by Riverton couple Dennis and Lynelle Woods were armed with a quirky welcome banner to surprise their Australian family arriving from Sydney to Queenstown Airport.
So it was only fitting that they were the first to officially walk out of the gate dressed in black tie attire.
Robert Miller and his son Stewart were so excited for the momentous occasion they said they had to dress the part.
Robert made his thoughts abundantly clear when, after a mihi, he pulled down his face mask to declare: Thank you Aunty Cindy.
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The two were aboard the Qantas flight from Sydney, QF121, which arrived at 2.34pm on Monday after the Airbus A320 left Australia at 9.33am (AEST) for the almost 2000km flight.
It was the first international flight to land at Queenstown Airport in 387 days.
Robert and Stewart Miller, from Australia, dressed up for the occasion. The two were greeted by their family from Riverton and would be staying in their dearly-missed Queenstown home.
Sisters Gail Anderson and Lynette Scott were met with squeals of delight when they spotted their niece and sister-in-law in the waiting area.
The Southlanders had been away from home for two-and-a-half and one-and-a-half years respectively and couldnt wait to enjoy the family farm in Riverton again.
The timing couldnt be better as they would be able to celebrate Andersons birthday, along with their fathers 85th birthday at home on Tuesday.
It was such a cool welcome, the sisters said.
Gail Anderson shares an emotional greeting with her niece upon her arrival in New Zealand. Anderson is looking forward to spending her birthday on the family farm in Riverton.
Queenstown Airports fire trucks created a water arch when the plan landed. Once the 100 travellers got through security, they were greeted by a live band, offered free bungy jumps from AJ Hackett if they were willing to go straight there while airport executives and Queenstown Lakes mayor Jim Boult handed out cookies.
Boult was excited about the flight and the impact it would have on the community.
While only one flight was arriving from Australia on Monday, that would grow to 20-odd flights next week before building up to normal trans-Tasman numbers, he said.
The region and the tourism industry would still need to diversify, but Boult said Monday was a day for happiness and that Kiwis should welcome the Australian visitors and treat them well.
To domestic travellers, he said: Thank you to the rest of New Zealand for visiting us in our hour of need.
While the business community were optimistic, there were some concerns about staff shortages, with Queenstown having lost some 2000 people in its migrant workforce during the past year, he said.
Airport chairwoman Adrienne Young-Cooper said the fact that there were no MIQ facilities in Queenstown meant there had been no international flights arriving since the borders closed.
The Quantas flight from Sydney was greeted with a water arch when it touched down at Queenstown Airport.
Were pure bubble to bubble, she said.
It was an exciting day for the families and businesses that relied on tourism, Young-Cooper said.
It was anticipated that the first flights would reunite families, including airport staff, but there would definitely be visitors aboard, she said.
There will be people who have pent-up [travel] plans, Young-Cooper said, adding that the airport was home to one of the largest collections of car rental companies in New Zealand, because people tended to get in cars and drive to nearby districts.
Great South general manager of tourism and events Bobbi Brown said operators were cautiously optimistic about the trans-Tasman opening.
Queenstown Lakes mayor Jim Boult welcomes first travellers to arrive at Queenstown now that borders have opened to Australia
And while she agreed that the first flights were likely to bring family and friend visitors, their economic significance should not be underestimated.
She also called the first trans-Tasman flights a symbol of hope.
It signifies that things will never be normal again, but its a step towards recovery.
