Tauranga's Rob Smith has some simple advice to would-be achievers: "You don't know what you can do unless you try."
Mr Smith took up woodcrafting 10 months ago and the results of his new hobby were for all to see at the His & Hers Home & Leisure Expo in the TECT Arena at Baypark over the weekend.
A member of the Tauranga Woodcrafters Club, Mr Smith showed off his clocks - and in particular the 2.2m-high grandfather clock made from an American country cottage design.
Using tawa, rimu, kauri and blond oak wood, he crafted the clock - it has Westminster chimes - with a scroll saw in eight-and-a-half weeks. He got through 60 thin saw blades.
Another in his proud collection was the Coventry mantle clock.
"I started doing little bonsai tables and progressed from there.
"I guess I have a natural affinity to woodcrafting, and I decided clocks are good," said Mr Smith, who sold his business NZ Hydroponics International in 2000.
That year it won the Tauranga regional emerging exporter of the year award.
Mr Smith said he visited the Tauranga Woodcrafters Club's annual show in the Greerton Hall last November.
"I liked what I saw and decided I'd give it a lash. I bought the cheapest saw I could find but I've now reached the stage where I can upgrade to quality stuff."
He signed up with the club, attended monthly meetings in Yatton St and gained valuable insights, particularly from Jacob von Holzen who has had 60 years' woodcrafting experience.
"He's world class and there's so much talent around here," said Mr Smith, surveying the other displays at the Baypark expo.
The Tauranga club members joined the His and Hers Expo for the first time, and they soon became a centre of attraction. Some of them gave live demonstrations of wood turning and carving.
Nearly 8000 people visited the expo, which attracted 160 exhibitors over three days.
It was the first trade show held in the six-court arena since the $41 million indoor facility opened last month.
All the visitors enjoyed the spacious, modern surroundings, measuring 5000sq m.
"It's a proper venue and we've finally come into the 21st century - it's as simple as that," said expo organiser Graeme Martin of Bay Events.
"We didn't have to bring in generators and $8000 worth of flash toilets from Auckland. The venue is the star," he said.
Previously, Mr Martin ran his shows from the dressed-up implement sheds at Baypark, and with marquees total space reached 4000sq m.
The best thing, Mr Martin said, was that the expo could co-exist with other events in the indoor facility, and this added value to both.
Some visitors to the expo on Saturday stayed on and watched the New Zealand Breakers basketball team beat Wollongong Hawks in the evening.
Then yesterday morning netball fans watching Bay of Plenty play Wellington in the three-court arena moved through the foyer to take in the expo after the match.
Mr Smith, often a critic of council spending, said the TECT Arena was "unbelievably good".
"I think it will be used a lot. So much can be held here. This facility generated more foot traffic for us than the show at the Greerton Hall."
He said Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby came by on Saturday and "I told him I will let him off the hook about council spending with this facility".
Mr Martin will be staging the Tauranga Home Show in the Baypark arena next May and he was also planning to introduce two new events - a mid-winter wine and food festival with an accent on families, and a Bay Better Business Expo, in association with the home show.
"I want to target companies thinking about coming to Tauranga and invite them to meet local players in the industry sectors," Mr Martin said.