Cook Islands bubble: Celebration as first travel bubble flight lands in Rarotonga

There were tears, singing and applause as the first travel-bubble flight from New Zealand landed in Rarotonga on Tuesday. Passengers on board Air New Zealand flight NZ940 didn’t let the bad weather in the Cook Islands deter their excitement as they broke into applause when the pilot announced the arrival on the tarmac. It was the first time visitors were allowed in Cook Islands in 15 months, since the coronavirus pandemic which forced border closures. At Rarotonga Airport, passengers were greeted with applause and cheers as they disembarked from the aircraft, from locals who had gathered. But the applause and excitement was also for the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, which arrived on the same flight. It’s the first Pacific travel bubble for New Zealand, and the first travel bubble for the Cook Islands after more than a year of border closures due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Cook Islands is one of only 14 countries in the world, and nine in the Pacific, to remain virus-free.<br/>