Tourism operators are hopeful the border could be open in time for Australians to eat our hot cross buns this Easter.
Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is due to announce plans to fast-track the reopening of the border tomorrow.
The original timeline would open the border with Australia and visa-waiver countries from July with the full reopening from October.
After losing three-quarters of guests in one fell swoop, EcoZip Adventures co-founder Gavin Oliver was ready for some good border news.
His wishlist includes welcoming Australians back to his Waiheke Island business during their school holidays next month.
"Inevitably there are always rumours. At the moment, we're hearing about 15 April for isolation free travel from Australia and then about two weeks later for the rest of the world.
"If that were to eventuate tomorrow, then I think there probably would be a few glasses clinking tomorrow night."
Tourists enjoying Queenstown before the pandemic closed New Zealand's borders. Photo: Getty Images
He is also the chair of Auckland's Regional Tourism Forum, and said the border reopening would be a lifeline for business owners both financially and for their mental health after two years of running on fumes.
"New Zealand's been closed for a long time. There has been a perception in some of those markets in which we work that it's almost too difficult to do business in New Zealand in a tourism sense.
"Tomorrow will hopefully be that first sign that we are reopening for business and we're welcoming of visitors."
Staffing, ramping up and attracting international visitors could be challenging, he said.
Businesses couldn't afford an erratic opening, like last year's trans-Tasman bubble, Oliver said.
"Obviously we need to be mindful of other variants. But at the moment, we need to be offering some certainty to our markets and that's a key thing. We can't have snap decisions, we need to give people certainty that coming to New Zealand is viable and is sensible."
Andrew Schwass runs Kiwi Journeys and Electrify NZ, an e-bike hire business, in Nelson and on the West Coast.
When it came to the border, he said the sooner, the better, even though they were now on the wrong side of summer.
"We've probably missed the boat. Generally it starts to quieten down obviously Easter, after Easter. I guess it's been pretty bad timing with most tourism operators ... [we] have missed the summer.
"But if there is good news and they allow them back in, then bookings are going to pick up and hopefully that will get most of the tourism businesses through to next summer."
Airport wants Australian skiers
Queenstown Airport chief executive Glen Sowry said it has been surreal seeing how quiet the airport has become during the pandemic.
He was keen to welcome back plenty of Australians to the slopes this winter.
"What airlines and their ... customers are really going to be looking for is confidence that they can book, they can go ahead and organise accommodation, all that sort of thing, and have confidence that they're going to be able to hit the slopes and have a great time.
"So that's really the critical timing for us and as long as we can get an announcement from the prime minister tomorrow that says that's going to be possible, then we'll be very happy."
The boss of Queenstown Airport is hopeful it is about to get a lot busier. Photo: 123RF
With the tourist town surrounded by mountains, pilots are required to use a special navigational tool and undergo training to help them fly in and out of Queenstown safely.
It might be a challenge to get pilots back up to scratch, he said.
"It typically can be done in the simulator which the pilots use extensively to train on aircraft. But it also requires some practical experience of flying into the destination for people to get fully certified.
"So that will take several weeks to get sufficient numbers of pilots all fully trained."
He expected they would need at least a month to ramp up, but said airlines and the airport would be hustling to get ready as soon as possible.
After two years of uncertainty, businesses are counting down until tomorrow's announcement.