April 29th 2025 – Svostrup, Denmark

We were now back in a part of the country that wasn’t new to us. To keep it interesting we took new roads to places we had missed the first time around. After bypassing Christchurch we reach a place called Trott’s Garden. Katrine had spotted it on Google Maps the previous evening and added it to our itinerary. When Katrine had subtracted a satisfactory dose of greenery from the garden, we continued to Geraldine for lunch.

A couple of times during our time in NZ people have mentioned Oamaru. It should be an interesting town to visit – so we did. Late afternoon we checked into a room offering a view of the old train station with the ocean as a backdrop.

We set out to have a look at the town in the fading daylight. It was indeed interesting, and like nothing we had ever seen before. We walked by the Steampunk HQ. It was closed and so was most everything else in town. What we did see was so tantalising that we decided to have a closer look the following day.
Back at the place we were staying I stumbled across something I wish I had known about sooner: bookme. The site offers some serious discounts on everything from museum visits to adventure sports. Now that I had found it I used it to buy tickets for Steampunk HQ the following day, paying $5 instead of $15 per ticket.

Steampunk is a quirky and fun genre of science fiction that features steam-powered technology. It is often set in an alternate, futuristic version of 19th century Victorian England steam powered devices. Examples are machines like those in the writing of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne.
Steampunk HQ is a place where a bunch of creative steampunk enthusiasts have been given free rein to create an alternative reality. The result was amazing.
A walk down Harbour Street was like an extension of HQ. Steampunk is the theme of downtown Oamaru.
While admiring some of the junk in one of the many stores/galleries/thriftshops we started talking with a couple from Finland. They had spent the majority of the last couple of years in NZ, currently lived in Christchurch and planned on applying for citizenship later this year. We left with an invite to visit them before leaving the country.

All steamed up we continued down the coast to Moeraki Boulders – a collection of strange round boulders on Koekohe beach. It was a nice walk along the beach and the boulders were quite interesting. Depending on the sea, the boulders, ranging in size between .5 and 2.2 meters in diameter, can be either completely covered by sand, sit exposed on top of it or somewhere in between.

A loop inland on curvy roads surrounded by scenic farmland took us to Dunedin. Barry and Lynette, who hosted us the first time we visited the town more than 2 months ago, had prepared a room for us when we arrived – and not only that. When Katrine and I got back from a late afternoon run in the hilly neighborhood, Lynette was in the kitchen preparing dinner (or tea as they call it here) for all 4 of us.
Being back in Dunedin gave us the opportunity to revisit another few favorites in town.
The owner of Propel Fitness yet again refused to let us pay (so I bought him a coffee) and The Bowling Club still served good food.
Dunedin is a great place to hang out!

Katrine wanted to look sharp for our return to Denmark and had made an appointment at a hairdresser in Christchurch a few days before our flight home. It was a nice drive up the coast in changing weather. After 11 weeks of delicious summer weather in Middle Earth, fall had announced its arrival with wind, rain and cooler temperatures. For the first time since we arrived in the country did I feel the need to don long pants.

We arrived at Shane and Kathryns place in time for a quick tour of the house before Katrine and Kathryn went to the hair wizard together. Shane wouldn’t be home for another couple of hours. It left me time to unpack the car and reunite our luggage with the stuff Shane and Kathryn had stored for us since our previous visit to town.
Our last days in NZ were mostly spent getting our luggage organized and hanging out with our hosts.
They took us sightseeing when the weather occasionally cleared up. Christchurch and the surrounding area had a lot to offer. On days where the rain wouldn’t let off we stayed indoors, lit a fire and were introduced to Ted Lasso. It was very cozy.
Katrine and I also visited the Finnish couple, Jussi and Reetta, that we met in Oamaru. They invited us for a walk and a home cooked dinner.

Eventually the day dawned for our return to Denmark. Shane and Katryn followed us to the airport to wave us off (or to make sure that we left the country?). It had been a pleasure to spend time with them. Being hosted by friendly Kiwis was also a fitting end to our time in New Zealand where hospitality had been the key word. New Zealand and the Kiwis will always have a special place in my heart.

