I'm in New Zealand which is the first time zone so I should be celebrating the New Year first. I'm 21 hours ahead of California, 23 hours ahead of Hawaii and 18 hours ahead of New York.

But no, Kiritimati, a group of islands that makes the International dateline slide to the east for a moment is on the same time zone as Hawaii, but one day ahead.

Any of you Fodor's people in Kiritimati? Otherwise, I'll be first to say Welcome to 2011.

Check your spelling - Kiri<b>b</b>ati. (Pronounced Kir-ee-buss.)

Probably you're the first, unless there are any Fodorites going to the movies on Taveuni (if they've reopened the 180 Meridian cinema.) http://travel.webshots.com/photo/107...46694695AOTzrM

Great photo, Gardyloo- (snuck a peek at your others and loved the shot in Amsterdam from the canal)

Well, wally34949, I'm In Sonoma County, CA - so I've got a bit of time before welcoming the New Year. So I've a moment to ponder:
where's the most interesting place I have been at New Years ?
:-?
You ?

Happy New Year from the vineyards in Northern CA !
(in about 33.5 hrs....)


R5

If you fly from NZ morning of 1/1 to Hawaii, you can do the New Year countdown twice.

Kiritimati is the island that we call "Christmas Island" in English. It is part of the nation of Kiribati.

Happy New Year to all, no matter when it arrives.

Looks like you'll welcome in the New Year about five hours before we do wally - enjoy NZ. I'm planning a trip to NZ this very minute - where are you specifically?

Most interesting place? Rio is probably at the top of the list for me, but I do not plan to do it more than once. Right now, Thailand is the place of choice. It has been our place for five of the ten years of this new century. Heading out from Bangkok to the beach in about a half hour, to enjoy fireworks tonight... will see the new year 13 hours sooner than friends back in Illinois.

Most boring place... Denver Amtrak station.. waiting for the California Zephyr, which was running late (as always), to take me home.

DH and I have travelled for the new year for about the last 20 years, so there have been lots of places where we have ushered in the new year... usually in a warm place.

Happy New Year to all.

Less than 1 1/2 hours until the New Year. I'm surprised I spelled it wrong. It did a cut and paste off the internet. Anyway, I have really enjoyed Wellington, NZ. The weather was great today. This can be a really windy city. Lot's of BYO restaurants in this town. I have an 8:30 a.m. flight out of the airport so I purchased an alarm clock for $2 NZD. Wish me luck on that one. Everything is walkable in downtown Wellington.

I love BYO. Wish it would catch on in the US.

I walked down to the waterfront last night for New Year's celebrations and there were no fireworks in Wellington, but a few people seemed to be fired up. The bars and clubs were crazy.

wally-I love hearing the different places people are
right now !

SO,wally34949, rkkwan, melnq8, Jeff_CR-any thoughts on the most interesting place you've spent New Years ?

Melnq8-we do have a sort of BYO in the US-yet it comes with
a little caveat called "corkage".


R5

I spend one New Years in Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. Had been in Fiji up until about the 28th or 29th, so missed that notch.

Nothing interesting, but I started 2010 in the upper bunk on a Chinese hard sleeper train. And once (1995 perhaps) I scared for my life in NY's Times Square when people started pushing.

rkkwan-Where were you headed on that upper bunk ?
Is a "hard sleeper" the surface you are sleeping or some other conotation ? Have had many friends relate that same fear that has kept from experiencing New Years in Time's Square.
Me + 1 million others. Not on my "bucket List".

NoFlyZ-Now, Fiji is on my list !
I hope the folks from 'Survivor' did not leave a mess of
Vanuatu-I was thinking/hoping they must make some promises or
something.

These sound like very interesting spots to be in on NYE !

R5

I've spent NYE in Paris, Berlin, and London. Nowhere too exotic.

razzle - I was traveling from Xichang to Chengdu. Both in Sichuan province. "Hard Sleeper" is the Chinese name for 2nd class sleeper train, in contrast to "Soft Sleeper" or 1st class. There is actually a decent mattress, but the bunks are 3-high, and no doors for each "berth" of 6 bunks.

Here's the view from my top bunk:
http://rkkwan.zenfolio.com/sichuan010110/e2c207943

This is what the hard sleeper car looks like inside:
http://rkkwan.zenfolio.com/sichuan010110/e2112e9a1

New Year in Edinburgh is great. Music in the park and fireworks from the castle at midnight. What could be better. It's only a shame that it's not shown on TV here. Just bl**dy boring Sydney, Paris and London.

razzledazzle -

They charge corkage here too, although in this age of screw caps, they should really call it screwage.

I've spent New Years Eve many places, but by far the most memorable was last year. I was up on Barrow Island in NW Western Australia, working as a volunteer tagging endangered flatback turtles. I'm still not sure how it happened, but I managed to get 'slapped' by a giant turtle flipper while working the beach on NYE.

I ended up with an absolutely massive bruise and a knee injury that resulted in surgery.

No alcohol, no fireworks...just a bright moon and a remote beach busy with turtles laying eggs...magic.

Sydney, Australia has one of the best New Year's celebrations that I have ever seen.

I just saw Air Vanauatu taking off here in Auckland, New Zealand. Is Vanauatu worth visiting? I just flew from Wellington to Auckland and the Air New Zealand magazine said that they are replacing the 747-400's with 777's. I flew on a 737-300, remember the toilets where the water just slides around and never sucks? They are going to replace those planes with A320's. They have also purchased some Boeing 787's. (not happy with this keyboard)

Talking about a great way to travel, I joined the Magic Bus in Auckland and stayed in hostels along the way for two weeks. Meals were not included but I paid about $404 for hostels and bus transportation that picked me up at the hostel and dropped me off at the hostel each day. All of the hostels had kitchens but I usually went out for meals.

I hope you'll consider posting a NZ trip report wally. I assume you sampled plenty of NZ wine?