Davin | Lower Hutt, Wellington

“I wanted to do up a camper, so I drove my van up to Rotorua last night, from Wellington, to pick up a conversion unit for it. A bed converts to a table type thing. Last night on my way back, my car blew up, and I was stuck on the side of the road for the night.

I was trying to hitchhike this morning to Taupō in the rain, and couldn’t get a ride the way I’m dressed right now and soaking wet. No-one was going to pick me up. So I stopped hitchhiking and just carried on walking, and a total stranger stopped and said, ‘I can’t leave you walking in the rain’. Picked me up, drove me all the way to Taupō to the bus stop. So, that’s my story of gratitude for today. I’m very, very grateful to get out of the rain and off the road so I can get a bus and a coffee and get home.

I usually do pick up hitchhikers if they’re not too dodgy-looking, but I probably looked a bit dodgy myself this morning, and yet this guy picked me up. Just with the whole Covid thing going on, and the stranger-danger thing, I’m just very grateful that he did that, and it just shows me that total strangers randomly can reach out a helping hand when you need it most. Human nature. It can be the best. 

I grew up on a farm in the northern half of the North Island. I grew up in a pretty violent household, spent a lot of time in prison through my 20s and 30s, and finally sorted my shit out when I hit 40, and got all my licenses. I’m a truck-driver now, and gave away all those high-risk relationships and friendships, and I have three good friends who sort of helped me on my way, and life is really good. Really good. I haven’t looked back. Onwards and upwards, even if I’m walking in the rain. I met a beautiful lady who’s no longer with us. She died many years ago, but she was the catalyst for my change in life. I thought people were born to live a certain way, and that was it. I didn’t realise that everybody has the power to change their path, and she sort of showed me a different way to travel. I’ll be eternally grateful for that. I don’t want to get too emotional about it, but without her, I probably wouldn’t be here. Never, I didn’t think I’d live to 20. Didn’t think I’d live to 30, and when I hit 40, I thought, ‘what the hell am I going to do now?’ But she gave me hope for the future. It’s the biggest gift anybody’s ever given me. Just the spark to wake up and see the best in myself and push that forward into the world. So, I’m so grateful for that. It’s amazing that I’m still here because of her, and just living my life now is probably the best gift to her, to show my gratitude.”