Bear essentials

The plan was to go to Queenstown to see the sights and relax in one of the world’s most picturesque destinations, but Stefania LaVie Owen has never been one for following plans – not even her own.

After starring in Sweet Tooth, one of Netflix’s biggest shows of the year, the young New Zealand-American star should have been working the Hollywood circuit, gracing red carpets and rubbing shoulders with celebrities.

Instead, she was on her own at the bottom of the world, living on the bare essentials out of a van she bought after filming ended.

Despite dreams of Queenstown, Stefania got as far as Nelson and realised she’d found what she didn’t even know she was looking for.

“After finishing , I just needed to focus on my mental health, without anything that felt like it defined me, so I took a van and was by myself. It was such an incredible thing,” says the 23-year-old. “It simplified everything. I thought that as soon as I got it, I’d just feel this full freedom, and I did – but also, you