Feb 03, 2022
New Zealand to Reopen in July to USA
To sum up what has happened since our last post, dearest reader...
Not much. Omicron entered New Zealand and the country went to "red" status. PM Ardern postponed her wedding in solidarity with the law of the land. A Kiwi reporter (pregnant and in the Middle East) had to turn to the Taliban for help because she couldn't get back to New Zealand. This wasn't great press for the continued lockdown. The PM of Australia commented that he would like the country to open "well before Easter." And the powers that be in New Zealand huddled and finally emerged with a new plan to reopen the country after two years.
The plan has 5 stages to fully reopening and you can read about them here.
However, to save you time, the most relevant to those interested to fish and visit New Zealand from the USA are stages 4 and 5.
- July 2022 kicks off Stage 4: This stage essentially allows travel to New Zealand from anybody from Australia and a large number of visa waiver countries... including the USA. This is fantastic, but it's in the middle of winter in New Zealand and thus doesn't apply to many.
- October 2022 kicks off Stage 5: It is then when New Zealand will open its borders to entire world.
Q:What about MIQ or Self-Isolation?
A: The early stages address this for returning Kiwis and the government has stated that the requirements will be under review. However, by the time the 22/23 season comes around we can not imagine that New Zealand would shoot itself in the foot while the rest of the world has open borders.
Thus, we are beginning to (finally) reach out to those of you who have waited so patiently. We really appreciate it and are working hard to make your trip happen!
Contact us to plan and book your NZ fly fishing adventure.