When Jono Pryor and Ben Boyce headed off on a mischievous mission to Sri Lanka, armed with their signature banter and a pair of questionable gold suits. They had no idea how life-changing their adventure would turn out to be.
Enthuses Ben, “Sri Lanka is such an eye-opening place. We did amazing things, saw some incredible wildlife and met lots of great people who shared their stories with us. What struck us the most is how happy, friendly and grateful the Sri Lankan people are.”
Agrees Jono, “It’s a remarkable place to visit. This trip will stay with us forever.”
Jono grins when recalling the sensory overload the Hits breakfast radio hosts experienced as soon they arrived in bustling Colombo, where masses of people in
tuk-tuks and on scooters weaved between vehicles, and where they saw some dubious road rules.
Laughs Jono, “We learned you can drive on the other side of the road in Sri Lanka and people will get out of your way. It’s chaos, but somehow it works!”
Reveals Ben, “I shut my eyes a lot in the van!”
The main goal of the broadcasters’ week-long visit was to slip two golden teabag tickets into specially branded boxes of Dilmah tea at the company’s Sri Lankan production facility. Giving Kiwi tea drinkers a chance to win their own trip to the vibrant island nation. That’s where the gold suits came in, shares Jono.
“We decided to wear the suits to match the golden tickets,” recalls the star and creator of TV show Vince.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time, but they were a disaster in the heat!”
During their adventure, the dynamic duo immersed themselves in the local culture and learned about the inspiring community work undertaken by their radio show’s sponsor. Dilmah, which runs several schools and centres supporting low-income families, people with disabilities and even local wildlife in Sri Lanka.
Jokes Jono, “We played cricket with some kids at a local school who were so good, I thought we should bring them back to New Zealand and make some money off them!”
Ben – who has become Instagram-famous thanks to the hilarious social media posts he makes with daughters Sienna and Indi. Admits he wasn’t too popular with a young girl at the National Centre for Children with Cerebral Palsy after he beat her in a game. However, a singalong saved the day, he smiles.
“She loved Céline Dion,” he recalls.
“So we sang one of her favourites songs with her and were soon back in the good books!”
Another youngster to make a big impression on Ben was a boy they chatted to by a tea plantation, who was about to walk up a steep hill to get to class.
“He had a three-hour round trip to and from school every day,” he shares.
“But he was one of the happiest people we met. He had such a great perspective on life.”
The beloved broadcasters had some exciting encounters with animals, especially while glamping in tents in the middle of a national park. Sharing the space with elephants, leopards and creepy crawlies.
“An elephant crossed our path one day before lunch and we saw a scorpion,” tells Ben.
“It was incredible to be surrounded by all this amazing wildlife, but we were pretty happy not to encounter any snakes!”
Jono and Ben were also wowed by their visit to the Dilmah Elephant Transit Home. Where orphaned and injured young elephants are nursed back to health.
Explains Jono, “There are no fences to keep the elephants in, yet every day at 10.30am, like clockwork, this massive herd turned up to be fed. Once they’re healthy, the elephants are trucked to another part of the country and returned to the wild.”
Everywhere they went, Jono and Ben found themselves welcomed with open arms. One man who left a lasting impression was Janaka. Their host at the luxurious Castlereagh Bungalow within the Ceylon Tea Trails area.
“Janaka was such a wonderful guy,” says Jono.
“Every morning, he’d have an A4 sheet ready for us with the latest New Zealand news headlines, sport and weather. He was definitely on a mission to feed us – the food just kept coming, even when we said we were full! We tried to get him to dish the dirt on Matty McLean, who’d stayed there before, but he refused!”
Jono and Ben even managed to fit work in around their daily adventures. Every night, they’d dash back to their laptops to host their breakfast show.
“Because of the time difference, we started at 10pm Sri Lankan time and finished around 2am,” says Ben.
“It wasn’t the easiest hours for breakfast radio.”
Now they’ve returned to New Zealand, the longtime mates have been sharing the fun content they made during their life-affirming adventure and are still reflecting on the kindness of the Sri Lankan people, and the difference a caring company can make in the community. They’re excited to see who finds the golden tickets in the Dilmah tea boxes and a trip to retrace some of their footsteps.
Enthuses Jono, “The winners are in for a treat as it’s such a great place to visit. I’d probably factor in a five kilogram weight gain when they stay with Janaka, though!”
“Honestly, it’s the trip of a lifetime,” agrees Ben.
“Just don’t wear gold suits!”
