Student Walks the Length of New Zealand | Study With New Zealand
Japanese nursing student Kazushi ‘Kaz’ Noiri enjoyed his time studying in New Zealand so much that he embarked on an epic fundraising walk across the length of the country.
Kaz, a second-year nursing student at Otago Polytechnic, has spent 66 days walking the 2244 kilometres from Bluff at the bottom of the South Island to Cape Reinga at the top of the North Island to raise money for Arthritis New Zealand.
He set out on October 12, World Arthritis Day, and has just recently finished. Kaz set himself the goal of walking for between three and 13 hours a day, clocking up 17-65 kilometres on each stretch.
Kaz says the incredible nursing care he saw in New Zealand inspired him to follow his dream of becoming a nurse.
“I am loving every minute of the study. I have always dreamed about working in a medical field to help others, especially given that I was such an accident-prone child. A medical facility was almost always my second home,” he says.
“I love the outdoors and being active, and always had an idea of walking the entire length of this beautiful country, Aotearoa.
“I am also a volunteer for an age care organisation and have seen how hard everyday life can be for people with arthritis. Knowing that arthritis can develop at any age and it can affect individuals’ lives significantly, I decided to put my efforts into a good cause to support the community.”
Kaz says he has had great support from Otago Polytechnic.
Before setting out from Bluff, Kaz built up his fitness by hiking up the hills around Dunedin. When he’s not studying, Kaz makes the most of New Zealand’s incredible outdoors by surfing, running, cycling, snowboarding and climbing.
After graduating, he hopes to stay in New Zealand to work as a nurse in a remote rural community.
I am loving every minute of the study. I have always dreamed about working in a medical field to help others, especially given that I was such an accident-prone child.
About the contributors
Linley Boniface is a contract writer for Education New Zealand. She is based in Wellington, her favourite city in New Zealand. A former journalist, Linley spent a year in Montreal, Canada, as a secondary school student.