Bridget Thackwray and Topher Richwhite before they disappeared inside Iran. Video / @expeditionearth.live via Instagram
A close friend of New Zealand social media influencers detained in Iran for four months has shared his relief after receiving word that the couple have been freed and are safe and well.
Spy's Ricardo Simich said he was "very relieved" for Topher Richwhite and Bridget Thackwray and their families.
"I know their family and friends have been extremely worried and myself and the Herald have been very respectful of this and MFATs guidance for their safety," he said.
Richwhite and Thackwray entered Iran on the latest leg of their Expedition Earth quest during the first week of July and hadn't been heard from since.
Simich said their absence on their Instagram account, which has garnered more than 300,000 followers and goes under the name Expedition Earth, did not go unnoticed.
“Their followers started bombarding me for answers when it was obvious to all something had gone terribly wrong in Iran months ago.
"When I was bombarded by their worried followers, I sent them an email. I have always heard back within 24 hours and then, even though I knew they had reduced access to comms in Iran – I was worried."
Bridget Thackwray and Topher Richwhite went missing in Iran while traveling the world and documenting their adventures for 300,000 followers on Instagram. Photo / Supplied
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said this morning via a spokeswoman that a couple who had received consular assistance in Iran were "out of the country" and were "safe and well".
It is understood that MFAT believed any news reporting on the couple's situation in Iran would pose a serious risk to their safety.
The couple had been travelling the world after deciding early on in their relationship to explore the planet in 2017.
In June this year they decided to take a brief break from travelling to return to New Zealand to get married.
Simich said one of the reasons they decided to wed was so they could travel to Iran.
“After all of the dangers and borders and laws they had come across I thought their preparation for Iran would have been excellent – as it turns out it was not! Iran is a very, very tricky place.
"There are certain natural wonders that were important for them to cover in Iran, but really, I know they will now be thinking at what cost, to themselves, to friends, family and the New Zealand Government."
Bridget Thackwray and Topher Richwhite married in New Zealand in July ahead of their travels through the Middle East. Photo / Supplied
The couple have landed in numerous precarious situations in hot spots across the world and Simich said they only barely made it out of Russia this year when the country went to war with Ukraine.
"They got a few terse words from me when they just got out of Russia on the eve of the Ukraine war. One of the reasons they placed themselves in that danger was to get Gunther out of Russia," he said.
The couple had been travelling to scores of countries in their Jeep named Gunther.
Before embarking on this latest leg of the years-long travel, they still had 33 countries left on the list to finish their expedition.
Concerns for the couple’s safety were sparked after their social media profiles were not updated for nearly four months since last posting stunning images taken from the Tas Yol passage in Turkey’s Karanlık Kanyon to Instagram on July 5.
