The former Olympic speed skater left Dunedin on August 12 to circumnavigate the globe on a bicycle in the hope of raising funds for the University of Otago's Te Aho Matatu: Centre for Translational Cancer Research.
Mr Nicholson (45) arrived back in Invercargill from Brisbane on Sunday and rolled into Dunedin from Queenstown on Tuesday night with just 1200km left.
He spent just an hour and a-half at home before preparing to head out of Dunedin via Mt Cargill yesterday, bound for Ashburton and then Auckland where the trip began.
Mr Nicholson, a relief teacher and fitness instructor, said it felt ‘‘fantastic'' to be back on home soil and he was eager to complete the challenge.
‘‘[The trip has] been unreal really. With home being so close, it was very tempting to just call it a day,'' Mr Nicholson said.
‘‘[But] it's not about going fast; it's about keeping moving.''
An entourage, including Guinness World Records officials, was set to meet him at Auckland airport when he arrived on Sunday or Monday.
He was aiming to beat the record of 28,970km in 125 days, 21 hours and 45 minutes with ‘‘a day or two to spare''.
Mr Nicholson has cycled through Canada, the United States, Europe, India, Southeast Asia and Australia.
‘‘The body has coped remarkably well throughout the trip,'' he said.
‘‘The biggest challenge has been the logistics and organisation.''
The highlight of the trip so far had come in Australia.
Being able to ride across the Nullarbor Plain in South Australia with his wife, Marcela, was ‘‘fantastic''.
‘‘It was awesome to see Australia,'' Mr Nicholson said.
‘‘It was just awesome to see the vastness [and] I didn't have to carry my bags.''
But he was glad to be back in New Zealand and almost at the end of an epic journey.
‘‘I can't wait to sit down and watch a movie with my wife,'' he said.
Donations could be made through his website: www.teahoworldride.com
