Nuttalls from across globe reunite to celebrate family

REUNITED: The Nuttall family reunited in Hawke's Bay to visit Wilfred (second row, fifth from left) and Norma (second row, third from left) Nuttall, aged 92 and 90 respectively.PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Napier's Wilfred and Norma Nuttall, both in their 90s, may have got more than they bargained for this Christmas.

They met all their great-grandchildren for the first time.

The longtime Napier residents were kept busy this summer, with a family reunion that spanned four generations and drew grandchildren and great-grandchildren from across the globe.

Kiwi expat investor Scott Nuttall travelled from a wintry New York, United States, with wife Aimee and five children for the event.

"It's been gorgeous. When we left New York it was close to freezing, so it was a big improvement," he said of the balmy weather the region turned on for the holidays.

Wilfred and Norma Nuttall are 92 and 90 years old respectively. They have been married for more than 70 years and have lived in the same Napier house for 66 years.

Wilfred founded Napier-based welding distributor Weldwell, after honing his welding skills on New Zealand Air Force planes during WWII.

These days, Weldwell is part of American Fortune 200 company Illinois Tool Works.

"Their house is exactly the same as it was when I was a kid," said Mr Nuttall, remembering trips to Hawke's Bay from Wellington as a child.

The reunion also drew Mr Nuttall's sister and her three children from Connecticut in the US, as well as family from Wellington and Australia.

The Nuttalls, 28 of them in total, including three of Wilfred and Norma's children, 12 grand children and 6 great-grandchildren, enjoyed Christmas dinner together at Cape Kidnappers last week.

They've also been on a whirlwind tour of the region during the past few days, trying their hand at golfing, claybird shooting, and even kiwi-spotting.

"[Wilfred and Norma] did extraordinarily well, given they're not used to all this activity."