A love letter to Europe: Our Overseas Enthusiasts wrap up the adventure of a lifetime

Farm-raised Gisborne sisters Liana and Maika, Kathmandu’s 2025 Overseas Enthusiasts, conquered 12 countries and 17 cities in three months. Wrapping up in Croatia, they reflect on the whirlwind adventure of a lifetime!

Kia ora anō to everyone tuning in for our third and final Kathmandu Overseas Enthusiasts blog! If you’ve missed numbers one and two, you can find them on the Kathmandu website!

In our final month, we explored some of the most beautiful places we’ve ever seen. We kicked off in Zürich, Switzerland, then visited Safien Platz and Chur. From there, we headed to Munich, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, and ended with a weeklong sailing trip in Croatia. Even saying that out loud feels surreal!

But first things first, background.

Our parents are from the East and West Coasts of New Zealand’s North Island - Dad from Gisborne, Mum from New Plymouth. But we also have roots in Switzerland and Spain. Our 4x great-grandfather Manuel Jose’ came from Spain, and our great-grandfather on Mum’s side, Joachim Hunger, emigrated from Switzerland. We even visited the 200-year-old home he lived in. Mind blown!

Our Swiss summer day started with light rain and lacing up our hiking shoes (Oboz Katabatic LT). Petite Swiss Aunt Brigitta, whom we’d just met, was ready to show us her fairytale backyard. Layered in thermal wool, a Kathmandu hoodie (Heritage Logo Slouchy LT BB Hoodie), and our trusty rain jackets - mine a bright red - showcasing my national Swiss pride (Trailhead Stretch 2.5-layer rain jacket), we bussed to Safien Platz, only an hour drive from the infamous Chur (pronounced “kur,” to our disappointment). There, we found an uncle who was responsible for maintaining the beautiful family home, which was spectacular.

Shelved into the mighty Swiss Mountain stood the home where our ancestors lived. Inside, the ceiling boards still showed rough axe chips that were responsible for shaping them before power tools were a thing. The wooden stairs going to the upstairs bedrooms were worn where each footstep had passed all the years prior. And the family fireplace, made of a dark forest green stone, bore the initials “C.H 1888”. With my jaw to the floor, I realised that was Christian Hunger, my great, great grandfather. The house felt homely.  Imagining life there in the 1800s, we felt deeply connected to our whakapapa. Learning about our past has been a powerful propeller into our future.

After soaking in the taonga of our heritage, we enjoyed a hearty Swiss meal, Spätzli and Gemüse, with Uncle Rudi and Aunt Brigitta. The stew warmed us before we braved the cold to explore waterfalls, rivers, wildflowers, and happy cows. Switzerland reminded us so much of New Zealand’s South Island. That day was my favourite of the entire trip.

The sightseeing continues...

We stayed in Switzerland for over ten days, our longest stop, but it still wasn’t enough! Our next stop was Munich, Germany. Highlights were the Eschbach River and seeing the man-made waves that surfer after surfer were dropping in on. We explored the Disney-inspired Neuschwanstein Castle (heads up castle fanatics – you don’t want to miss this!) Germany was, as we know, full of history, while Munich was very much full of beer.

Next, was Prague, an exquisite 9^th-century city known as the ‘Heart of Europe’. We saw horse-drawn carriages, the Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge (from Mission Impossible!), and more. One hiccup: we paid $40 NZD for two Coke Zeros and fries - ouch! Prague’s beauty at night, with the castle lights reflecting on the Vltava River, was unforgettable. We took a panoramic bus tour and picnicked near some local beavers.

Destinations bursting with pride...

Remember our mum from New Plymouth? For years, she’s long dreamed of seeing the Lipizzaner Stallions perform in Vienna’s iconic White Dancing Horses show. So, when our travels took us to Vienna, we knew we had to send her some photos of us just metres away from the beautiful stallions. She was stoked!

It was obvious that Vienna had so much pride, as did our tour guide, who knew almost everything about their beautiful city. It was so hot – luckily, we had reliable Kathmandu gear,  (EVRY-Day UPF 50+ and Heritage cap).

Budapest blew us away. We arrived just in time for St Stephen’s Day, on August 20^th, celebrating Hungary’s founding with fireworks over the Danube River. Coming from Gisborne, we were overwhelmed by the crowd size. We relaxed at the Széchenyi Thermal Baths and cruised the Danube River on a lively boat. Our Kathmandu Organic Cotton T-shirt and EVRY-Where 5” shorts kept us cool in the summer heat.

Sail Croatia. I mean, the hype is in the name alone.

The only downside was not being able to pocket Croatia and take it home with us. We met people from all over the world, enjoyed incredible food and wine, and swam in the Adriatic Sea daily. The blues and greens were breathtaking. As we soaked it all in, we were reminded of home and how lucky we are.

This journey has been the most extraordinary of our lives. Out of over 2,000 applicants and nearly 100,000 views on Trade Me, we were chosen as Kathmandu’s 2025 Overseas Enthusiasts. We’re still pinching ourselves! Beyond the 12 countries and amazing food, the real gift was reconnecting with our roots and exploring our family’s rich heritage. Kathmandu empowered us to chase our whakapapa and made our travels even more memorable with their reliable, stylish gear.

So, what’s next? I’m hoping for another niece or nephew from Liana and Te Aorangi - hehe! And I’ve decided to dive deeper into content creation. What a surprise…

Ngā mihi mahana,

Liana and Maika!!