My trip to New Zealand was a pivotal moment in my life for what the future holds. I will remember this trip for the rest of my life and was very thankful I could join. 

Leading to the trip I knew God wanted me to go as I was praying and was led to join as well the provision provided before it started. I heard of the trip a few months prior and signed up not having the money or even time off work yet. I ended up being provided the finances for the entire trip by one generous person. My work’s busiest time of the year was December which was the entire month I was asking for off. My co-worker told me I wouldn’t be provided with the time off, but I submitted the request form anyways. The next day my supervisor came up to me saying that he wouldn’t accept such a large request usually but because I was going for religious reasons and he was “afraid of God” he said. He gave me the time off of a month. After that I knew I was meant to go. 

The trip started with me landing in Auckland, New Zealand. Two of my friends who I hadn’t seen in two years came running up to me hugging me and excited out of their minds. I then got in a van full of people, some were strangers and others friends. Driving on the left side of the road full of traffic with the sun blaring down. From rainy Canada to sunny New Zealand within a day. It was mad. We drove most of that day until we arrived at Christian Surfers, an organization mostly based in the Western Hemisphere. A group full of intense surfers all over the world. We stayed in a beautiful pirate themed house on the east coast. We met up with the camp directors of the surfing camp we would be volunteering with next week. At the beginning of the trip I wasn’t doing that great. I realized this while we were worshiping that night on top of the house. A feeling that I had not felt in a long time poured out on me in that moment, excitement. This feeling hadn’t occurred to me in what it felt like forever. I was concerned about myself, because I hadn’t even realized I wasn’t doing that great until then. I knew I wasn’t the same happy Nick that people knew a few years back. I had very little hope.

We picked up two young New Zealand shredders and went to the base to pick up some other kids. The kids were great. Within a day we got to know the whole crew pretty well. They were all kids and young adults from around the area. Some were Christians and others still figuring it out. I knew this group was crazy when we stopped at a cliff to sight see. I at least thought that’s what it was for. I looked over a 40 foot cliff into a stream in the rainforest. Men started jumping off. No hesitation and yelling at the top of there lungs. It was awesome. We ended up in Mahia, a small village with huge waves. Now I’m not a good surfer, I am a wannabe surfer who loves to surf and hang out with even better surfers. And also volunteer with organizations who surf. These waves were crazy. Giant 10 foot, 3 metre waves crashing down. Smooth like butter, without stopping and picturesque. And these kids knew how to shred. No fear, one a 15 old girl charging these waves and smiling the entire time. You ask her after, and she says, “it was alright”. They were wild kids.

The 3rd day into the trip I had a crazy experience that led me to being freed from a lot of emotions and lies I had been telling myself for almost the past 2 years. I could talk about it for a while but to simply put it, God saved me and opened my eyes. After that I realized how big life was, how what I was doing mattered and how I enjoyed it so much. The fun of not knowing what’s next. Crazy people, crazy culture. I was made for it. But more of that later, the adventure was going. I had hope again.

The main exciting thing was seeing all of the kids who started to love life near the end of the week. They got to learn how being a Christian wasn’t boring. There are a  lot of people that are around in there lives that follow Christ, but live a life not interesting to them. Us coming showed you can be an adult and love God, do crazy things by living the adventure with God. One of the boys told me we were so cool and that he’s never met anyone else like us. It was a very similar experience to me. As a kid I never wanted to be a Christian because one of the main reasons is none of them lived the life I was interested in. Monotonous jobs, living in the same place there entire life, being stuck up, getting mad at fun. None of this was true and showing that to someone young could release them from living a life of drugs or wasting it by not following Christ. Now they could live a life full of God and live the adventure. We saw one of the boys on the trip get baptized, we saw girls come alive with life in who they were. I saw kids that were wise beyond what I thought was possible. I met people with personalities I never thought existed. These people were amazing, great hearts and alive in Christ.

As we left the kids after the week, we were overjoyed. If we finished the trip there we would have been happy. We still had a week on the island to explore. So we went off on a road trip, all 8 of us. 1 Australian, 1 Canadian and 6 Americans. We went to Gisborne to help out a church. 

