Kia ora koutou katoa. Ko Turongo Mauri Ora Henare-Ruruku, he uri ahau o Muaupoko, Ngāti Raukawa ki te tonga hoki.

I am a third-year double major student in Te Reo Māori and Indigenous studies at the University of Waikato. I am a proud Māori originally from the Horowhenua region in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and have lived in the Waikato region for 10 years. I have been fortunate to study at the University of Hawai’i Hilo in the fall semester before I graduate with my degree.

During my stay here at University of Hawai’i at Hilo I have experienced many wonderful activities that I could not have been more grateful for. The first would be all the wonderful friends I have made here, both local people of Hawai’i and international people across different parts of the world. The second is the wonderful environmental areas I have visited and got to witness. My favourite was the volcano Kīlauea. The final highlight is the Hawaiian language and history I have learnt and obtained for my knowledge. It is an honour to be able to learn Ōlelo Hawai’i from our island cousins, and I wish to continue to learn the Hawaiian language to achieve a fluent level of speaking.

The end of my trip has me reminiscing on my experience and challenges here. There were two challenges that mainly affected me. The first one was acclimating myself with the area and weather. I come from an area in Aotearoa where it is usually cold, especially in the winter, and the heat here was the biggest challenge during the start of my travels. The second was being on my own for the first time, as I always had family close or nearby, and this was the first time living on my own.

But these moments and challenges have taught me that trying new things and exploring new locations is definitely worth it. For a long time I have been scared to leave my home and family to go beyond our beautiful home. But this exchange has taught me how to stand up on my own feet, establishing new relationships to people and land. Also this experience made me realise how beautiful Aotearoa is and how fortunate our people are to live in the land of the long white cloud. I will miss Hilo, but I am excited to return home to my family and the land of my ancestors.

The exchange has established a deep relationship with the local people here who have been nothing but amazing and beautiful toward me. I would love to return and visit my friends regularly to keep that connection with the island and the people. In my opinion, this exchange embodies this whakataukī. “Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa”, let us stay together, not far apart.

Mihi te nui ki a koutou katoa who have supported me from Aotearoa and to the new friends I have made here in Hilo Hawai’i.