This was the first time Melanie Mackenzie took part in the volunteer programme run by the New Zealand Hearing Group, a group of 13 independent hearing clinics around New Zealand.
"We’ve been supporting this trip to Rarotonga for the last 10 years, so I put my hand up to go this time," she said.
The trip was announced in January and she had to take all of her equipment with her as well as donated hearing aids.
Ms Mackenzie had also packed 10kg of dog food for the local SPCA which meant her bag was 2kg under the 60kg she paid for.
During the week she worked at the Rarotonga Hospital alongside a colleague where they ran hearing tests, fitted hearing aids and trained nurses in earwax removal so the service could be offered when they were not there.
Back-to-back half-hour appointments meant her week in Rarotonga was hectic as things that would normally be done over multiple appointments at her Cromwell practice, had to be done in one appointment.
Paperwork at the end of the day also added to the workload which Ms Mackenzie described as full on.
The hot and rainy environment was also a new challenge to work in, she said.
While Ms Mackenzie said she was fortunate her room at Rarotonga Hospital was air conditioned, it lacked soundproofing, which meant in the rainy season performing hearing tests was a challenge.
"It was hard to do hearing tests when it was pouring down with rain, because ... there’s no soundproofing, the windows are just louvres."
Ms Mackenzie said it was rewarding to be able to help Cook Islanders access care they would normally struggle to access.
People brought in by their families had not been hearing for many years and would be missing out with interactions with their family.
"It’s so nice to be able to get them hearing again," Ms Mackenzie said.
