The Auckland couple who are charged with flouting lockdown rules by travelling to a Wanaka holiday home are finally due for their first court appearance today, after months of delay caused by the Covid 19 lockdown.

William Willis, a 36-year-old equestrian from Karaka, and his partner Hannah Rawnsley, a 26-year-old barrister from Pukekohe have been charged with failing to comply with the Covid-19 health order.

The charges carry a punishment of up to six months imprisonment or a $4000 fine.

The couple are not required to physically attend the Papakura District Court today however, as they are appearing remotely with a judge's permission.

Police said they crossed the alert level 4 border from Auckland using essential worker exemptions and drove to Hamilton Airport in September 2021.

They took a commercial flight to Queenstown via Wellington, rented a vehicle and drove to Wanaka.

Police said they were notified via the Covid-19 compliance reporting tool online.

Auckland barrister Hannah Rawnsley. PHOTO: Facebook

Willis is the son of District Court Judge Mary-Beth Sharp, meaning Wellington-based Judge Bruce Davidson took on the case to avoid any conflict of interest.

The couple will be spared having their photographs taken or being filmed while appearing in court, after Judge Davidson declined a number of media applications - including RNZ's - to capture images of them.

The pair were initially due to appear in court on 14 October and 25 November, but these hearings were canned due to the restrictions caused by the on-going Covid-19 lockdown.

At first, Willis and Rawnsley sought to keep their names secret. They ended up abandoning their fight for continued name suppression and publicly apologised for their actions on 14 September.