Can I just say a massive thank you from NZ to the lovely Australians (and non-Australians) who have completely inundated New Zealander’s with love, support and unity. It really does mean a lot, more than you know.

I like most Kiwis and individuals around the world, woke up (not even woke up, I barely slept) this morning still disbelief and shock. The mood today is very sombre.

Watching and listening to the events unfold yesterday in what felt like slow motion, felt very surreal. I couldn’t believe the terrifying message I got from my friend in Christchurch just as this was happening, before the media here got ahold of it. My friends in Dunedin (5 hrs drive south of Christchurch) are also pretty shaken because a planned attack was initially meant for the mosque mere metres from Otago University where I studied, where my friends still study, metres from the flat I lived in last year.

Being in Rome last year and the huge military presence with their semi-automatic weapons around the city, particularly the major tourist attractions, like the Pantheon, really put in perspective for me how real the terror threat is there, and I was very aware of my surroundings. I’d never felt that way before, ever. I was so glad to return home and touch down in Wellington with a sense of relief and safety. Up until yesterday, NZ felt safe. Being an isolated nation at the bottom of the world, we’re usually the ones waking up to the terrible news on the other side of the world.

In sum, from your shaken up neighbours across the ditch, thank you <3