For Huntly grandmother Donna Hedley, today's trans-Tasman bubble announcement has been a long time coming.
Her three brothers, her children, and all her grandchildren are all across the ditch in Australia, meaning she hasn’t seen any of them face-to-face in over a year due to the Covid-19 travel restrictions.
“It feels unreal, it feels fantastic,” she said after watching Jacinda Ardern’s press conference.
“I’ll finally be able to see them after 15 months and give them a hug.”
Hedley told Seven Sharp she’s thankful for the wonders of modern communication, which has meant she's been able to stay in touch and see her family virtually but as the old saying goes, "being there is everything".
Milestones have been missed, including the arrival of grandchild number four – four-week-old Ayla.
“It’s very hard [not seeing my grandchildren],” Hedley said.
“I’d see them two or three times a year.”
Today’s announcement was met with “happy tears” as Hedley now begins planning her trip to Australia.
“I was just talking to my daughter and she said to me, ‘will you be here at 12:01am on the 19th?’ and I told her, ‘not quite’,” Hedley joked.
“It depends on when I can get a flight but I’ll be there as soon as I can.
“I’m retired so I don’t have to come back.”
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