My happy place: Lily Edmonds-Anderson, teenager

Lily Edmonds-Anderson, a disabled teenager who enjoys surfing at Piha.

I'm a really indecisive person, so my happy place would change depending on the day or my mood. I really like horse riding, and I love hanging out with my friends or just hanging out in my bedroom.

I also really like trying new things.

My old PE teacher, Mr Springall, approached me one day and asked if I wanted to give disabled surfing a go. I didn't know it was possible -- I have mild cerebral palsy and I don't have very good natural balance. I thought he was joking, at first. I was a bit sceptical but I thought it would be cool to give it a go.

I was really nervous, to be honest. I'd been to Piha before but I'd never actually been in the water because you hear the horror stories about people drowning. And I didn't know how they would do it, physically.

We went out there on a nice December day. At first I just wanted to go home again -- I was so nervous. But there were lots of people there to help me, and they told me how it would work, and how they would hold me and the surfboard, and help me.

I got on to the surfboard on the beach, and they took me into the water and taught me how to hold on, and where I should position myself on the board so it didn't tip. Once I got over the fear, I was quite excited.

When you go over the wave you get pushed back a bit so that was a bit scary at first. It was a weird feeling -- cool, but really nerve-racking.

Other people might find surfing a normal thing, even if they haven't done it before. But for me, because I don't have any natural balance, it can literally be life-threatening.

I felt ecstatic when I came out of the water. I wanted to do it again. I already felt like I could do most things in life, but trying something that's usually only done by completely able-bodied people definitely opened a gate for me to try new things.

I'd always wished I could go ice skating, and I thought, "Well, I've done surfing, so maybe I could try it." So I went ice skating in my wheelchair for the first time. It was cool. It was so slippery -- the equivalent of walking on soap. My friends were doing tricks with me -- spinning me around. It was a really weird feeling, but it was really fun.

-- as told to Bronwyn Sell