One of Neil Waka's most memorable travel experiences was visiting Athens for the 2004 Olympics. Photo / Getty Images
One of Neil Waka's most memorable travel experiences was visiting Athens for the 2004 Olympics. Photo / Getty Images
What do you miss most about travel right now?
I miss many things about travelling, especially internationally. It's always an adventure but the excitement for me is being able to travel with my family. I was invited to front Intrepid Journeys a few years back and I said I'd be very keen if there was a chance for me to take my family with me. There wasn't so I respectfully declined.
What are your strongest memories from the first overseas trip you ever took?
I went to Australia to play basketball as a young representative. I was privileged to represent my high school against teams in Queensland and NSW, flying across in a DC10.
What was a standard family holiday like when growing up?
We were a military family so our family holidays were visiting different parts of the country at camping grounds in a big old tent and we loved it. We travelled in our Holden HQ station wagon: no seat belts, lying on mattresses in the back, it was awesome.
Who has most inspired your travels?
My older brother. He worked for Contiki throughout Europe for a few years and regaled me about the places he visited and his experiences, oh the experiences…
One of the most memorable was when I was privileged to represent New Zealand at the Athens Olympics in 2004 (as a news anchor and reporter). Not only is it the home of the modern-day Olympics and is steeped in incredible history but I also managed to visit so many historical sites with my television colleagues.
What's your approach to packing for an overseas trip?
I will begin preparing clothes a few days away from travel, bringing clothing and shoes out that might be necessary, always an excess of requirements laid out in groupings and over the next day or so I'll slowly eliminate according to what I need with extras for unforeseen circumstances. My clothes are always folded a certain way and kept tidy for the duration of my travel. It would be considered a cardinal sin for anyone to disrupt the order of my system. I know where everything is and what I want when I want it.
What is the destination that most surprised you – good or bad?
I'm an over preparer… few destinations will surprise me. That said, my wife and I decided to not rent a car in LA this one time and follow the advice of a travel show and catch a train through LA only to Rodeo Drive. We ended up in Compton. We went back to renting cars.
Where was your most memorable sunrise/sunset?
I'm not sure I'd be considered the most romantic person alive, stunning sunsets and beautiful sunrises are great but they're kind of everywhere. For me the significance around a sunrise is more philosophical in that it offers a new beginning. It's like the birth of new opportunities and the potential of what could be.
Neil Waka is presenter and co-producer for Maori Television's Te Ao Tapatahi. Photo / Supplied
What's the first thing you do when you get home from a long trip?
I just want to spend time with my family and enjoy the fact that I have a home to come back to in the country I love most in the world. I do like to unpack and settle back even if it's late, it helps me to relax.
