OPINION: I thought I’d be one of the first people on a plane out of here when borders reopened a crack, but with the trans-Tasman bubble panning out the way it is.

Don’t get me wrong – I love the West Island more than a thin-skinned Kiwi should probably admit in public. I spent some of the best years of my 20s living among the goths and party queens of Sydney’s proudly weird inner-west suburb of Newtown, and enjoyed holidays in formerly overtouristed hot spots such as Byron Bay and ufabet the Gold Coast.

I’m not such a big fan of the skyrise and sand combo these days but, with a noticeable nip in the air and my cabin fever driving me quietly crazy.

Announcing that she was not yet ready to announce a start date for the long-delayed trans-Tasman bubble earlier this month

There is a chance, Ardern said,

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris made it clear that Kiwis could not expect the Government to foot the bill for these extra costs, saying stranded travellers would “need to be able to support themselves financially”.

Even if I could afford an extra few days, weeks or months in Australia, though, I wouldn’t cross the ditch. Why spend all that money to be holed up in a hotel room? Even if I wasn’t in lockdown, I’d be more or less confined to it as I’d have to work remotely. A beautiful view would be even worse – looking at a beach I couldn’t spend time on (or not nearly as much time as I’d like) would be a slow and expensive form of torture. With screens as high-res as they are these days, I’d be better off looking at a free photo of it on the internet.