The national canoe squad member came home to Dunedin for her 21st birthday in mid-August.
While home — and three days before her party — New Zealand went into Alert Level 4.
Ongoing restrictions in Auckland have meant she has become stuck.
That would be problematic for most — and it did mean she had to have her 21st over Zoom — but it has not been such a bad thing for Matehaere.
In fact it has worked more as a lucky escape.
While her squad mates in Auckland were unable to train for much of the extended lockdown, she has had the luxury of following her programme on the Otago Harbour.
‘‘I’ve been able to get back into kayaking a lot earlier and also back in the gym as well,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s pretty much back to normal, being able to catch up with friends. Go skiing, in fact. I got a day in on the slopes which I haven’t done in almost 10 years.’’
Matehaere moved to Auckland last year to join the national squad.
There she trains alongside some of the world’s best kayakers, including five-time Olympic gold medallist Lisa Carrington.
It was an environment she loved, although it was equally tiring and she admitted it took a while to adjust to believing she belonged there.
‘‘I had a bit of imposter syndrome. I was training up there and I was like ‘Do I really deserve to be here? These are the best in the world’.
‘‘That took me a while to find belonging, but once I did I felt comfortable with everyone.
‘‘... I’ve learnt so much up there. I’m paddling alongside the best female kayakers in the world.
‘‘Absorbing and learning as much as I can from them has been awesome. On the water you’ll paddle around with them and they’ll say ‘have you thought about this?’, or I can ask them questions.’’
While in town she took the chance to compete in the White Island race last Saturday, in which she won the handicap race trophy.
It had been something of a full-circle moment for Matehaere, as she had got into kayaking as a 15-year-old after excelling in the surf ski events in surf life-saving.
That was a sport she still enjoyed.
It was not one she got the chance to compete in often anymore, though.
Kayaking has firmly taken over and her big goal is now reaching the Paris Olympics in 2024, while next year’s world championships also figured large.
The New Zealand team, led by Carrington’s three-gold medal haul, had starred at this year’s Tokyo Games.
That had helped keep Matehaere’s desire very much alive.
‘‘It was so inspiring. We were at The Cloud watching it and I was utterly speechless.
‘‘If that wasn’t enough motivation for the next three years I don’t know what is.
‘‘You just go back and re-watch those videos. It blew me away. It goes to show, with the right people around you the impossible can be possible.’’
She plans to return to Auckland when Covid-19 restrictions allow.
