It's the news Auckland's downtown has been longing for - tourism is coming back, and sooner than expected.
Vaccinated Australians are now welcome from April 13.
Vaccinated travellers from other visa-waiver countries - such as the United Kingdom and United States - can begin arriving from May 2.
But the city's restaurants and retailers say new challenges await, with staff shortages and work from home orders still strangling their trade.
We sent Nick Truebridge and cameraman Nick Monro to see how the upcoming grand opening is going down.
