Moving to Christchurch had been a journey, it is for able-bodied people but for people with a disability, it is more so. Before writing this blog I was thinking about what would be interesting for you, so I decided to write about the differences between my life in Auckland and Christchurch.

Starting in Auckland, in short, it was pretty boring and uneventful. You know, my life consisted mostly of work and Netflix. I didn’t go out often because after my rent was paid I only had enough for groceries. That’s what it is like for a lot of people, don’t get me wrong but it was also not where I saw my life being like in 5 years' time. I also spent a lot of time by myself, which is not always a bad thing but if you spend too much time by yourself you become almost scared of people, and that’s what happened to me. Yeah, I saw people at work and my parents but I didn’t have a lot of social interaction. That gave me a feeling of loneliness but also peace and security when I was locked up in my little flat which is not healthy for anyone.

Moving on to nearly 6 months in Christchurch and I’m slowly getting past my fear of people and getting my life into a plan. The whole vibe in Christchurch is completely different to Auckland, it is more relaxed and the people seem to be happier and more accepting of people like me. My care team are pretty much all my friends which makes a big difference in social interactions. Two of them I have known my whole life through my first caregiver Aunty Gonny. I go to Aunty Gonny’s for dinner every Wednesday with Ashley (her granddaughter and my friend/carer). That gives me a sense of home as I spent a lot of time with them growing up before they moved here. Ashley and I have coffees on Fridays and after church on Sundays which is always a good time. I have also got to do some adventures after a long break. I went on a 6-hour rafting trip which was awesome as well as a half marathon with my friend Tom. Rafting was done with Richard (Aunty Gonny’s son), Danielle (another carer, friend and she is one of Richard’s daughters) as well as other people. I also get to socialise with people from work as we have Friday drinks so they message me if they are going which I love because I’m not left out. In saying this, I miss my family very much and I am always excited when my parents come to visit!

I am starting to think about the future and where I would like to go. At the moment I am planning on doing one more big trip to hopefully Europe then I want to focus on saving for a house. But who knows what the future holds, but as long as I have plans and I’m not living paycheque to paycheque I’m happy.

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.