Manifesting a Dream Trip to New Zealand

Deesha Dyer is the co-founder and executive director of beGirl.world Global Scholars, an organization that empowers teen girls through education and travel. In this first-person essay, Dyer shares how she made her travel dream of a trip to New Zealand a reality, confirming that manifesting your travel destiny sometimes really does work.

Science was always my favorite class, especially in middle school, as my inquisitive and creative mind started to mature enough to understand how the world and everything in it connected.

One day in 1990, we were learning about plants: how sun and water conspire to create everything we see around us. When my fabulous teacher instructed us to open our textbooks, I was immediately struck by a photo of a large, lush field with all types of colorful flowers. It curved up a hill and seemed to go on for miles.

Where was this place?

I glanced down to the corner to read the small italicized writing: New Zealand. I folded the corner of the page so I could look at it again from time to time.

A Long-Distance Love Affair

This started a love affair with this beautiful country in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. However, I was just a kid from Philadelphia; New Zealand was so far away. Traveling to me was going to the Jersey Shore or visiting family in Queens or New York – certainly not boarding a plane or crossing an ocean to leave the country.

In seventh grade, I kept a spinning globe in my room – the cheap kind, with the plastic peel on sections that would slowly creep up after a few years, only to be held down by scotch tape. I kept North America pointing toward me, for if I had to turn the globe left or right to see another country, that was a sign that I couldn’t afford to go there. New Zealand seemed like another planet away, one you would need a million dollars and a rocket ship to get to.

As I grew up, graduated from high school in 1995, and learned more about travel, I realized that while I didn’t need either of those things to explore, I certainly had to find another path to see the world – because I still couldn’t afford it. I jokingly (and, um, seriously) prayed for a job that would pay me to travel. I spent the early 2000s watching Travel Channel host Samantha Brown, who seemed to have the best job in the world: eating, drinking, and galavanting around the globe. Someone please pay me to do this! I thought.

This led me to short stints with American Airlines and the Omni Netherland Plaza hotels, where I flew and stayed in places for a huge discount. Yet I was never able to use the benefits for international travel.

Yes, We Can (Travel Internationally)

In 2007, at age 29, after a slew of professional stops (including as a hip-hop journalist, peer counselor, secretary, and retail worker), I decided to return to school part-time at the Community College of Philadelphia. At this point, I had left the airline and hotel worlds and had visited international destinations on a budget, including Mexico, Bermuda, France, and England. The realm of what was possible and how far I could go began to grow. Then, in 2009, I landed an opportunity that finally did pay me to travel: I went to intern at the White House for the president and first lady of the United States, Barack and Michelle Obama.

I traveled all over the world with the White House and absolutely loved it. In 2011, the president was planning an official trip to Australia, but unfortunately, I couldn’t make it to New Zealand. On the way home, I craned my neck by the window to catch any glimpse of it I could from above.

Going Places

Fast forward to 2022 when I was planning my wedding. I told my now-husband Wes that the only place on Earth I wanted to go was New Zealand. I didn’t care how much it cost; we were going. I had never forgotten the feeling I had at age 10 when I first turned to that page in science class.

So, in March 2023, I finally touched down on New Zealand soil.

The trip got off to a rocky start when Wes’ long-anticipated scuba excursion got canceled because of bad visibility. If scuba diving is on your New Zealand agenda, it’s essential to have a back-up plan. The next morning, we cruised to Taupō. On the drive, we saw endless fields of green and lush trees and flowers in bloom. It was an emotional and reflective moment.

I had made it.

Appetite for Adventure

En route to Taupō, we stopped for a delicious meal at a roadside diner before checking out the pristine sands of Waihi Beach. The fall season meant it was less crowded and a little chilly, yet still enjoyable for swimming, walking, fishing, lounging, and people-watching.

Before I go further, it is important to note that New Zealand was colonized destructively. While we could feel the presence of the Māori people all around the island, the effects of land seizures as well as suppressed language, tradition, and culture were equally prevalent. We visited a community flea market where we enjoyed delicious home-baked goods. We also explored the unique beauty of Whakarewarewa Forest, which offers outdoor activities like running and biking.

Paradise Found in and Around Taupō

We checked into The Village Resort, surrounded by downtown restaurants and walking paths overlooking Lake Taupo. Over the next five days, our trip felt magical. We plunged into Hell’s Gate, an active geothermal spa where we experienced relaxing mud baths.

We visited several waterfalls, including Okere and Tawhai (also known as Gollum’s Pool). My husband joined a game at the local lawn bowling club while I enjoyed a therapeutic massage.

Best-Laid Plans…

On our final day in New Zealand, we were excited to take a ferry to Waiheke Island, a place everyone recommended. However, nature had other plans. A torrential six-hour downpour interrupted our itinerary, leading to a humorous end to our journey.

Since we had booked the trip on separate tickets, Wes and I had to fly home separately. This allowed me an extra day to reflect on this journey, which had begun in seventh grade. There wasn’t enough time to explore everything; this means I have to go back. In New Zealand, the beauty of the land goes on and on. It’s a place where the sky kisses the mountains and marries the sea.

Sights that are surely the manifestation of a lifetime.