Tracee turned her hand to banking, clerical and courier work, lifeguard and nanny, and had a year's OE in Britain and Europe, before she joined the police in 1996.
Apart from a brief initial stint in New Plymouth, her entire career had been spent in Kaitaia, with five years in uniform and the last 11 with the CIB, more recently as a detective with the Child Protection Team.
She was twice deployed as an adviser and mentor with the Bougainville Community Police in Papua New Guinea, in an area recovering from a brutal civil war, during which time she held the rank of inspector.
Dealing with serious offending as a detective had been fulfilling, she said. Underlying it all was a passion for the work and an acknowledgment that trust and respect must be earned.
She was looking forward to the challenges of the Far North and getting involved in more of a community-style policing than she had encountered while dealing with serious crime.
She wouldn't be cutting her plain clothes links entirely.
A few of her files from Kaitaia had made the trip to Houhora with her and would be worked on.
"I'm hoping people will flag me down and say hello," she said, although it's possible that if their rego is out of date they might not have to worry about the wave.