Bubble joy resumes at airport
It was with a mix of elation and sadness that the Akeli-Amaama wha¯nau were reunited at Wellington Airport yesterday afternoon.
Safua Akeli-Amaama was there at the arrivals gate with her husband Simi and two children to greet her parents from Brisbane.
‘‘They haven’t seen my children for 16 months, and it was a surprise for my two sons, Sean and Benjamin,’’ Akeli-Amaama said.
‘‘It was absolute elation when they saw each other. They were just so happy, you could see it in their faces.’’
Quarantine-free travel between
New South Wales and New Zealand resumed yesterday after it was paused on Thursday because of two new Covid-19 cases in Sydney.
The Akeli-Amaama wha¯nau had recently been rocked by the death of an uncle in the Cook Islands.
‘‘A lot of bubbles not opening was a very difficult time for us, and then when uncle was diagnosed with such an aggressive cancer, that amplified some of that anxiety,’’ Akeli-Amaama said.
Her father, Suluape Visesio Akeli, planned to stay in New Zealand for the mandatory two-week standdown before heading to the Cooks to see the family of his brother who died on Sunday.
Quarantine free travel opens between New Zealand and the Cook Islands on May 17.
Sarah Pullen, her husband, children and her parents were all waiting at the airport yesterday for her sister Emma Hindle and family to come over from Melbourne.
‘‘We’re just thankful to have them here finally,’’ Pullen said.
The family had not seen the Hindles’ baby girl, Ivy, since she was 1 week old just before the original lockdown last year.
‘‘It’s been a long, long wait to see family,’’ Hindle said.
‘‘It has been a bit stressful in the lead-up with cases here and there in New South Wales and Perth. We weren’t letting ourselves get too excited until the very last minute.’’