I was born and raised in Christchurch where I trained as a Teacher. I moved to Russell, in the Bay of Islands, in my second year to teach at the local school. Consequently, my husband Ian, our son Daniel, and I lived in the Bay of Islands for 13 wonderful years. I taught at several schools while Ian had a contracting business. We then moved to Whangarei to set up our retail /import company which we operated very successfully for 27 years. We have now semi-retired to pursue our passion for travel. We have travelled extensively over the years for business and personal time to China, Bali, Thailand, The Greek Islands, Italy, France, Spain, UK, Melbourne, Cairns, Port Douglas and the Pacific Islands. Ian and I enjoyed a 3 month trip through Europe in a camper last year which was such an amazing adventure. I have also recently returned from escorting Travelwise Holidays groups to the Arabian Sea/Suez Canal and Australian Red Centre.