Only in NZ! Kiwis' hilarious reaction during Jacinda Ardern's walk goes viral

Kiwis are normally a low-key, chilled-out bunch and celebrities can walk down our streets safely with very little fuss being made.

But two women have gone viral after their weekend outing was a little more exciting than expected.

On the weekend, the pair were out in Wellington enjoying a burger and fries when they became curious as to why security guards were walking along the footpath near the waterfront.

They soon realised the security presence was because Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her partner Clarke Gayford were taking a Sunday stroll.

Now their reaction has gone viral, with the pair calling the guards "security uncles".

"So who are these security uncles out here looking after these two people?" one of them asks the other.

"Is that Jacinda? It's Jacinda! Hahahahahahaha. It's Aunty Cindy!"

In the video, two security guards were seen walking in front of Ardern and Gayford, with the Prime Minister and Gayford walking side by side while masked up on their stroll.

The woman who spotted Ardern said she "didn't even realise we were talking about the PM" when they initially saw the security guards.

Viewers quickly jumped online to respond to the pair's reaction.

"You know you're in NZ when you're genuinely this happy to spot the PM!" one said.

Another added: "You know you're not in Australia when you're happy to see your PM."

"Love how she is Aunty Cindy to us! Does anyone in the world refer to their PM as Aunty? Awesome!" a third added.

The video has been viewed more than 700,000 times in under 20 hours.

The country is currently at Covid lockdown level 2, except for Auckland which is at level 3, meaning people are able to gather in groups of up to 100 people.

Retail stores, malls, cafes, restaurants, cinemas and public spaces including playgrounds and gyms have been opened again outside of Auckland, with children back at school.

People are still being asked to socially distance themselves from strangers where possible and scanning into facilities is mandatory.

This morning, Ardern indicated vaccination passports could also be on the cards - especially for those wanting to head to events.

Ardern told The AM Show that having 90 per cent of the eligible population vaccinated or 76 per cent of the entire population could eliminate any need for tough stay-at-home orders and see restrictions eased.

It could also lead to more people self-isolating at home, shorter isolation periods and borders re-opening from next year including slowly re-introducing international students back into the country.

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.