Australia-NZ travel resumes after 400 days
QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND: Families reunited in emotional scenes on Monday as Australia and New Zealand launched a quarantine-free travel bubble that opened the border almost 400 days after its pandemic-enforced closure.
There were group hugs and enthusiastic welcomes at airport terminals on both sides of the
Tasman Sea as the long-awaited bubble sparked joy and relief.
Lorraine Wratt, a New Zealander stranded by the pandemic while visiting family in Australia, told AFP that travelling again was “wonderful”.
“We came to Australia on December 11 to spend Christmas with our children... planning to go back in February, it’s been a bit of a nightmare,” she said.
On a grass embankment at the foot of Wellington Airport’s runway, the words “WELCOME WHANAU” (family) were spelled out in giant letters and Maori dancers Maori dancers performed a traditional greeting in the terminal.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the joyful scenes were like something from a movie. “Love Actually... I imagine it’s pretty close to that,” she said, referencing the 2003 British romantic comedy.
Ardern said she shared the elation, and was preparing to welcome some of her own loved ones back home.
The bubble, which followed months of negotiations between the largely coronavirus-free neighbours, was hailed as a major milestone. It means that for the first time since Covid-19 closed borders worldwide, passengers can fly between Australia and New Zealand without undergoing mandatory quarantine on arrival.