One mother-of-four has combined her love for beautiful scenery, a passion for filming and a desire to spend time with her family to create the ultimate business.
Andrea Thackwray is the Kerikeri founder of See and Do New Zealand, which has just launched a range of free promotional videos showcasingthe country's tourism spots, with 15 videos featuring the north's top sites.
Ms Thackwray started the company five years ago and operates with her four children, and the family pets, creating the videos throughout that time.
"It has been a wonderful bonding experience with the kids, pushing all of us to do amazing things. My eldest daughter, Michelle, [who was 17 when the company started] and I made the videos, Bridget who was 16 at the time created the websites, and the two little girls Penny and Holly, who were only 5 and 7 acted in the videos," she said.
Now 21, Bridget lives in London with a successful web design and social media marketing company and Michelle, 22, has set up an Auckland office for the family company, producing videos throughout New Zealand for tourism operators such as Fullers in Auckland and Christchurch Antarctic Centre.
"The girls and I have produced more than 100 scenic videos around New Zealand and have enjoyed learning about our beautiful country travelling to all the different corners to film it as a family together."
See and Do New Zealand initially focused on clips from Auckland and Northland but has now rolled out films for the top 10 regions in the country.
Ms Thackwray said her main bread and butter was made through her company Promotional Videos, where she works with daughters Michelle and Bridget and future son-in-law David Fox.
The family company already produces promotional videos for businesses, which air at the Cafe Cinema in Kerikeri, and for companies nationwide.
The DVDs are available as free downloadable files through seeanddo.co.nz for travel agents and companies wanting to promote their regions.
Ms Thackwray invited businesses to contact See and Do New Zealand for a free Northland DVD, and tourism operators to contact her if they wish to feature in the 2015 DVD.
