The two-way quarantine-free travel bubble to Cook Islands resumed yesterday for fully vaccinated New Zealanders.
Naomi and Geoff Murch-Carter were excited as they prepared to depart from Invercargill to Auckland, from where they would fly to Rarotonga.
The couple who own a ventilation business, Southland Home Ventilation, had had to work through the whole pandemic, including lockdowns, so they were more than ready for some time off.
"As soon the opportunity came up, we were straight on it and bought tickets for the first flight out," Mr Murch-Carter said.
They had created face masks with New Zealand and Cook Island iconography for the trip.
It would be the first time they had travelled to the island, and they planned to spent eight nights there.
