January 30th 2025 – Dunedin, New Zealand

We stayed in Punta Arenas for a week after the bikes were gone. It was the time we needed to tie a bow on the American motorcycle adventure, get ready for the next leg of the journey and start planning for what would come after that.
To be allowed entry into New Zealand we needed to have plane tickets out of the country before our 90 days visa expired. We had considered different scenarios after New Zealand, but in the end we decided the time had come to return to Denmark.

We were privileged to leave an exciting and fulfilling life with important relationships behind when we set out on this journey – and to have a place in the world that we feel is truly our home. We have missed both increasingly during the last year.
As I have touched on earlier, it comes at a price to travel this long – not only to us but also to the people who love and used to rely on us back home.

With the plane ticket from New Zealand to Denmark in hand we suddenly knew, for the first time since we set out, when we would be back in Denmark. As those of you who have followed the story from the beginning know, we sold everything, including our home, and quit our jobs before leaving Denmark. As a result we would be returning to a blank canvas in many regards.
We have decided to use the opportunity to relocate to another part of the country and make some changes to our professional life – I will look for a new job as a paramedic while Katrine will try to change career completely by taking a new 4 year education to become a veterinary assistant.
All this means that we need to start preparing for our return to Denmark so we can hit the ground running when the time comes.
Part of that involves one of the things we have been looking forward to the most – finding a new home that can be the frame for the next chapter of our lives. Before leaving Punta Arenas we reached out to our network back home asking them to help look for a suitable place. The response was overwhelming and we already have a couple of very interesting options at hand but nothing is certain yet.

Our time in the Punta Arenas was marked by farewells – to the motorcycles, the Americas and not least our friends in town. One evening we invited Elba and her son Diego over for dinner. Elba’s friend Rita invited us over for a late night BBQ with some of their closest friends. Seeing a tight knit group of friends like that reminded me how much I miss hanging out with my own buddies back in Denmark.

Eventually the time came to leave. We had a very early morning flight to Santiago. Elba was kind enough to take us to the airport in the middle of the night. She has become a friend and I’m sure we’ll meet again.

It was a 3 ½ hour flight to Santiago followed by a 5 hours layover.
The next flight would be the big one. At 1 pm we took off towards Sydney in Australia.
The flightpath followed the Andes south almost all the way back to Punta Arenas before veering right. We then traveled west along the coast of Antarctica for a while before turning north past the southern tip of New Zealand.
The flight took almost 14 hours and covered 11.831 km/7.351 miles. We arrived in Sydney at 5 pm the following day – 28 hours after leaving Santiago 🤔 Crossing The International Date Line really messes with your time perception.
There was only a 1 hour layover schedule for Sydney, but our connecting flight was delayed until 9.30 pm. Another 2 ½ on a plane saw us travel 2 hours back in time as we arrived in Christchurch at 2 am.
Custom and immigration went like a breeze and a taxi took us to the Airbnb we had booked in advance. It slept the second our heads hit the pillow.

The next day we walked back to the airport to pick up SIM cards and our rental car.
We were excited about which car we would end up with as I had found a killer deal on a rental car before leaving Punta Arenas. It was so cheap that it almost made me suspicious, but there was nothing aside from the price that indicated foul play, so I had jumped on the offer.
When the girl behind the counter at the rental company saw that we had booked the car for 3 months, she wanted to make sure that we got the nicest car possible. She made a call and 15 minutes later a guy dropped off a brand new Kia Stonic in “Honey bee” yellow – the Korean version of Bumblebee.

When I was about to sign the contract, she asked to see my international driver’s license. I had one back at the Airbnb, but had forgotten to bring it. I had never needed it during the journey until now. Katrine had brought hers by coincidence. That turned out to be a stroke of luck.
To save money on the rental we had decided that I would be the only driver of the car. The rental company needed to see an international driver’s license to let anyone drive the car. Now that only Katrine had one, they wrote the contract in her name. It would allow her to drive me the 8 km/5 miles back to the Airbnb to pick up my international driver’s license. When we returned with that they put me on the contract as an additional driver free of charge.

