Marin Bikes's video: No Place Like Home - Veronique Sandler returns to NZ

Originally hailing from New Zealand, Veronique Sandler took a trip back to get away from the European winter: Coming back home to NZ after three years abroad was a surreal feeling. I hadn’t spent much time thinking about the place while living life in the UK and Europe, so many things had been going on plus during the cold, wet winters over here I didn’t think wishing I was in the NZ sun would help. The thing I was most nervous about was whether my family dog, Tucker, would remember me or not, luckily he seemed to as soon as I was reunited with him, great success! We spent the whole of the three weeks in my hometown Nelson, which is near the top of the South Island. Growing up there the riding had always been incredible, but I never quite appreciated the nature and wildlife the way that I did on my return. The feeling of riding smooth, dusty trails under canopies of native ferns in the summer sun was just unreal. With my knowledge of the spots I used to ride, and a couple of old friends showing us some awesome new trails, there was no way we could have got bored! We pretty much spent all day every day shredding around the Nelson region from Richmond to Kaiteri to the Maitai Valley and everywhere in between. The new trails in Silvan forest were a personal highlight for me (except for the dicey concept of two way trails?!), and the long, flowy descents were something dreams are made of. The sunshine capital of NZ lived up to its name, with only one day of drizzle throughout our stay, enabling me to return back to the UK with a very tasty knee pad tan. I really love living in the UK and everything it offers but I definitely won’t be leaving it another three years before returning to NZ again, as the place really lives up to all the hype.