We arrived at the airport early. Check-in and security check went smoothly. Katrine and I were chilling at the gate, a couple of hours prior to departure, when 3 security guards approached us and asked me to grab my things and follow them. I told Katrine to stay put and complied with the request.
The guards took me back to the security check area. It turned out that it was my belt buckle that had raised an alarm. It looks like knuckle dusters but isn’t. During my initial security check the guard had noticed the buckle but decided it wasn’t an issue, as it’s clearly not a functional weapon. Later one of his colleagues disagreed, resulting in this second inspection. A supervisor was summoned and both security guards plead their case. In the end it was decided that I couldn’t bring the belt buckle on the plane. I was allowed to take it back to check-in to see if I could put it in my checked luggage.
It turned out my suitcase had already left the building, so that option was out. Then I heard 2 girls in line for check-in speaking Danish. I approached them to hear if they could bring my buckle to Denmark for me. It turned out that they were heading for the Maldives, but would return to Denmark a few weeks later. One of them lived close to where we are going to live in Denmark and agreed to take it. We exchanged contact info. She will give me a call when she gets home.
With that issue solved and my pants sagging I return to Katrine at the gate.

The following journey halfway around the world went smoothly. We arrived in Billund, Denmark 32 hours and 4 flights after we got on the plane in Christchurch. It was almost surreal to be back in Denmark. Everything looked the same yet different. Both Katrine and I felt euphoric.
I had asked a friend, Carsten, to pick us up at the airport. Katrine’s father, sister and the niece that had come into the world while we had been away were also there to greet us. I have rarely seen Katrine that happy.

From the airport we all went to the house of some other friends to pick up a car I had bought a couple of weeks earlier. When we got there everyone was invited for dinner. It was wonderful to be surrounded by old friends and enjoy some traditional Danish food.

Later Katrine and I went to the place we will call home for the next couple of months. It’s a very nice fully furnished apartment at a big rural home belonging to friend’s of a friend. The property is located at the end of a 500 driveway by the shore of the biggest river in Denmark. We even have a sauna by the bank.
We finally got to bed at around midnight – 51 hours after we got out of bed in Christchurch. We both fell asleep with a big grin on our face. It was good to be home!

We have been home for about a week now.
It has been busy and a lot of fun. We are slowly collecting the pieces needed for this new chapter of our life.
Most important order of business for me was to get my hands on the motorcycle I bought back in November last year. A purchase very few people knew about.

Last summer I started thinking about what motorcycle I wanted to buy when we returned from this journey. The 300 Rally had been a good tool for what we were doing, but it had never been a bike that got my juices flowing. I decided my next bike should be pure emotions and not a rational choice. I made a list of bikes that fitted the bill.

The mighty MT01 that Yamaha launched almost 20 years ago ended up at the top of that list. It was the Japanese brands attempt to build what they described as a Torque Sports Roadster with soul.
It’s a relatively rare model. Bikes in original trim and good shape are increasingly difficult to find. I had been looking online for a bike in Denmark and Germany for a few months when I finally found what I had been looking for.
A 2006 model unboxed in 2016. 2 owners since then. 7.800 km on the clock and in mint condition.
I was still in Chile at the time and the bike was located in Denmark. It was a private seller. I contacted him to let him know I wanted the bike. Then I reached out to a friend who runs a motorcycle shop in that part of the country. The seller agreed to drop the bike off at the dealer and let my friend inspect it for me. My friend gave me the thumbs up and offered to store the bike for my return, whenever that was.

2 days after our return to Denmark I arrived at the dealer, in the opposite end of the country, to pick up my bike. I had never ridden a MT01 before and was very excited. It didn’t take many kilometers for my fascination to turn into infatuation. This was exactly the bike I had been yearning for. We have arrived to beautiful spring weather and I use every opportunity to take it for a ride. Just looking at it puts a grin on my face and riding it produces a chuckle every time. This is without comparison the coolest bike I’ve ever owned!

We have seen a few of our old friends already. It will take months before we have reconnected with all the people we have missed while away. We are looking forward to every reunion.

I’m 1 day away from my first day of work in almost 2 years. I loved my job as a paramedic before we left and have missed it while we were away. I’ll now be working in another part of the country where things are done slightly differently. The next 12 days I’ll be introduced to the region and brought up to speed professionally. I expect long days and much reading. I’m looking forward to the challenge.

Katrine has been to a couple of promising job interviews in the last week. I’m sure she’ll soon land something interesting.

Both Katrine and I have been riding high since our return to Denmark. I see no reason for that to change anytime soon. We have so much to look forward to. It will take us at least a couple of years to catch up.

Our journey through The Americas and New Zealand has been a game changer. We have seen places most people can only dream of, but the real price is the people we have met and the friends we have made along the way. It has also been an inner journey and I believe it will take a long time to discover everything the journey has given us.

At the moment we are completely absorbed with this new chapter in our lives but I’m looking forward to reading this travelogue, watching all my pictures and reliving the adventure at some point when things have settled down. I haven’t reread any of my updates after I posted them. I’m sure there is much I’ve already forgotten.

Thank you for following me on my journey. It has been fun sharing it.

See you around.