COMMENT:
The bubbles we've been hearing about, the transtasman one - even a Bula bubble, as touted by the Fiji government - I have a sinking feeling these "bubbles" have burst before they've even got off the ground.
And here's why.
They were never going to happen. It was all a pipe dream.
Like the light rail, the RNZ youth channel, the feebate scheme - any number of the policies thrown around like confetti by this Government and then never delivered on.
The bubbles, which we momentarily got excited about, around the same time we were doing happy dances and high fiving our team of 5 million, now appear to be seen for what they are - pie in the sky.
How so? The border. The border was never ready, it was never going to be ready, it was a shambles and it would appear still is.
Add to that our appetite for it - now that we've seen how this whole thing has unfolded.
In theory: Great. In reality: A nightmare.
Any kind of travel relationship right now would be hard to stomach for many Kiwis aggrieved about the fiascos at the border.
We can kiss the Fiji one goodbye. Wave ta-ta to the transtasman one.
Fiji wanted to make a deal, to open what it called VIP lanes for Vacation In Paradise, to Australians and Kiwis. Essentially offering them their own island resorts to hang out, free of travellers from other countries.
But you can forget about that.
The border bungles have had a chilling effect on our enthusiasm for reopening the world.
The tone has changed, even at the very top.
The Prime Minister's happy dance and broad smiles have morphed into stern frowns and warnings that the pandemic is "growing not slowing".
That's the new catchphrase. It's growing not slowing. We have to be vigilant. We have to be rigorous. There are new rules in place. The cruise ship ban has been extended.
People in isolation who previously just had to look like they weren't coughing before release, now have to submit a negative test; they may have to undergo multiple tests. Things are tightening up.
It's a pity they weren't tight in the first place and that we weren't vigilant with the borders from the get go. But better late than never, I guess.
It looks like we can put the bubble chat to one side for a while; until we've calmed down about the border and the influx of people coming home; and until we've got that all under control.
Until then, which who knows will take how long, any dreams of shopping in Melbourne's Chapel St or sipping a Fiji Bitter poolside, are currently on ice.
What happens when you come face to face with a heavy truck on a single-lane gravel track?