Sitting alone in my two-bedroom apartment, having recently finished having a few friends over for breakfast, it suddenly hit me.
In just over a day’s time, my tenure in Rarotonga will come to an end.
As I sat on my deck eating tropical mangos and passion fruit, the realisation came as a bit of a shock.
Seven months of researching, writing, interviewing, fact-checking and photographing the stories of people from all over the Cook Islands ends tomorrow.
It’s a fact that has crept up on me almost without warning since I resigned ahead of Christmas.
The subsequent six weeks have been a mixture of sweet and sour, each completed by a rapidly ticking clock.
It has been a time of trying to escape being alone, a time of avoiding scenes of reminiscence – highlights, lowlights, lessons learnt.
While the 42 days since were filled with activity, there was still an urge to think of memories past and store them.
Then last Saturday, while cleaning up post-breakfast, the Rarotonga memories couldn’t hide any longer.
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While not all memories of my time here are sweet and dusted with desiccated coconut, Rarotonga itself has been very kind to me.
One of my favourite past times now in Rarotonga is strolling the golden sands of the Social Centre in Nikao.
On every occasion, one can hear the joyful cheers of laughter interspersed with the dulcet tones of water reaching the sand.
It’s this joy and feeling of content that will be called upon a number of times in the future.
That and the tropical fruit, of course.
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Food aside, the past seven months have seen me take on a number of challenges and fulfil a number of goals I’m proud to have achieved.
In my short term here, I helped cover the 2012 Pacific Leaders Forum, the national side’s Olympics campaign and a number of other Rarotonga-based events.
Of all of those events, the one that stood out was watching the Cook Islands host the Pacific-focused meet with distinction.
Leading by example with the establishment of a large marine park, the Cook Islands shone alongside US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who attended parts of the meet.
Then in December, the Cook Islands again made international news with the confirmation of the second largest shark sanctuary in the world (behind French Polynesia).
Steered by the Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative, the Cook Islands’ project has been hailed internationally as a milestone for shark protection.
These are just two events that have given the Cook Islands a significant amount of profile, and a similarly high dosage of credibility from the international community.
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I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a chance to get to know just what makes people in the Cook Islands tick.
The best avenue hasn’t been through reporting, or photographing people – it’s been through getting into their community.
This season I played for the mighty Titikaveka Titans in the domestic T20 competition here.
What was a rocky road was made easier by the bond shared by all players regardless of background or ability.
This bond has resulted in countless hearty stories that would have gone unnoticed to anyone on the outside looking in.
To Hori and the boys, thanks for the season fellas and I look forward to hearing of more success in the future.
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In this final post I want to pose what has become an all-too-familiar question: How comfortable are you in your current situation?
My pastor here at Celebration on the Rock put it nicely at the last service I went to here in Raro.
He said that “we are here today because of the decisions we have made in the past”.
It’s not a new phrase per se, but it really hammered the thought home:
I came to Rarotonga wanting a change in lifestyle, a chance to seek heavenly counsel and to develop as a journalist.
Whether this season was to ensure lessons are learnt and taken home remains to be seen, but there’s one thing I can vouch for right now.
I’m a changed man.
Gone are the days of laziness and easiness, the days of shyness in the sports media environment and the inferiority complex.
The days to come won’t feature a Matiu Workman who is too shy to ask dumb questions, or a Matiu Workman whose cultural heritage is only shown in his first name.
It's now a case of working hard, playing hard and being proud of my Maori heritage more than ever before.
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Helping re-connect with my Christian faith was a key factor in my decision to move to Rarotonga, and in hindsight I certainly think my walk has improved.
While I’m nowhere near becoming St Matiu of Lower Hutt, I have certainly noticed that God has instilled in my heart a greater conviction when sinning.
It’s certainly a timely reminder that anything wrong or non-Christian like pains him, and that for me is a big stepping stone to not only reducing the offences, but breaking them completely.
I’d like to quickly thank pastor Jonathan Cargill and his team at Celebration on the Rock for challenging me and my faith and guiding me spiritually over the last season.
I’ve certainly felt a benefit and look forward to improving further back in New Zealand.
To Brian Aitken and his family, my thoughts, prayers and sincere thanks also go out to you.
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While I’ve thanked a few people already, I want to humbly acknowledge all of the Cook Islands people for your hospitality, your aroa maata and your generosity.
The Cook Islands is a country where culture, rather than capitalism, is the main driver of the economy.
It’s a country where traditions of centuries past co-exist with modern day technology, and whose love for their families and friends is strong amongst each of the 15 stars.
It is to you people that I give my final words:
Meitaki maata e kia manuia.
Matiu Workman
