I Kept Our Driver’s Story to Myself. Then, at 69, I Got a Tattoo of My Own.

By Kim Sutton

Rolling emerald hills dotted with dozens, perhaps hundreds of sheep, stretched towards mountains rising beneath low-hanging clouds as we traveled from Auckland to Rotorua, the center of Māori culture in New Zealand. Weathered split-rail fencing slipped past the windows, the petrichor of sporadic, light rain lingered in the air, and tarmac stripes scurried beneath the tires as the Mercedes hummed smoothly along.

Our driver was a handsome gentleman, a snazzy dresser with a clipped Kiwi accent, kind eyes and decades of smile lines.

When he first opened the sliding door to our vehicle, I climbed in and noticed the chunky Māori greenstone or pounamu necklace, carved with traditional Māori motifs, tethered to a leather cord hanging low on his neck. I complimented him on the piece, and he explained that a Māori artisan crafted the pattern on the greenstone. It is a taonga, a treasured possession carrying a story. Its tohu, or symbols, represent a life’s journey: a challenge, a victory, a love, a friendship, a loss. During our conversations, I noticed a gentleness about him, a genuine care for his fellow man. I could feel it in the way he spoke.

And then he told me his story.

It was astonishing and moving and left me thick with emotion. I won’t share his story here because it is his, and I will protect his openness and honesty. It changed my life by changing the way I look at the world: his deep knowledge of his home country, his understanding of the wider world, and the power of his connection to his roots and to people from all over the globe.

Weeks later, in Christchurch, I made an appointment at a tattoo shop. I am 69 and have never had a tattoo. When I was in Polynesia years ago, I admired the beautiful tattoos in the Marquesas, Tahiti, and Rangiroa, and I promised myself that if I ever got back to this part of the world, I would get a tattoo where they originated.

I asked for a Kirituhi tattoo. It’s much like the pounamu carving of our driver’s necklace; it tells your story and is as unique as you are. I told my story to a stranger who delivered a beautiful Māori blessing before beginning. He shared pieces of his own life and spoke proudly of his son. He listened to and honored everything I told him, and made my words into a beautiful piece of art that will stay with me forever, to remind me that I have been through it and remain strong and resilient.

I’m still standing.

The tattoo is the story of an adventurer who stands in awe at the gateway to thousands of stories, lives, moments, and landscapes. Those future dreams keep me grounded in mauri – the spirit of a place. This is what I take with me and hold close, my travel treasure, my lesson. It’s the people who change my viewpoint, who stretch my horizons and show me their lives, their country, their heritage, their spirit. We are all connected.

Perhaps this is the responsibility of traveling: to gather what we can from the places we visit and the people who open their lives to us and carry a little of that wisdom home. There are wonderful people to meet and stories to share and we must be open to all of them, without prejudice or judgment, and be lucky enough to see what a gift this world and her people are.

Kim Sutton is a retired travel agent, master diver, and world explorer from the heart of Texas.