Are you moving to New Zealand?

It’s a question I’ve gotten a few times this week after posting on Instagram. Some people know I was here last year; others seem to suspect something based on my previous post.

When I came back to Sweden after my sabbatical, everyone wanted to hear about the journey. I just wished I’d written more—because you get kind of bored telling the same story over and over. And really, how do you even begin to summarize 7.5 months?

What didn’t surprise me, though, was how done I felt with Stockholm—and mostly Sweden. That feeling had been brewing before I left, but the contrast after time away made it non-negotiable. I’d outgrown something.

I can’t remember the exact question someone asked me, but I found myself saying:

“If it was possible, I’d move to New Zealand or Australia.”

And that was without ever having been to Australia (still haven’t).

At the time, I couldn’t see how that would ever work. I still had my company in Sweden and a bunch of obligations. So I didn’t humor the idea much. Running a company with a 10–12 hour time difference (like in New Zealand) just felt impossible.

Before the sabbatical, my plan was to explore Portugal as a potential place to live. Four hours away by flight, similar time zone—it felt manageable. I stuck with that idea. Portugal felt more “realistic.”

But then a month passed… and conversations about selling the company started. The seed was planted—this time more seriously.

One conversation stuck with me:

“Start with New Zealand. If you don’t like it, it’s so much easier to return to Portugal.”

That, and many other conversations (mostly internal monologues), led me here. I wanted to give it a try. So here I am—dipping my toe in the water.

What do I mean by that?

I mean I’m still not sure I want to and can live here. But I won’t figure it out by staying in Sweden.

The plan was to travel between a few places that me and my friend ChatGPT had identified as possible homes. First up: Raglan. Stay in an Airbnb a few nights, then move on.

Only, I realized quickly that you get the vibe of a place fast (yes, I’m judging by first impressions—and I know they can be wrong). Also, constantly packing and unpacking sucks.

So I shifted gears. I got a campervan, and now the plan is to drive from Auckland to Queenstown (via Cape Reinga). After that, I’ll return to the place(s) I liked best and stay a while longer to feel them out properly.

So far, I’ve visited most of Northland, as well as Raglan and Hamilton. It’s stunning—absolutely incredible—but I don’t want to live there.

And oh yeah, while all this is unfolding, there’s also a small visa issue to sort out.

Right now, I’m here on an NZETA—a 3-month travel visa. There are basically two ways forward:

1. Find an employer willing to sponsor my visa. So yes, I’m job hunting. And the market? Pretty much like Sweden right now.

2. Apply for an entrepreneur visa. But after reading the fine print—and knowing what it really takes to start a company—I’m almost looking forward to the polite decline emails from employers instead.

So that’s where I’m at: back in New Zealand, trying to figure out if I want to live here—and if I can.

Or if it was just something I dreamed about when it wasn’t a real possibility.