In 2000–2001 I spent just over a year travelling my way around the world with Sue and my BUNAC group. A couple of nights in Bangkok, nine months living and working in New Zealand, then Australia, Fiji, Hawaii and the west coast of the USA before heading home.
These are my notes that I periodically posted online to my travelblog from eye-wateringly expensive internet cafés. My photos are all a little small and grainy because they were taken on a film camera, developed, printed and then scanned in using ancient technology.
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October 2000
🇬🇧 United Kingdom🇹🇭 Thailand🇳🇿 New Zealand
Leaving England: a night in Bangkok, then landing jet-lagged in Auckland to hunt for jobs and a flat.
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November 2000
🇳🇿 New Zealand
Settling into Auckland: a flat in fashionable Ponsonby, the start of temp work and an attention-seeking kitten.
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December 2000
🇳🇿 New Zealand
A sunburnt Kiwi summer, redesigning corporate websites and a first Christmas on the other side of the world.
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January 2001
🇳🇿 New Zealand
Back to work and a long weekend on Great Barrier Island.
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February 2001
🇳🇿 New Zealand
Waitangi Day, the Devonport food and wine festival, the Hero parade and the looming threat of homelessness.
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March 2001
🇳🇿 New Zealand
My parents fly in for a whirlwind visit, work winds down and we pack up to leave Auckland.
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April 2001
🇳🇿 New Zealand
On the road at last: the rainy Bay of Islands, Rotorua's hot springs, White Island's volcano and Art Deco Napier.
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May 2001
🇳🇿 New Zealand
Settling in to Wellington: weeks of job-hunting stress before landing a gig at a funky little web studio.
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June 2001
🇳🇿 New Zealand
A cold, central-heating-free Wellington winter: watching the UK election from afar, with lots of rugby.
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July 2001
🇳🇿 New Zealand
Finally seeing the All Blacks play, and counting down our last few weeks in Wellington.
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August 2001
🇳🇿 New Zealand🇦🇺 Australia
Leaving Wellington for the South Island: a 12,000ft skydive in Queenstown, first go at skiing, then on to Sydney.
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September 2001
🇦🇺 Australia
Coogee to Bondi and Sydney slowly growing on us, all overshadowed by the September 11th attacks.
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October 2001
🇫🇯 Fiji🇺🇸 United States
Island-hopping from a Fijian beach resort to Pearl Harbour and Honolulu, then on to Hollywood.
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November 2001
🇺🇸 United States🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Las Vegas for our final stop, then back home to the UK, a year and a week after we left.