Big news…. I’m engaged! Did anyone expect that coming? No? Good because neither did I to be honest! My best friend and I have been friends for 8 years, he is from Fiji and I am obviously from New Zealand. We met on Facebook, started talking, a year and a half later I went over to meet him and the rest is history. We did trips there or here every 6-8 months until he moved here in 2020!

Our friendship was the most craziest and adventurous one, because we are in a relationship and going to get married so it’s much more than a friendship now. Anyway, this blog is more about the adventures and what he has shown me in the last few years. I have always felt comfortable with him which is something I find very hard because of my disability and the complexity of it. I have always felt like I was just like everyone else because he treats me like this. 

We have been on many trips over the last 7 years since we first met. I went to Fiji many times including his amazing village, Queenstown, road trips, camping trips and our latest trip to Sydney for Taylor Swift! I have travelled a lot with my parents and other friends but our trips are full of spontaneity and stuff that people think we’re crazy for doing including a week-long camping and road trip around the South Island. Camping in a wheelchair with a tent was very interesting but so much fun! We also do a lot of day trips, especially in summer so there’s never a dull moment.

We are engaged but not much has changed and that’s how I know it’s special, we still act like best friends who mock and tease each other all the time. We got engaged on Valentine’s Day but decided to keep it within our close people as we wanted to enjoy being just us and didn’t want everyone knowing just yet, so we waited until we came back from Sydney to announce our news.

I don’t know what the future holds but I know it will be full of adventures, laughter, and random moments! Now, time to go dress shopping in a couple of weeks!!

About the author:

I am a born and raised young New Zealand Māori woman. I was born with cerebral palsy which affects my muscles but not my mind. I am just like any other young person who has dreams, and aspirations and enjoys having fun. I am in my fourth year at the University of Auckland studying Criminology and Māori Studies with dreams of one day working in the justice system. I have a YouTube channel called Wheely Wacky Adventures where my friend Leah and I share videos of our adventures such as skydiving and bungy jumping just to name a couple. I am full of life and ready to take on what comes for me.