This artist is capturing every place he explored during New Zealand's lockdown

In 2020, Tom Napper was apprehensive about embarking on his first solo journey.

By 2021, Tom Napper was contemplating a life without a fixed address, perhaps forever.

The English-born artist and graphic designer felt so uneasy about traveling alone that he chose to join a group cycling tour across New Zealand, where he'd have plenty of chances to connect with fellow riders and form new friendships.

However, the pandemic, which sealed New Zealand’s borders just a day before his return flight to London, altered Napper’s plans—and his future.

The Beginning

Napper arrived in New Zealand on February 16, 2020, to take part in Tour Aotearoa, a guided cycling journey where around a thousand adventurers 'bikepack' across 3,000 km (roughly 1,860 miles) of scenic trails spanning the country. The route starts at Cape Reinga (also known as Te Rerenga Wairua) on the North Island and ends at Bluff at the southern tip of the South Island, typically taking around 30 days to complete.

While participants are required to snap photos at each stop along the way to verify their progress, Napper requested—and was granted—permission to document his journey through illustrations instead. He had no idea that these sketches would eventually evolve into a long-term project.

After finishing the ride, Napper traveled to the town of Balclutha to meet a college friend. What he expected to be a relaxing visit before flying home quickly turned into anything but.

As it turns out, while I was cycling across New Zealand, the rest of the world was falling apart.

Napper faced a tough choice – book an emergency flight home or stay in New Zealand, thinking the lockdown would be brief. He opted to stay. As of now, he's applying for his fourth and likely final extended tourist visa.

What began as a planned 30-day stay has now stretched into 15 months and counting. His collection of 30 paintings depicting stops along the bike route has grown into a long-term project to capture all the places he's visited in New Zealand.

Taking a risk

“I’ve always wanted to be someone bold enough to travel solo,” says Napper.

Originally from Oxfordshire, Napper had spent a decade in London and started wondering if city life had a shelf life. Joining an organized tour, where 100 riders are sent onto the trail each day, created a way for him to explore a new place without diving fully into solo travel.

But then the lockdown trapped him in Balclutha. When he realized the pandemic was more than just a short-term disruption, Napper kept extending his stay by taking advantage of tourist visa amnesties. With the help of new friends he made during the bike tour, he was able to stay in spare rooms and vacation homes between longer stays in Airbnbs.

Fortunately, as a freelancer, Napper could continue working on projects and maintain a steady income. Every month, he updated his flatmates in London, letting them know he still wasn’t sure when he’d return, until eventually giving up the flat altogether and saving rent on a place he wasn’t living in.

Have you ever taken a short trip, fallen in love with the place, and regretted not staying longer? That was Napper’s experience throughout 2020. He revisited some of the spots he had only quickly passed during his bike journey, like Queenstown and Mount Cook (Aoraki).

Solo travel isn’t just about exploring new places. It often involves learning to spend long periods alone, without relying on others to keep you entertained.

“I don’t think I’ve been bored at all in the last 14 months,” says Napper. “Creating the paintings has been a massive anchor for me. I could easily spend an entire night in front of my laptop, preparing my artwork, sharing stories on social media, and the like. It’s also made my hikes more purposeful. Instead of just walking for the sake of it, I’m hiking with a goal: to create a painting. Then, I share the story behind it when I return.”

The journey home

New Zealand has relaxed its border restrictions slightly, thanks to travel bubbles with Australia and the Cook Islands. Meanwhile, the UK has rolled out an extensive vaccination campaign and has re-opened its bars, restaurants, museums, and other businesses.

In another time, this might have signaled it was time for Napper to return home. But the once-reluctant solo traveler now finds himself uncertain of his next step. He's considering a six-month stay in Australia or perhaps a longer stint in Canada once his last New Zealand visa expires.

“I don’t have a home anymore. It’s been interesting seeing people online asking, ‘When are you coming home?’ And I’m like, ‘That word has taken on a new meaning for me.’ As far as I’m concerned, I’ve been at home here.”