Transtasman bubble: How the world reacted to 'exciting' NZ-Australian travel bubble 6 Apr, 2021 06:36 AM 5 minutes to read Air New Zealand staff respond to PM's Australian 'travel bubble' announcement. Video / Supplied NZ Herald The much-anticipated transtasman travel bubble between New Zealand and Australia finally has a start date: April 19 - and the announcement has made a splash globally. Quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and Australia can begin in less than two weeks, at 11.59pm on April 19. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins this afternoon confirmed that all the conditions for the bubble have been met. "The director general of health considers the risk of transmission of Covid-19 from Australia to New Zealand is low and that quarantine free travel is safe to commence," Ardern said.