Ariane’s visa gets declined, and even with a 90-day permit to stay, she gets refused to enter New Zealand. Tin is at that time already in Christchurch with a bought camper. They figure the only possible solution is to change the entire plan…
This is the start of the possibly most magnificent journey of our life. We are thousands of kilometers away from our planned start. It definitely isn’t that easy, but we’ll get to that later. So why will this journey change our lives? This is White Spot, the movie that tells the story.
My name is Tin (@tinbrendel), and I am an avid filmmaker from Erfurt in Germany. The camera has meant everything to me since I was young. I currently live in London, but our story started even earlier. And I am Ariane (@arianitas_), a nature activist, and I come from São Paulo, close to the coast of Brazil. But we came to know each other in a completely different place…
We both participated in an eleventh-grade foreign-exchange-program in Palm Bay, Florida, where we were in the same class.
After that, we had a long-distance relationship from Germany to Brazil for over two years, with more than 11,000 km distance. Between fantastic vacation visits, constant work, and hard video chats, we graduated from high-school. Finally freedom!
We always felt the need to have some sort of exit or escape. Because of that, New Zealand has always been our dream: beautiful and incredibly far away. Little did we know that everything would soon turn out completely different…
We see many things differently now than we did before our trip.
Spontaneity has always been our approach, even beforehand. And maybe this is the reason why vanlife has always been what it’s been about. Before our trip, we planned out New Zealand as best as we could. We bought a vehicle over the internet and arranged a pickup in Christchurch. Before getting on any plane, we made sure we had sufficient maps, read several hiking guides, and downloaded all necessary navigation systems. Little did we know that only Tin would board a flight that day…
As a German, the application for a Work & Holiday Visa is easy, but for a Brazilian, it is the opposite. Only 300 spaces per year are awarded like lottery tickets. While refreshing the websites on four computers at the same time, we felt like we were in the Tomorrowland waiting queue. Nevertheless, we made sure to prepare everything.
It’s worth noting that you can also take care of a visa on the spot. Even as a Brazilian, you can enter the country for 90 days in any case…
At this point, Tin was already in New Zealand and sitting in the camper on the beach. Simultaneously, Ariane was being pulled off the plane before departure. She wasn’t allowed to start her 90-day visa since she had already applied for a visa. And so, the world begins crashing.
Ariane spent the next two days trying to convince the authorities at the airport in Santiago de Chile. Just before her birthday, she flew back to São Paulo to avoid spending it between planes. After more than a week, it became clear that all the effort in the world wouldn’t make a difference. And so, we made a difficult decision.
Thankfully, Tin was able to sell the camper back to the previous owners and fly to Santiago de Chile. Back to zero.
And so we found ourselves in this situation. Tin flew halfway across the world, and Ariane is about 3 hours flight time away from home, carrying 10kg of pointless books, in a place that we know nothing about. We quickly realized that things wouldn’t be easy in Santiago de Chile either. After about five weeks of effort, we managed to buy a car legally. After a short search, it was clear that in South America, you can’t get around a four-wheel-drive vehicle. We decided to go with a Dodge Ram 1500 Pickup Camper.
Two months after departure, we are through half of our budget for the entire year and still feel more ready than ever…
The story just seemed too crazy to not make a movie out of it. The camera accompanied us constantly. But that was only the beginning of our 90-minute film adventure, which we named “White Spot” like the unexplored places on earth.
After a two-year long-distance relationship, we are again facing incredibly difficult situations. Several local confrontations and a broken car have strengthened our bond and accelerated a year in the wild into an immersive experience. Passing the small ridge between a nature-travel documentary and a story that lets your blood run cold, White Spot makes you want to break out of the system and travel the world.
“White Spot” is now available worldwide on iTunes. Check White-Spot.info for the Trailer and the film release.
Also, follow the film on Instagram @whitespotfilm and us @tinbrendel & @arianitas_ for more regular updates! Can’t wait to share more!
Love, Ari & Tin