“You are our extended family, it means a lot for us to be able to welcome you back to your second home,” Ms Ardern told Channel 7’s Sunrise on Wednesday morning.It comes nine months after the Prime Minister repealed the short-lived trans-Tasman bubble in July 2021 after case numbers rose dramatically across the country. “Our borders have been open for New Zealand citizens and permanent residents to come back and forth for a while. Today is the big day because this is when it is open for Australian tourists,” she said. Auckland Airport is expecting around 3,000 visitors on Wednesday as Air New Zealand has eleven flights scheduled to arrive from across Australia. The first flight touched down in Auckland at 1am with Melbourne travellers while the second flight from Perth landed just after 6am.Friends, family and Maori performers welcomed travellers arriving on Wednesday morning with open arms as emotional reunions took place at the international arrivals terminal. Travellers from visa-waiver countries including most of Europe, South America and the United States will be able to do the same from May 2. Arriving passengers must be double-vaccinated and complete a Covid PCR test no more than 48 hours before departing, or a supervised rapid antigen test no more than 24 hours prior. A further RAT must be completed upon arrival and another on the sixth day after arrival.The easing of isolation rules has come just in time for holiday-makers and families returning home to reunite in time for Easter celebrations. It’s also good news for ski enthusiasts keen to hit the slopes when they open in June. For many it will be their first ski since the pandemic began two years ago. “My advice to anyone who is interested in coming over to New Zealand for a spot of skiing is book. We have seen quite a bit of enthusiasm for the season already,” Ms Ardern said.
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