Things I noticed of the culture of New Zealand people, was there island attitude. No one was in a rush to get things done, whatever happens happened. Times weren’t set in stone and people were willing to wait. People were very comfortable with each other. I would buy a real fruit ice cream, which was real local fruit blended with ice cream. And I would sit and people would want some, so after licking the ice cream I would hand it down to someone who would lick it too. Then if someone else wanted some they gave it to them too. Germs weren’t a problem. People didn’t wear shoes or shirts. They have very little homeless as the locals would invite people in as they’ve adopted them and give them a place to live and another chance at life. You would see women and men with Maori face tattoos. A design usually under the mouth individually designed by the tribe or family they belonged to. It was a special place and very comforting. I loved it.

We were invited by the church to a barbecue. It was an amazing barbecue as we only ate meat and seasoned it with salt. We got to meet locals who came from all over and shared there stories with us. We got to hold a sermon and worship session with them. We shared who we were and what we were doing in New Zealand. We played with the chickens and ate plums from the orchard on the property. 

After that we drove to Raglan on a 8 hour van drive. Laughing, singing, fighting, sleeping, dancing, and worshiping, we did it all on that drive. We drove into our hostel. It was an old train cart that was converted to double decker beds. Hostels are shared living spaces that you can stay for cheap. A shared bathroom and kitchen. People from all ages, families with kids, seniors, groups of tourists, lonesome hitchhikers. You have to be adaptable and okay sharing a closed quarter space with complete strangers who you might not share a language with. People who stayed here were usually free souls, trying to find themselves. Which basically means going around and becoming comfortable with not knowing the future and what it holds. Figuring out there basic morals while doing drugs, new experiences and meeting all types of people from all over the world. They are lost people trying to find the truth. Usually the truth they were following before they now believe to be a lie and are now trying to find the real truth that society can’t give them, so they wander the earth. Our main mission field and people to minister to, were this group. Known as nomads, soul searches or backpackers. They were hard to talk to as most of them wanted a spiritual experience, but once they heard about religion they didn’t want any of it. They didn’t want to be boxed in. We met lots of them while traveling. Usually it is praying from afar and you only get one or two conversations with them as they come and go. Never stopping, always moving.

Our last place we stayed was Coromandel. I surfed there in crazy dark waves at night time. Knowing that something lurked underneath. We were camping during the trip through Christmas Day. I met a man who happened to go to the camp I worked for that summer in Canada. He told me it was an amazing time in his life. It was sad as I talked to him. He told me he didn’t follow God as he fell away. He seemed so hopeless. He had a beautiful wife, was traveling through New Zealand and the world. That was it, he had nothing besides that. I challenged him to think about where he’s going after this. I knew where I was going and told him my opinion, but it was up to him to decide. In these situations you never know if you’re doing anything, but I know that God will work in his life somehow. And if he searches he will find. I met another man on the beach who after talking to me said that he had no interest in my God or religion. He couldn’t accept that there was only one way and I was right. I told him if he called out to god he would answer. So on that beach in front of hundreds of people, he yelled out “God, I’m here”. He was mocking me and what I believed, but I knew that he was playing with God. So I think of him to this day and wonder what happened after that. A random french man in the beach of New Zealand. 

We had a Christmas Eve service and invited the entire camp we were staying with. I remember afterward we did an altar call, and 4 people gave there lives to Christ. It was surreal. I didn’t expect anything to happen, but God moved in people’s lives. One man who left Christ from England, but wanted to recommit to him again. It was amazing knowing that I was honoured to be part of someone’s journey to Christ. Me, a random Canadian boy.

The trip was coming to an end. Sad and wished it was longer. We met so many wonderful people. So many experiences that were unforgettable. For me this was a trip that pointed my future and what I wanted to do with life. How I wanted to spend it and with what type of people. I’ve considered moving to New Zealand after this, but probably not. I definitely want to go again, hopefully next year. This time I want to go to the South Island as I was told that it is the real New Zealand.