Travel, reunions, promotions, 'no lockdowns': What we want for 2022

Jevy Basical with her 5-year-old daughter Katherine. Photo / Sammy Carter

After years in the Catholic Church and a short stint as a nun, a local mother hopes to take her daughter down a different path in 2022.

As the new year begins, residents and visitors alike are making their goals and plans for 2022.

Contractor Jevy Basical has lived in Rotorua for seven years.

Basical grew up in the Catholic Church in the Philipines and became a nun.

However, she left that life after six months because she felt restricted, "I'm an adventurous woman," Basical said.

Being mum to 5-year-old daughter Katherine, Basical said there was always the worry about how her child would cope with change but "the positive outweigh the negatives ... a new stage of someone's life is always exciting".

Basical has many plans ahead for 2022, including hiking the South Island's Routeburn track in early February and travelling to Spain and Australia.

"Every weekend I go hiking."

Basical said she loved nature and being adventurous: "I've always been like that".

In the coming years, Basical wants to complete the seven great walks of New Zealand. She has so far finished four.

Basical loves living in Rotorua.

"I have my steady community and support in Rotorua ... where else would you want to be."

Retirees Ian and Trevor have birthdays only three days apart and will be celebrating them together in 2022 by "going to the citizens club", said Ian.

They planned to "have a couple of drinks and wait 'til midnight and hopefully go home," Ian said.

Trevor is from Whanganui and is "enjoying being able to see each other again" this summer.

Te Whitu Williams came to Rotorua from Wellington to visit his family for New Year celebrations.

Te Whitu Willaims from Wellington, wants to compete in wrestling in 2022. Photo / Sammy Carter

After being injured wrestling in high school, Williams was getting back into the sport and in 2022 he wanted to compete again.

"I want to be able to represent my gym (Toea Tigers) well", and get to as many competitions as he can.

Williams' goal was to eventually represent New Zealand in wrestling.

Ingrid Willett is a teacher at Papamoa College who came to Rotorua for the day so her two children could learn to water ski at the Blue Lake.

She has been promoted to leader of learning for Years 9 and 10 pupils and 2022 will be her first full year in this role.

Her goal for 2022 is to have "happy and engaged students" and she is "looking for consistency".

She hoped to see her children's sports go ahead this year as they couldn't in 2021, and wanted to see them "do the things they love ... it would be nice to go through a year with no lockdown".