Hockey: Hong Kong expats' turf life suits just fine

Now if Tina Moewai Bell-Kake has her way she'll be back to live in Hawke's Bay in a heartbeat.

But hubby Mark Kake may have some qualms about his wife's intentions.

"Ideally I'd love to come home but he wouldn't go much past Bombay Hills because it would be too slow for him," says Bell-Kake, a former New Zealand hockey international who is in the Bay as player coach of the Hong Kong Football Club (HKFC) side competing in the Affiliates tournament of the HB Festival of Hockey this week.

She and her husband have been coaching field hockey in Hong Kong for the past five years and will become eligible for automatic residency at the former British colony next year.

Kake also is a former Black Sticks (44 caps, from 1992-95) and NZ Maori men's player and between them, the couple have represented their country 176 times, including Olympic Games and World Championships.

"Marg Hiha was my coach when I was in school and when I was in the Hawke's Bay senior women's team before I left here," says the 47-year-old two-time Olympian who went on to win bronze at the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games in 1998.

"Marg was one of the most influential coaches when I was growing up and the Hawke's Bay women's senior team were very strong in those days," says the William Colenso College (formerly Colenso College) pupil who went on to rack up 132 international caps for her country from 1986 to 2000.

Getting longer in the tooth and grappling with a knee injury, Bell-Kake felt "it was about time" to retire at 33.

Born in Taumarunui, she arrived in Napier with parents Rosina and Rangi Bell when she was three.

She left for Otago University in Dunedin at the age of 17 to pursue a degree in physical education.

While at teaching college, she returned to William Colenso as a relief teacher for a year.

"I loved it so much that I went back to finish my teaching diploma so that sort of cemented why I wanted to teach."

A former New Zealand Maori representative and coach, Bell-Kake ended up teaching and settling in Auckland where her parents followed her on retirement. She taught at Rangitoto College and then "closer to home" at Rosehill College.

Mark and Tina have three children - Chelsea, 19, Mark Jnr, 17, and Jacob, 12.

Her husband is the Hong Kong men's national coach and Jacob is there with him.

Bell-Kake and her HKFC team were invited here after their national women's team couldn't attend.

The senior Mark's national team couldn't either because they are committed to a tourney there.

"It didn't pan out so maybe next year we'll return together if were invited again," she says.

Going to Hong Kong was her decision and "he was happy".

Coming to terms with "mid-life crisis", they found it daunting to leave their comfort zone to work in another country they had never been to before although they were travel savvy through their hockey-playing days.

"We thought, 'My goodness, we're getting older so let's take this opportunity now before we get too old'.

"We have no regrets. The children are older now so we have freedom," says the softly spoken Bell-Kake with a faint smile.

Chelsea and Mark Jnr "absolutely hated" the notion of living in Hong Kong for a year but they made trips from Auckland two to three times a year during school holidays to visit their parents and brother Jacob.

At a critical time of their studies in Auckland, Hong Kong isn't on their agenda right now.

"We've enjoyed it there. Every year we keep changing our minds [about staying or returning to New Zealand]."

She attests to the allure of Hong Kong, confirming several players in the HKFC women's club team arrived there on their big OE for a year but found partners, had children and have settled down.

"There's a big expat community there so it can feel daunting not knowing the Hong Kong culture and its people.

"It's amazing how the expats flock together and meet people through sports clubs."

She visited Napier last July when Mark Jnr attended an age-group hockey tourney.

"I couldn't believe the changes and the bike trails ... it's still a beautiful place, sunny weather and open spaces," she says, appreciating it more after living in Hong Kong that offers all the trappings of a shoebox existence in sprawling urban concrete jungles devoid of decent greenbelts.

Bell-Kake was hoping to meet Bay matriarch and ex-international Hiha, of Napier, on Wednesday night at a NZ Maori hockey dinner.

She was looking forward to the "marae experience" for her multi-national HKFC team here.

The club champions haven't had much experience against New Zealand opposition although they have a couple of Kiwis there, including Kelsey Dunn, 25, of Whangarei, a NZ Junior rep who coaches there.

"They [HKFC team] have been expecting me to play all season but I'll only jump on if we're short here in a squad of 17, including me," she says with a grin, mindful she won't have a choice but to run on as a goalkeeper if incumbent Kath Nagengast and another player leave today provided the tourists make the Affiliates final at the HB Regional Sports Park.

The team had booked their flights well in advance to play from Monday to Friday but organisers here had changed the dates but some players couldn't alter their tickets because of work and other commitments.

Bell-Kake only started coaching the HKFC outfit last September.

The team are using the Affiliates tourney as a yardstick of how good they are, considering they dominate the league and knockout cup competitions in Hong Kong.

While they have been a little apprehensive about what to expect here, her players have the advantage of bonding as a club side as opposed to New Zealand teams who are of a composite mould and may not have had much time to find cohesiveness most of this week.