When Olena thinks about the last chapters of her life, the word that comes to mind is adventure. Not the kind you find in travel brochures or adrenaline sports, but the kind that reshapes your life completely. Born in Soviet Ukraine, she left behind her family and homeland to pursue something new in Australia. There she spent fifteen years — years filled with discovery, challenge, and the joy of building a new life alongside her husband. Eventually, another move brought her to New Zealand, where for the last eight years she has made a home in Kerikeri.

Kerikeri is a place of contrasts. It is breathtakingly beautiful, surrounded by nature, and safe for her daughter Lara (aka the cat lover) to grow up in. But it is also quiet, too quiet for a woman who has spent most of her life in cities alive with possibility. “Kiwis are friendly,” she says, “but making close friends isn’t easy.” For a city girl used to vibrant social circles, it has been an adjustment. Still, she recognises the gift in this quieter life: the ability to focus on her daughter, to savour moments of connection, to let her child thrive in an environment built for freedom.