sure about you but, at times, it also felt like the world was spiralling out of control.
Now, more than a year later, we’re about to experience a more positive first.
It’s a first that feels like we could be at the beginning of the end: tonight, at 11.59pm, our borders will reopen to Australia.
As long as there isn’t some surprise late-night press conference announcing new Covid cases, planes full of Australians (or returning Kiwis) will be reunited with loved ones at international airports around the country tomorrow. What an exciting moment.
There will be tears and smiles, and then, perhaps, a realisation we no longer have New Zealand to ourselves.
For the past year, a pandemic silver lining has been that we have had the opportunity to explore Aotearoa without the usual crowds.
Milford Sound has had dozens, instead of thousands, of daily visitors, Mackenzie’s mountains have been quiet, and Cathedral Cove fell silent during the week.
Of course, the lack of tourists had a devastating impact on operators, but it has also been a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see New Zealand’s sights on our own.
It was like our country rewound 50 years, before mass tourism was even a thought.
Tomorrow, that will all be over. And I think a fair few of us will be wondering if we made the most of this time.
All of a sudden, 25 million people on that enormous continent beside us have access to paradise, and I have no doubt tourists will return.
However, I don’t think the influx will be immediate. Most leisure travellers will probably wait a few months to see how the bubble goes, in fear of getting stuck on either side of the Tasman.
So, if you still want to explore our backyard without crowds, there’s still time.
And I have found just the place in Wairarapa, on a spectacular road trip into the unknown (for me, at least).
I have previously lived in Wellington, but I hadn’t explored the region beyond Martinborough.
As I explain on pages 38-39, I was blown away by what I found.