The car had all the bells and whistles you would expect of a modern well equipped car. Most importantly it had Android Auto, allowing me to run navigation on a big screen. I have been using Garmin units for navigation for more than 15 years. A Zumo XT had done the job on this trip but I sold it with the bike back in Punta Arenas.
I had been a happy Garmin user prior to this trip, but have come to realize during the last year that better navigation solutions have become available – not least by watching Fin’s setup on MechanicO where he runs a combination of Google Maps and OsmAnd on a tablet.
I have decided to move on from Garmin. There will be a learning curve and our time in NZ will be the perfect opportunity to familiarize myself with a new navigation setup. I will be using Google maps and OsmAnd on my phone mirrored to the screen in the car.

We stayed in Christchurch for a couple of days. It allowed us to deal with our jetlag and prepare for the next 3 month’s road trip. We came up with a provisional itinerary, did a bit of shopping and figured out the best way to pack the car.
We had become pretty good at Spanish during our time in South America, but it was still a blessing to be surrounded by English speaking people again. All conversations were suddenly easy-peasy.

On the 3rd day we left town at sunrice excited about what the next 3 months would bring.
Flat farmland became rolling hills that had turned into proper mountains before we parked the car at Mount Sunday. It was the location of Edoras, capital of Rohan, when Peter Jackson filmed The Lord of The Rings. The movie trilogy was shot entirely in New Zealand. As big LoTR fans even long before the movies came out, we plan on visiting several filming locations while we are here.
A hike to the top of the mount revealed a stunningly beautiful landscape. It was easy to imagine it patrolled by the riders of Rohan.

We found a place to get lunch in Geraldine. It was a small place serving some of the best Indian food I’ve ever had. Really good food has been the norm since we arrived in NZ. I think we have to watch our weight a bit.

Late afternoon we arrived at Andi and Ellen’s place just south of Wanaka. We might be traveling in a car at the moment but are still moto travelers at heart, so it was wonderful when we got an invitation to come and stay with fellow adventure riders.
Andi and Ellen did a big trip in the Americas from 2012 to 2015. They have travelled extensively ever since and created their own little paradise in NZ that they called home. Their property covers several acres where they have built a big shop with a small house attached and panoramic views.
Andi was working on his 1960 Thunderbird when we arrived. He put us up in their cosy old RV before preparing a delicious dinner from home grown/killed produce. We felt very welcome and happily accepted when he offered that we could stay for a few days. It would also allow us to meet his wife Ellen thas was away on a multy-day hike.

Kat and I got up at first light the following day and hit the road not long after. The plan for the day was to hike the Hooker Valley Track. The carpark was already packed when we arrived at the trailhead around 10 am. Despite the crowds we enjoyed the track through the valley. Along the way we hooked up with a woman walking the trail with her 2 young sons. We first met them at one of the suspension bridges where she was trying to coax the oldest boy to walk across. He was scared shitless and crying but with a bit of moral support he eventually made it. We learned from the woman that this was the last week of the schools summerbreak and that we could expect a lot less people around after the weekend. It seems like we had timed our visit to NZ perfectly.

Back from the trail we grabbed some lunch before doing another hike to the Tasman Glacier.
Katrine was completely wasted after that one and enjoyed being able to just relax in the car on the drive back.
It was late afternoon before we got back to the house – just in time for me to help Andi bleed the clutch on his 1986 Landy. He has a good taste in vehicles.
The next day Andi gave us the grand tour of Wanaka in his T-bird. It was a great day in good company. We got back to the house just as Ellen returned home – on foot. Her attention had slipped as she made her up the driveway in her truck. It was now stuck on a slope and in danger of rolling over. With me behind the wheel and Andi in his hard core Landcruiser with a winch we got it back on the road in no time.
With Ellen back home the already brilliant dining went up a notch. It’s their own fault if we decide to return.

There was still much to see and do in the Wānaka region, but after 3 nights in the same spot we felt the urge to get moving. We’ll save the rest for next time we pass through the area on our way to the west coast.

With only 250 km to our next destination we could enjoy an easy start to the day before saying goodbye and see you later to Andi and Ellen. Being in a car was no excuse not to take the scenic route. We spent most of the afternoon on wriggly gravel roads surrounded by farmland before reaching Dunedin on the east coast.
It’s the second biggest city on the south island and will be our basecamp for a couple of days.

We have only just scratched the surface of NZ but based on what we have experienced so far we are in for a treat.