New Zealand will open to Australian tourists a month in advance.

Good news for New Zealand and Australia as travel between the two islands is to be moved forward by more than 12 weeks earlier than expected.

In the latest update from Jacinda Arden, fully vaccinated tourists will be allowed into New Zealand much sooner than expected. Tourists from Australia will be allowed to arrive without the need for managed or self-isolation from 11.59pm on April 12.

The original date outlined by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was for July 2022.

“Closing our border was one of the first actions we took to stop COVID-19 two years ago. It did the job we needed. But now that we’re highly vaccinated and predicted to be off our Omicron peak, it’s now safe to open up,” Jacinda Ardern said.

Prime Minister Ardern confirmed visitors from other countries will have to wait 2 additional weeks. From 11.59pm Sunday 1 May, vaccinated travellers from visa-waiver countries such as the large tourist markets of the UK, US, Japan, Germany, Korea and Singapore, and those with valid visitor visas will be able to arrive.

While tourists will not need to isolate on arrival, they will be required to have had a pre-departure test, with two further rapid antigen tests on day 0/1 and 5/6.

Discover more of the latest travel news on So Where Next.