Where To Now?

Where to now? this isnt a guide for your travels this is my life. The internet and blogs have allowed us to all become publishers. Just like the public library, the book needs to be taken of the shelf to be read. So whilst we have the abilty to pour out our own life story whether anyone actually reads it is another thing.

so

Where To Now?

Me. Im a English chap living in New Zealand

The Place. The Old Coach House was apparently built in 1857 its gone through various changes but essentially its the same more to come……

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Rough Draft Grahams Story

The Old Coach House in Turakina is a long way from the plain dreary Hounslow high street in England where Graham spent his early years growing up in a flat above a greengrocer shop.

When a brother was born with Hydrocephalus and spina bifida they moved to Hanworth a village in Surrey and a large council house provided specifically to aid in the care of his brother Andrew. Unfortunately his brother only lived 10 years and  the family moved again to Ash Green where his mother and father would pretty much see out there lives.

Graham however had other ideas the undertaking of a “Photography badge” in the scouts saw him develop an interest in the art form. He went to the Berkshire college of art and design for a year and a half before being head hunted as an assistant to the renowned New York photographer Jimmy Wormser,  who at the time worked out of London.

Being a “boy from the bush” thrown into the high flying world of fashion models and big budget advertising campaigns was quite a sea change. He lasted for just over a year before deciding that he wanted to travel and came across two others who wanted the same , Norman and Brenda.  After 6 months of rebuilding a army Land Rover on Normans guardians estate in Oxford the three set off with the intention of going around the world.

At the time there was a well trodden or driven route through Europe Turkey onto Iran Afghanistan Pakistan then India which they followed. They were lucky to  They arrived in Australia after selling their vehicle in Bombay  (Mumbai) Where they parted ways Graham met a Australian girl, married and they had two children. It was during the early years of their marriage that they went and lived in New Zealand on a and worked on a sheep and produce farm in In onewhero as they had intentions of getting their own and they wanted to test out the idea before committing.

The farming life turned out not to be there calling and they went to run the YHA hostel in Tauranga for 3 years before moving back to Australia where they took up the post of managers of the the Coffs Harbour YHA

Here they stayed undertaking various business till Graham and Judi separated. Graham returned to England for a short while until a colleague told him of a position in New Zealand running a 230 bed backpackers in Wellington. Any excuse to return to the country he had fallen in love with whilst working on the farm in Onewhero.  He worked as General Manager for just on a year before spending some time out around NZ.  By this stage his daughter had also moved to NZ and shortly his son would also turn up there.

Graham then had a rest from working for himself spent the next three years working in the koru lounge Wellington for Air New Zealand dealing with all from the prime minister to heads of state , captains of Industry and movie stars.

And then he found the old coach house. He moved there in 2007 and set about developing the already well renovated old building to a Homestay come village shop and home.  He finds it quite appropriate that he has ended up living in a Old Coach House that use to service travelers on the Cobb & Co Coaches from  Wanaganui to Turakina  as it seems he has spent a good part of his life dealing with travelers and working in the hospitality industry in one form or another.