Laire Purik spent years travelling before ending up in one of the world’s most isolated places, at the very southern tip of New Zealand
In 1992, Estonia was liberated from the Soviet Union and the borders started opening. I wanted to see what was happening around the world, with my own eyes. I started in Ireland, then Europe. I went further and further, and then I discovered New Zealand. I moved to a town in the South Island called Riverton in 2009 and then, in 2016, my partner Tomas and I moved to Stewart Island.
I was worried about moving to such a small community and such an isolated place. I had wanted to move north, where the weather is warmer. I had no knowledge of the character of the island.
