New Zealand man dies while holidaying in Bolivia. / Youtube
Marriage, children, their own home - it was all in the making for two Kiwi lovebirds after a trip of a lifetime through South America.
But while mountain biking down Bolivia's notorious "Death Road" as part of an organised tour, tragedy struck.
Brittany Homan, 24, was cycling behind and out of sight of her partner of five years Emile Vollenhoven, 27, when he is believed to have come off the track, plunging down a 100-metre-high cliff to his death.
"I had an accident myself only a few minutes before, and so was riding behind and didn't see," Homan said.
"I don't know what happened to him, even the guides don't know exactly. They say he must have ridden over the edge."
Emile Vollenhoven, 27, and his girlfriend Brittany Homan, 24, at a restaurant in Arequipa, Peru. Photo / Supplied
Homan, now back in New Zealand, said it still didn't "feel real".
"He was so selfless and caring, and had such respect and love for his family and mine. That's what attracted me to him, the love and care he had. We all miss him so much."
The couple were three months into a dream trip through South America, one they had been planning since they first met five years ago while studying in Dunedin.
"I was more anxious than him about travelling somewhere like South America, but he had this ability to win people over with his excitement," Homan said.
During the cold Dunedin nights they'd stay up late dreaming up plans - Iguazu Falls, Machu Picchu, Patagonia, Rio de Janeiro.
"We didn't just want to do something like Europe, we wanted to do something different."
After finishing their degrees in 2015/2016, they moved back to Auckland, living at their parents' places to save for the trip, and for a house down the track.
They set off on their adventure in November, first to Santiago, Chile, before making their way south to Patagonia where they went hiking and visited the "end of the Earth" in Ushuaia, Argentina. They spent Christmas in Buenos Aires, and New Year in Rio de Janeiro.
"We made an effort to be in special places for special times," Homan said.
Emile Vollenhoven, 27, and his girlfriend Brittany Homan, 24, in Huacachina, Peru, where they went dune buggying and sand boarding. Photo / Supplied
Travelling South America Vollenhoven really came into his element.
"He researched everything, and just loved it over there. He was always practising his Spanish, and had all of the key phrases down.
"I take some comfort or consolation in knowing he really did complete all he wanted."
Vollenhoven was "sports mad", Homan said,
"He was such a good all-round sportsman, and excelled at everything he put his mind to."
But his favourite sport was basketball, and he especially loved the NBA.
So, after South America, they had planned to stopover in Sacramento in the United States to see an NBA game, before meeting Homan's family in Vancouver, Canada on February 10 for a reunion and celebration for her sister Summer's 21st birthday.
"It was going to be a big special family holiday in Vancouver," Homan's mother Heather Smith-Cassin said.
Emile Vollenhoven, pictured here in Paracas National Reserve in Peru, was on the trip of a lifetime through South America with his girlfriend Brittany Homan, 24. Photo / Supplied
"He was considered a son to me and my husband Andrew, and a brother to my other daughter. Our family miss him so much.
"He and my daughter were very much head over heels in love. He was one of the most amazing young men I have ever met, he was genuine and treated my daughter like a queen."
Vollenhoven moved to New Zealand with his family from Cape Town, South Africa, when he was about 7.
"He identified as a Kiwi, but was proud of South Africa and would bring up memories all of the time," Homan said.
His love of sports fed into his passion for working as a physiotherapist.
"He first did a science degree at Auckland University, but decided it was not for him and took up physiotherapy in Dunedin. I had the pleasure of watching his life change, and of being his test dummy.
"It was not a job but a calling. He loved everything about it, trying to figure out an injury and what was wrong."
Emile Vollenhoven on a boat sailing around Ilha Grande a few hours out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo / Supplied
While living in Dunedin they would travel to the mountains, where Homan taught him to ski.
"We were thinking when we returned we would find somewhere to live in the South Island, close to the mountains."
During their trip they began thinking about having children one day.
"He was just exceptional with kids. We'd be going city to city and he'd point out cute babies with fat cheeks. He wanted to be a dad, but what made him so special was he was a big kid himself. It was something really special about him."
A Givealittle page has been set up to assist the families with funeral costs and the cost of bringing Vollenhoven home.
