Exploring the World
Latest adventure
One country, one ocean, one step at a time
Traveling has been a lifelong passion for us. I started traveling before I was born (or so my parents tell me), but didn’t get around to blogging about traveling before 2005. Prior to that I wrote travel updates in letters and emails to anyone I thought could be interested.
Margrethe and I joined forces in 2015. Before then she had done a lot of traveling that she documented on Facebook and Instagram. Now we travel together and make blog posts with pictures and short videos, to help us remember our adventures and hopefully inspire you to get out there and experience the World.
An unquenchable thirst for adventure
Sailing across the Pacific twice, crossing half the World on the Transsiberian Railroad and exploring Norway’s long coastline are just some of the trips we’ve done in recent years. Delve into our trips and be inspired to create your own unforgettable memories.
Sailing in Norway
Exploring unknown treasures
Sailing Stella Polaris
Across the Pacific
French Polynesia
Diving with sharks
A new beginning
At the end of 2017 we returned home to Norway after being away for 1 year and 8 months. We spent 2016 exploring the Caribbean and 2017 sailing across the South Pacific from South America to Australia. We finished off our journey with a road-trip in New Zealand....
Sailing from north to south in Norway
Margrethe and I sail from north to south in Norway, enjoying the fantastic coastline. We start in Bodø and work our way south to Stavanger.We enjoyed the entire Norwegian coastline, but it has to be said that we REALLY lucked out in the north with uncharacteristic...
Skiing across Hardangervidda
Easter is the time of year when all Norwegians crowd to the mountains to enjoy sun, snow, good skiing conditions, Kvikk lunsj, oranges and Easter eggs. Combine this with skiing across Hardangervidda and you'll have our idea of a perfect Easter. Normally you can check...
The grand New Zealand roadtrip
On December 2nd we left Stella Polaris in Sydney and flew to Christchurch in New Zealand for 4 weeks of road-tripping fun. If you’re feeling lazy, watch this video with some of the highlights, but if you want the inside scoop, keep reading after the video:Hopefully...
Meeting old friends in Australia
Meeting old friends in Australia was the highlight of getting to the end of our journey. Both Margrethe and I have studied in Australia, so we had friends from back then, on top of this I knew even more people from when I sailed to Oz in 2010 onboard African...
Hiking, diving and sailing in New Caledonia
Sailing in New Caledonia, should be on everyones short-list. What's there not to like? The water is pristine, crystal clear and has beautiful colors. You're protected by a huge barrier reef, that shields you from the waves (the worst of them at least) and if you pick...
Exploring the volcano on Tanna in Vanuatu
We've put together a video that shows our adventures in Vanuatu when we amongst other things go visiting a Volcano on Tanna. Press play and watch it 🙂 Under the video we've written a bit more about our stay in Vanuatu, that gives you more details. Who would have...
We swim with whales in Tonga
We swim with whales in Tonga, getting up close and personal with humpback whales of all sizes. We also explore Vava'u and Ha'apai, seeing Mariner's and Swallow's Caves, go to church and feel the magic of these wonderful islands. The video shows it all!...
Freediving with mantas and sharks in Bora Bora, Maupiti and Maupihaa
In this video we go freediving with mantas and sharks in Bora Bora, Maupiti and Maupihaa. If you haven’t heard the names of the two last stops, it’s because few venture there. We did and were rewarded with amazing dives with mantas, man eating sharks and death defying...
Swimming with sharks in Fakarava
In our leisurely sail through Tuamotos we go swimming with sharks in Fakarava, my favourite spot from 7 years ago. We can go freediving with hundreds of sharks and an abundance of fish you see few other places on our globe. We get to enjoy Fakarava with Kolbi and...
Shark attack and falsifying the Kon Tiki Monument
A shark attack you ask? Yes. Watch the video to see how frisky they can get. We have just made a trilogy of short videos that show our trip through French Polynesia. In this one we look at Gambier, Amanu and Raroia. We include a shark attack in Gambier, some indecent...
Fish farming in French Polynesia
I have seen just how destructive fish farming can be to an ecosystem home in Norway, so when I heard that the Chinese have just been given permission to start fish-farming in French Polynesia, I was outraged. We are anchored in Hao in the Tuamotos and after talking to...
Amanu an unspoilt South Pacific paradise
When you sail off the beaten track you always hope that you’ll find someplace truly special and our search can stop, because we’ve found the perfect unspoilt South Pacific paradise and it’s called Amanu. Amanu was our first stop in the Tuamotos after sailing from...
