Finally, crossing the ditch.
It’s one of my best friends weddings in a few short weeks, and I had resided to the fact that I wouldn’t be able to attend. Why? Quarantine for 1-month in quarantine hotels, at an estimated $10,000, didn’t seem like a viable option. I’m not sure how many people on the planet have the resources to be able to do this and take care of their commitments at the same time.
Even with both countries having recorded next to nil Coronavirus cases for some time, New Zealand and Australia have some of the strictest measures in quartine in the world. There are no complaints here; safety to all does come above my wants and needs—and that of my friends/family—but I have been left feeling incredibly sad about it. And I’m not alone. Many of us have chosen to have split AU/NZ lifestyles as historically we have been so close and connected that it is more like travelling interstate than internationally. So, today was a great day.
The long-awaited announcement of quarantine free travel between Australia and New Zealand was delivered by Jacinda Ardern today. It will start in 2-short weeks, on April 19th, with the intent that people can be reunited, jobs can recommence, and those all-important face-to-face meetings can begin again across the trans-Tasman. This, in turn, will hopefully begin to repair our economies at an exponential rate and reconnect our people to one another.
It still will be ‘traveller beware’ if there are outbreaks on either side of the ditch, but with companies like Air New Zealand extending their international flexibility policy, it means travellers can fly with a bit more confidence. Their policy? If we — the consumer — have flights scheduled to depart before 11:59 pm 31 December 2021, we can opt into credit or make a change to the date or time of the flight with change fees waived (fare difference may still apply). You can find more information on the COVID-19 hub here.
You can watch the announcement or read more about quarantine free travel here.
