Strewth! Aussie’s full of surprises
Crikey! It is hard to believe that it was nearly a year ago that I hopped on a plane for the first bubble flight out of Auckland to Australia. The airline staff and flight attendants were bursting with excitement to be back in international airspace.
Arriving in Sydney, not a single dry eye could be seen as families were finally reunited for the first time since before the pandemic; lovers embraced, sons and daughters cried in their parents’ arms, and grandparents saw their mokopuna for the first time.
It was short-lived excitement.
Borders closed as outbreaks soared on both sides of the Tasman.
Once more, families and friends had to face painful distances and separation.
Kiwis were stranded in Australia unable to book MIQ spots, and Australians were stranded in New Zealand, struggling to find a way home; some opting to charter a plane just to return.
So there is a strange sense of deja vu knowing that as of 11.59pm tonight, flights will begin to arrive in here from Australia once more.
The transTasman bubble no longer exists but, at least from midnight, there will be no more MIQ for vaccinated Kiwis coming home from Australia.
In another fortnight, there will be even bigger cheers and tears at the airport as more flights start to touch down from around the world, bringing more Kiwis home.
Initially, most of the travel is likely to be families and friends reunited, but the fact that we can now enter home isolation rather than managed quarantine, opens the world again to business and leisure travel.
There are so many exciting new activities across the Tasman since the last time we could travel around Australia.
Read the story on pages 34-35 for all the hot new hotels, restaurants and activities around the Aussie states.
Road-tripping will be an excellent way to explore the vast territories, with the rise of revamped motels and selfcontained accommodation, which you can read about over the page on 30-31.
And, of course, what would Australia be without its beaches? Get your coastal inspiration on page 33.
Just be prepared for rules to change across states, that you have all the information you need, and that you know exactly what requirements are for entering Australia and returning to New Zealand. Enjoy that passport.