Another trans-Tasman bubble is reopening after being closed for a quarter-century. Direct flights from Auckland to Hobart resumed this week for the first time since 1996.
Mind you, the aviation press don’t exactly seem to be doing their best to sell Tassie as a must-see destination for travel-starved Kiwis.
The Air New Zealand A321-271NX, ZK-NNA msn 08496, will depart Auckland at 9am as flight NZ197 and land in Hobart at 11am. The return flight will depart an hour and a half later.
As a northern Tasmanian, I am of course duty-bound to argue that that’s about all the time you should spend in Hobart.
Just enough time to grab a coffee and admire the water views and colonial sandstone architecture in Salamanca, and then piss off back to Auckland. Don’t even bother with the grand museum of modern shart at MONA.
Of course, that’s seriously under-selling the rest of Tasmania outside Hobart.
“Hobart offers a range of experiences that differ from the rest of Australia and there is much more to see beyond the city. It has a dynamic art and culture scene, and its stunning walks and landscapes are world-renowned.”
I should also point out that, as a northerner, flights direct from Hobart are about as useful to me as flights direct from Wellington (a city Hobart shares many similarities with) would be to an Aucklander. Depending on the state of the interminable roadworks – something Kiwis would also be grimly familiar with – it’s at least a two-and-a-half hour drive from Hobart to Launceston. A drive which, incidentally, somehow manages to take in the only boring stretch of landscape in the entire island.
What Tasmania lacks in the spectacular volcanic landscapes of the North Island, it more than makes up for with its dramatic glacial and alpine scenery, the Gondwanan rainforests of the west, not to mention the stunning beaches of the east and north coasts. Standing on the Bay of Fires, you’d think you were on a tropical beach – except that the water will freeze your bits off, if you’re not careful. It’s, uh, refreshing…
In February, Australian Aviation reported how Hobart Airport was now almost ready to receive international flights after it upgraded to its biosecurity and customs procedures.
The plan to restart travel between Tasmania and Australia will reportedly cost the federal government $50 million, while state governments will contribute $10 million for structural upgrades.
They will mark the first regular flights since 1996, when Air New Zealand pulled the route due to its viability.
Australian Aviation
Ignoring the curious remark about travel between Tasmania and Australia, the note about viability is the ongoing concern. Tasmania’s small population (less than Christchurch and Wellington combined, in an area slightly less than half of the North Island) is a blessing and a curse. While it means that most of the natural beauty of the island is blessedly empty of crowds, it also means that Tasmania has to sail against the headwinds of both economy of scale and isolation.
But, given the certainty of ongoing COVID travel restrictions, Tasmania may well be one of the few international destinations easily accessible to New Zealanders.
You could do a lot worse, trust me.
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