Testing nuclear weapons in paradise
You would think that your place in Hell would be assured, if you had been busy testing nuclear weapons in paradise. When I say South Pacific, most people think of atolls with small sandy islands covered by palm trees, surrounded by vibrant coral reefs and an abundance...
Trekking in Gambier
Who would have thought that trekking in Gambier could be as much fun as it was? We were certainly surprised at the different options we had. Gambier is a great mix of the Marquesas with its soaring peaks and Tuamotos with its sandy atolls. We did a bit of diving, but...
Fixing the boat in exotic locations
There is a well known saying: Sailing around the World is a sexier way to say that you’ll be fixing you boat in exotic locations. Though Stella Polaris is in great shape, components and parts are subjected to the rigors of long distance sailing, salt water and...
Green bananas are the new potato
I´ve just realised that bananas can be used when they’re still green! In fact it's not a stretch to say that green bananas are the new potato, it`s just a matter of being creative. My favourite dish, so far, is french fries, and it is hard to tell that it is made of...
Secret of the black pearl
When we sailed inside the reefs surrounding Gambier, we saw houses on stilts dotting every bay. We thought they were hotels or villas, but they turned out to be instrumental in helping us unlock the secret of the black pearl. Between the islands, we had to steer wild...
Passagemaking
We are now halfway between Easter Island (Rapa Nui) and Pitcairn and this is as good a time as any to talk about passagemaking. For us passagemaking is whenever we do a sail involving overnights and you move a substantial distance. On this passage we’re sailing around...
The mysteries of Easter Island
After a strenuous sail we were eager to unlock the mysteries of Easter Island (Rapa Nui in Polynesian). Easter Island is the inhabited island, the second furthest away from civilization. When you consider that the nearest civilization (over 2000 km away) is Pitcairn...
Amazing Galapagos
After 6 days of sailing from Panama, we could finally see some mountain peaks of on the horizon. We had reached the isolated group of volcano islands we know from BBC documentary by David Attenborough; The Galàpagos Islands. The 5 of us onboard were really excited and...
Checking in to Galapagos
Galapagos is truly a rare gem on our planet and that’s why we really wanted to sail there with Stella Polaris. We had heard rumors that checking in to Galapagos could be a nightmare, but we didn’t let that deter us. The process for us was as follows: Before you arrive...
Solar Panel Install
After having sailed with Stella Polaris for 8 months we now have a fairly good idea of how she works. We’ve discovered elements that are great and other that are not. We’ve also settled on particularities we need to change. There are a few things you need to have...
Welcome to the jungle
The stunning 365 islands of San Blas offer many possibilities to free-dive, relax on beaches and bask in the sun in jaw-dropping scenery, but if you want to do a hike, you need to head inland and for us it was a great welcome to the jungle....
Crocodiles in San Blas
We’ve now spent 4 months enjoying San Blas and much to our surprise crocodiles are a bit more prevalent here than we first thought. When we came to San Blas we read that they only stayed close to the mainland, in the rivers there, but have since discovered that they...
Visitors in San Blas
San Blas is the closest thing you get to paradise in the Caribbean and we’ve been lucky to be able to share it with a good group of visitors spread out over the months we’ve been here. With the visitors we’ve been able to explore the islands, the snorkeling spots, and...
A ”small” change of plans
When we left Norway we had a straightforward plan: fly to Trinidad and get Stella Polaris ready for adventure. From there we would sail to Panama, go through the Panama Canal and then sail south stopping on Easter Island, before heading to Patagonia, Antarctica, etc....
Visitors from Norway in San Blas
This was the first time we were getting visitors from Norway in San Blas, and safe to say we were looking forward to it. Bente, Maren and Frode met us in Shelter Bay Marina, just outside Colon. We hadn’t been gone from Norway for more than a little over 3 months, but...
A taste of Colombia
“If you haven’t drunk our coffee, you haven’t been to Colombia”, I was told by our guide Jose. So in spite of not being a big fan of coffee, I got a taste of Colombia and enjoyed it. Not enough to become an actual coffee drinker, but enough to appreciate the couple of...
Sailing to Colombia
Sailing to Colombia took us 53,5 hours from when we lifted anchor in Spanish Water on Curacao, till we were securely tied up at Marina Santa Marta in Colombia. This meant that we averaged 6 knots in a nice downwind sail. The area around the north coast of Colombia can...