The Kiwi expats met in the United Kingdom and this year navigated the challenges associated with planning a wedding from the other side of the world. The couple settled on December 18 nuptials in Palmerston North, where White was from, to mark this next stage of their life together in New Zealand.
They booked flights to return home in November, but were going through the gruelling – and disheartening – process of finding an MIQ spot that either aligned with their existing flights or that they could buy new flights for.
Campbell Thompson, who moved to west London in the UK in 2016, had been trying to secure one of the coveted MIQ spots since early June and was logged into the website all day, every day. But every time rooms were released, he was beaten to the punch. He blamed computer hacks.