It was on a small turboprop plane and I recall freaking out when the plane started circling Matamata because I thought there must be something wrong with our aircraft.
I also did not know there was an airfield in Matamata, which made it worse.
However, after a few more circles we landed safely to drop off a passenger before flying on to our destination of Rotorua, which was just a few clouds away.
Years later I would be having stop-offs in places such as Auckland to fly to Queenstown or overseas, or stopping at places such as Sydney to fly on to Melbourne, Perth, Canberra or Cairns.
One of my favourite stopovers is Singapore because it means I am flying to England or other countries.
Los Angeles is another favourite because it means I am flying elsewhere in the United States such as Florida or New York.
I have been fortunate to fly to places I never dreamed of seeing.
And now there are no more stopovers anywhere for me because of Covid-19. In fact, I have not flown since Covid-19 hit our shores.
My last international speaking engagement was three weeks before Covid lockdown when I flew to Vancouver, Canada, on a Monday after a stopover in Auckland.
I presented my leadership keynote to 1000 young leaders on Wednesday before flying home that night and was back in my own bed on Friday night.
I have been back in my own bed every night since then and am enjoying being home in Aotearoa.
Speaking has stopped and so has flying.
However, there are also no more early morning flights to catch, busy taxis to sit in, hotels to check in and out of or delicious meals to eat on my own.
I do miss helping people on their journeys though.
My uncle Mita Mohi used to always say: "One door closes and another opens."
A few years ago we were looking at our businesses and were thinking about the risks associated with being just a professional speaker.
My whānau were not travelling with me as often as they used to so we decided to diversify or as they are saying in Covid times, pivot.
We started other businesses including hosting people on local helicopters, which meant more flying, hosting people in accommodation and a couple of other things including becoming a professional director.
My professional director mahi on various boards is particularly enjoyable.
Sure, I may not be flying anywhere anymore, but I am still making a positive difference in many people's lives.
I also get to spend more time with whānau and friends and about the only thing flying now is my golf ball around various golf courses.
I am sure my golf balls get to fly to places they never dreamed of seeing either, especially with my out-of-bounds shots.
I am also enjoying more time with my wife and instead of flying to New York on business as we were due to do during Covid-19, we have invested in a couple of electric bikes and fly along all the awesome bike paths.
Because of Covid, my daughter is also home from med school studying here instead of Auckland as they have gone online, so time with her is also another bonus and it is also nice to be around with my son who is in his first year as a doctor at Rotorua hospital.
One door closes, another opens in this ever-changing Covid-19 world.
I hope new doors are opening for you too.
As Louis Armstrong used to sing…"and I think to myself, what a wonderful world".
• Ngahihi o te ra Bidois is an international keynote speaker, businessman, author, husband and father. www.ngahibidois.com
