Trips to and from Northland look set to remain highly restricted, despite the region's drop in alert levels.
The Northland/Auckland border Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd
Northland will join the rest of the country - apart from Auckland - at alert level 2 at midnight Wednesday morning.
But movement from Northland to other parts of the country will be limited to essential travel - including attending a funeral or a tangihanga, attending a wedding or a civil union, collecting or accompanying tūpāpaku, or attending an education facility.
Police checkpoints will be stopping anyone heading across the supercity's borders to ask for documentation.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Northland was effectively cut-off from the rest of the country while Auckland remained at level 4 and there would not be unlimited movement into the region.
"You will be able to transit if you need to but you'll need to be able to transit through without stopping and with proof of where you're going to," she said.
"Our main focus has been really just ensuring those who are in Northland aren't unnecessarily disadvantaged because they are a level 2 environment just like everyone else, but they are disadvantaged by having Auckland sandwiched right in between."
Tai Tokerau Border Control (TBC) regional co-oordinator Reuben Taipari said any possibility of a border breach was still a concern.
"Our proximity to Auckland is still an issue for us, so we're in a different category to the rest of the country - probably us and the Waikato region."
Taipari said huge swells were forecast for Ahipara over the coming days and they were bracing for surfers wanting to access the waves, but TBC would be encouraging people to stay local.
He said volunteers would be out across the rohe throughout level 2 to make sure people were keeping vigilant.
"We're doing such a good job in controlling it and reducing it, why take the risk?"
He wanted Northland to remain vigilant for the next few weeks.
"Rather than taking a gamble, and it does come in and then backwards we go to level 3 and level 4, and if it does happen in our communities up here - then how long will it take us to get it back out again?"
But having restricted access does come at a cost. Northland Inc chief executive Murray Reade said Northland would be doing it a bit tougher than most of New Zealand.
"We do acknowledge Auckland, who are still in lockdown and doing it two levels tougher than everyone else."
He said the Ministry for Social Development and the Ministry for Business Employment and Innovation was looking at ways to support Northland and compensate for the fact it is more isolated than the rest of country.
But with summer on the horizon and tourism businesses already suffering, some are dreaming up ways to keep the region connected in spite of the Auckland barrier.
Dive Tutukaka owner and manager Kate Malcolm said, while Northland would never want to cut Auckland out, there may need to be some creative solutions for getting by without them for a bit.
She said these could include direct flights to other parts of the country - perhaps Kerikeri to Wellington or Christchurch - as while as the use of buses, rental car deals or even ferries.
"Anything is possible if you just open your mind to it."
Air New Zealand has been approached about whether direct flights to parts of the country other than Auckland could be put on. The company is waiting to see what exactly the government's level 2 order around transiting passengers involves.
