Travel agents are welcoming progress towards resuming travel to Pacific Islands - and say there's a big backlog of New Zealanders itching to get their turquoise water, white sand fix.
The government has confirmed it's working on a "travel bridge" that would allow New Zealand passport holders to move freely between the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau without managed isolation or quarantine.
It's yet to make a cabinet decision or confirm any timelines but the Cook Islands Deputy Prime Minister hopes there will be travel between Rarotonga and Auckland by September.
Holidaymakers and people with family in the Pacific are already expressing interest to Flight Centre, which says Rarotonga is particularly high on its list of customer enquiries.
If the government does make an announcement, Helloworld Travel's head of marketing David Libeau told RNZ reporter Katie Todd he'd expect customers to come banging on the door to book.
