Robert Trathen.
When it comes to birthday presents, Shortland Street star Zak Martin has set the bar pretty high with his gift for little brother Jake.
“He was turning 21 and I wanted to get him something he’d always remember,” says Zak. “Around the same time, I was planning a month-long trip to Europe with two of my best friends, Keegs and Ty.
One day, when Mum and I were talking about presents for Jake, it hit us. What if we got Jake a ticket to Europe as well?”
With just four weeks to make their audacious dream a reality, Zak, 24, and mum Michelle put “Operation Blow Jake’s Mind” into action. First, Zak needed to clear it with his buddies. Happily, Keegs and Ty both said yes without hesitation; Jake was more than welcome. Next item on the agenda – book airfares. Time off needed to be sorted too because Jake is in the middle of his plumbing apprenticeship.
Then on to the biggest hurdle – Zak and his mum had to renew Jake’s passport without him finding out. The boys smile broadly when they recall the details of the big surprise and the military precision required to pull it off.
“It wasn’t easy as we had to raise some money for the airfares,” tells Zac. “But because we come from a big family, with lots of aunties and cousins, me and Mum made a group chat and asked if the whānau wanted to chip in.”
That shout-out garnered a great response, while Jake’s boss John generously gave Jake three weeks off. “Once I explained it to John – that it was a 21st present and I told him which countries we’d be visiting – he loved the idea. He’d done lots of travelling in his day, so he was cool, so long as we sent him a few videos from the road!”
So far so good, although the passport did cause some headaches. “Renewing Jake’s passport was the closest we came to getting caught because once we’d entered all Jake’s details, the Ministry of Internal Affairs started sending him emails.”
Hitting the major sites and festivals was a must!
Recalls Jake, “I thought I’d been hacked because I was getting all these random messages about needing to verify my identity – so I deleted them.”
Not to worry because starring in a soap opera has taught Zak all about plot twists. “One time, we were sure we’d been found out, but because Mum knows Jake’s Gmail password, she logged into his account and answered the emails, then deleted any others that came through.”
With the plan gathering momentum and Jake still none the wiser, Zak began to feel guilty whenever he talked to Jake about the trip, but he knew it would be worth it in the end.
“Eventually everything was sussed,” tells Zak. “Me and the boys were flying out the next day, which was about two weeks before Jake was booked to fly, and he offered to take us to the airport.”
Starring on Shorty eased the blow of Zak’s boxing injury.
Lighting up as he recalls the moment – captured on video for Zak’s Instagram – Jake explains, “I took them out really early as I was heading to work anyway, so I was in my work clothes. But when we got there, I was surprised to see Mum there too. Then Zak hands me this piece of paper with my itinerary on it.
“I actually had no clue. Then I had to go to work with my head spinning. I couldn’t believe I was going to Europe!”
Jake had two weeks to get his head around the idea, while Zak and his mates flew to London, before spending 10 days sailing around the dreamy Croatian coast before Jake arrived. Having never flown such a long distance before, some of the mechanics of travel were challenging, but there was another stroke of good luck. When Jake flew solo to Dubai, by pure coincidence, he found himself seated next to an old school friend.
“My mate Jack had the window seat and I had the aisle, and because the middle seat was empty, we took turns making use of the extra space for 17 hours.”
The brothers at Tomorrowland.
While new to travel, the young tourists made some smart decisions. They decided to have at least one fancy meal in each country.
They also left space to be spontaneous – after enduring a heatwave in Rome, where temperatures soared into the forties, the posse of pals decided to book tickets to bucket-list Belgian event Tomorrowland, one of the world’s biggest music festivals.
“We’ve been to festivals in New Zealand, but nothing comes close to Tomorrowland,” says Zak. “It’s massive. About 200,000 people attend and there are 15 stages. And because no one knew me, I was able to let my hair down and not worry what people thought of me. Although we were surprised how many other Kiwis were there!”
While still in holiday mode, the boys were determined their fitness shouldn’t suffer.
“We really wanted to enjoy ourselves at Tomorrowland, so we splurged on a nice hotel with a gym and a sauna because training is really important to us,” says Zak.
Zak (left) and Jake are both chasing sporting glory.
And it wasn’t simply to work off all the Belgian waffles – both lads are keen boxers and, Zak explains, “One day, we hope to tell our grandchildren that we boxed for our country.”
As Zak has previously revealed in Woman’s Day, before he was cast on Shorty, he was devastated when a freak wrist injury forced him to withdraw from his plans to represent New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Zak admits scoring the role of Dr Rahu Parata was a real lifesaver when his sporting dream was derailed.
“I definitely had a few cries after I was injured, which is why I feel so fortunate to have landed the job at Shortland Street. That really saved me because it was so much easier to rest and heal for six months while doing something else I loved. But I’ll be boxing competitively again when the time is right.”
Meanwhile, since coming back from Europe, over Labour Weekend, Jake fought in the prestigious North Island Golden Gloves competition. This is the title his older brother won in 2019 and 2020 in the under-69kg bracket – and now Jake can happily say he’s the 2023 Golden Gloves middleweight champion!
“We really enjoy boxing,” grins Jake. “Training keeps us fit and sharp. It’s really good for the mind and when I’m not training, I don’t feel as good as I do when I am.”
As well continuing with their boxing, the brothers are also planning their next adventure.
“The trip really opened our eyes and motivated us to think about what’s next,” reflects Zak.
“We saw opportunities everywhere. The world is our oyster, which is why we have to think big, dream big and chase those dreams – whatever they may be!”
