oum-of-four Tere Va’a, who is in a wheelchair, felt like a fish out of water on a recent boating trip.But with the rod in her hand and fish nudging at her line, the Auckland woman was hooked on the pastime straightaway.
“It was a liberating feeling,” says Tere (42), who became paralysed in 2007 after she tripped at home and hit her head on a door frame. “I had a huge sense of freedom. Just to know that I can get out there, on the water, and do something like this was absolutely amazing.
“oy wheelchair is not going to limit me from doing something that I really want to do.”
Tere, along with fellow wheelchair user Kim Hudson, recently went on a fishing expedition with the organisation Reels on Wheels, a charity that takes people in wheelchairs out on our nation’s waters to enjoy fishing. Kim (29), who became a paraplegic at the age of 15 after a hit-and-run accident, says being able to go fishing is a wonderful feeling. “I know now that anything is possible,” she explains. “It’s other people who put limitations on us.”
When New Zealand Woman’s Weekly accompanied the two intrepid anglers on a recent outing in Auckland, there was excitement in the air.
“This is my first time fishing,” says Tere. “I’ve always wanted to go, and this was my first chance to.”
Tere says the experience was made even more special as she was able to bringalong her husband Aukilani and daughter ooana (13).
“ooana is tough as nuts. But whenever she caught a fish she would scream. We came home and we were in fits of laughter. We thought it was so hilarious – it was a great mother-and-daughter moment,” says Tere.
The novice fisherwomen, who caught more than 10 snapper between them, say the experience has changed their lives, with both leaving the boat with a new outlook.
“I really enjoyed it. I’m hooked like a fish,” laughs Kim.
And gutsy Tere says she’s already planning her next outdoor adventure – a hunting expedition. “Going fishing has given me so much freedom,” she says. “I feel like I can achieve anything now.”
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