Elisabeth Easther talks to Latu Clark, tour guide at Wellington's Zealandia Eco Sanctuary.
In hindsight I can see what a sweet childhood I had. We lived in Suva and in the weekends, we'd drive an hour up the coast to a little town called Pacific Harbour. Later we discovereda backpackers further up the coast. It was really basic. Mum and Dad bought a huge family tent with two rooms and when we got there, we'd open the car door, run out and come back when we were hungry.
I moved to Wellington to finish high school. Then I studied Ecology and Biodiversity at Victoria, and during my first year, I decided to go to Sydney for two weeks on my own. That was my first self-funded trip and it felt really important and satisfying. After Sydney, I realised I could save money and organise myself, so the next place was Thailand. I was happy to go on my own but in the end I talked so much about it I convinced three friends to come too.
Arriving in Bangkok in the evening, it was dark and loud and took ages to get into the city. The taxi driver didn't know where he was going and it felt really overwhelming. I hadn't mentally prepared for the chaos of Bangkok but, after the initial shock, we really threw ourselves into the craziness and colours, the shopping, beaches and parties.
To get me through my Masters, I planned a big European trip as a thank-you to myself. I was away for about four months, and the first two weeks I found really difficult. Am I paying too much? Am I going in the right direction? How does public transport work? Then I started developing strategies. I bought a Busabout pass, like Eurorail but on a bus network, so I had unlimited travel for three and a half months. I really enjoyed Prague and Krakow because they're small and the streets are filled with history and stories.
I didn't have much money, so a friend put me on to Couchsurfing. In Genoa, I arrived late in the afternoon, and the guy I was staying with said, "It's a nice evening, there's a place up on the hill, let's go grab a drink there". He had a scooter and it felt like a movie. In Italy, the sun setting, riding through the streets of this gorgeous place on the back of a guy's scooter.
Since I've been back in New Zealand, I've tried to reciprocate — I'm hosting someone at the moment — because Couchsurfing shows you how easy it is to be kind. My hosts during my travels just wanted to do a good thing, they owed me nothing but they shared their lives, because they could.
I went to Valencia for La Tomatina, which was one thing I never thought I'd do. In the middle of 20,000 people, there are tonnes of tomatoes being dumped on the street by big trucks and everyone's throwing them. It was one of weirdest things I've done and it's amazing how many places tomatoes can get into. In the shower days later, another bit of tomato would go down the plughole.
I loved Italy. It's so beautiful. I love their food and the people know how to live. At university I also did a Classical Studies major so the Roman Empire was magical for me. I spent four days in Rome going non-stop to the point that, when I got to my next city, I was exhausted.
Latu Clark at the Roman Forum.
The Colosseum was cool; really old places do something funny to your head. To think that 2000 years ago someone sat there, and you imagine what their life was life. Going to places like Rome and the Colosseum gave me a tingly out-of-body experience. It really puts things in perspective. You stand in these places where people have left such a legacy and we're here to appreciate it. Then I wonder, what will I leave behind?
As a guide at Zealandia, I know I will leave a legacy. I won't see the best of it, that will take many more years to come but it's nice to know the work we're doing will have an impact on my kids and their kids. Zealandia is a real place of hope and Wellington is enthusiastic about the project so we feel a lot of support and encouragement.
I started as a night guide and, after dark, visitors get to see a whole different world and it's a different sensory experience too. We have about 150 kiwi pukupuku (little spotted kiwi), and it never gets old to come around a corner and hear scratching in the undergrowth and out wanders a kiwi having its dinner. And he's not bothered, you're just part of the background, like a fly on the wall.
