It is often said that you can't beat Wellington on a good day.
Unfortunately, today is not that day - forcing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to improvise when she attempted to spruik Aotearoa's delights to potential Australian tourists.
The PM took to social media to share the gloomy view from the Beehive, writing that she was due to be doing interviews with Australia media to promote our newly-opened borders but "Wellington isn't really putting its best foot forward".
Photo / @jacindaardern
She revealed that her staff then had to improvise, hunting for a background that might give the impression of a sunny capital.
Unfortunately, all that Ardern's team was able to find was a better class of cloudy, settling on a view over Wellington the PM described as "cloudy with the strong possibility of sunshine".
Photo / @jacindaardern
Photo / @jacindaardern
"Regardless, we are so happy to have you back," she wrote in a message to travellers from across the ditch.
Appearing on Sunrise, Ardern said she was "extraordinarily excited" to welcome Aussie tourists back.
She warned prospective visitors to book ahead, especially for those hoping to head to the snow,
The hastily arrange backdrop looked good in some shots, but a wider shot revealed the artifice and Ardern acknowledged she had attempted to gild the lily.
This shot looked great. Photo / Sunrise
But all was not as it appeared. Photo / Sunrise
The camera panned to show the view out of the window, with Ardern conceding that the weather wasn't playing ball.
"But I can tell you, you will feel the warmth of our welcome regardless of what the clouds look like," Arden said.
New Zealand's border has reopened to Australian citizens and permanent residents with thousands flying into the country today as New Zealanders await the Government's traffic light setting announcement later today.
Australian citizens and permanent residents travelling from anywhere in the world can enter New Zealand from today without having to self-isolate.
Tourism Minister Stuart Nash said New Zealand can expect to see "a lot" of tourists coming back.
In particular, Australians would be travelling here to catch the ski season.
Nash told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking that Australians made up 40 per cent of tourists travelling to New Zealand pre-Covid.
Today, about 3000 were expected to come into town, he said.
"Australians travel to ski more than any other nation, believe it or not. They head into Queenstown, they have a fantastic time there and god willing, in terms of snow we think it's going to be a fantastic season down there."
