Hooray for bubbles!

For three brief months in mid-2021, Australians and New Zealanders could travel freely between their respective nations without being forced into mandatory two-week Government quarantine upon arrival. The Trans-Tasman Bubble, as it became known, opened on 19 April 2021 before being suspended indefinitely on 23 July 2021.

Within days of the bubble’s announcement, while on vacation in Nambucca Heads, I'd booked flights across the Tasman. Thanks to the pandemic it had been more than 20 months since I’d last crossed the ditch. At the time borders closed in March 2020, I had tickets to travel the following month. At the time, Air New Zealand gave me a credit when my flight was canceled. I used this to book my bubble ticket.

I flew out on 4 May and returned home on 10 May. The entire experience was surreal, to say the least. The international terminal was empty and its lavish luxury boutique stores were shuttered. The departure board listed a total of 17 flights for the entire day – of which 9 were destinated for New Zealand. The terminal itself was empty. I counted barely a dozen people waiting in the main atrium – a public space designed to accommodate thousands.

The flight itself was uneventful. After hours of wearing a face mask, it was an odd feeling to walk out of customs and immigration in Auckland into a bustling terminal filled with unmasked people. Before I could fly, I’d had to complete a COVID PCR test (within 72 hours of flying) and present its results at check-in.

While in New Zealand, my brothers and I worked hard to create plenty of wonderful memories for Mum and the extended family. This included a late McGregor Christmas lunch complete with party hats and Christmas crackers. As a belated Christmas gift, I took my Mum for a scenic helicopter flight around the Mount and the surrounding area. 

The day of our flight dawned with clear and sunny blue skies. We flew a long and leisurely circuit over Tauranga city to Omokoroa, then crossed the harbour to Matakana island, before making our way along the coast past the Mount and back to the airport. However, the highlight for both of us was a brief landing at a harbourside beach on Matakana Island. As we flew past Tay Street, Matt went out onto his balcony to witness us flying by.

 

Now that the bubble has closed, who knows when I’ll be back again?