SYDNEY -- Hundreds of Australian passengers on Monday were greeted at Auckland Airport with welcome signs and live music, as New Zealand opened its doors to quarantine-free travel from its bigger neighbor for the first time since COVID-19 brought the world to a standstill in March 2020.
The two-way "trans-Tasman travel bubble" officially began at 11:59 p.m. New Zealand time on Sunday night, with the first Australian flight from Sydney landing in Auckland past midday.
