"We did nearly all the trucks for the trucking firms in South Auckland - by hand," he said.
When things began moving more into the digitised realm he packed up and moved to Whangarei. By then he had had enough of doing what he was doing, and needed a change. He bought a 200-hectare dairy and beef farm, which he worked for five years before meeting his second wife Louise. And a trip up north to visit a mate at Pawarenga sealed their fate.
"We just loved it. We ended up buying a piece of land, the intention being to shut the gate on the rest of the world," he said.
That was short-lived though. The couple became a huge part of the community, Paul running art workshops and Louise working on the Pawarenga Community Trust. They were also instrumental in forming the Nga Hoe Horo o Pawarenga (waka ama club), which brought about the formation of Nga Kaihoe o Aotearoa, the national organisation for waka ama.
"We were able to send teams of our young people all over the Pacific. It gave them a lot of confidence and life skills," Paul added.
"We felt we were really doing something worthwhile, and we worked hard to provide an alternative direction for the youth. And we loved it. There were a lot of good people there. I am very proud of that involvement."
During that period he also worked on the building of Motuti Marae Tamatea, under the guidance of carver Ken Dixon. That was the first time he had worked on a marae, Paul, along with other trainees, painting the kowhaiwhai.
"Pawarenga is where I really got into my carving full-time, and I learned a lot from Ken. I've always carved, but I've always wanted to do Maori carving. And it wasn't until Pawarenga that I was truly recognised as a carver," he said.
He also launched a screen-printing business as part of Pawarenga's training programmes.
"It took off, as there was no other screen printer here at the time. Pawarenga Print got quite a name for it."
He also tutored youth in Kaitaia for a few years, and eventually sold the screen printing business after making the move to Victoria Valley, home to "Good neighbours, good people."
In 2009 Paul played a part in the Kaitaia Hospital and Medical Centre re-development, creating the carving 'Rangi and Papa,' which takes pride of place in the hospital foyer. That led to his being asked to became Tohunga Whakairo for the Te Ahu project. He is the carver responsible for the Te Rarawa and Dalmatian pou.
"I was determined to make a contribution to the community with my art," he said.
"Te Ahu worked out really well, but it was a battle all the way. I love Te Ahu. I'm really proud of the asset it is to our community. It's a central focal point - a meeting place, as it has been traditionally."
He particularly enjoyed creating the Dalmatian pou.
"The Dallies got right behind the opportunity to have a carved pou to represent them in the North and in New Zealand. They were incredibly supportive," he said.
Each pou took about 15 months to complete, making it is biggest carving project to date. Now he is about to begin carving the Ngati Kahu pou, and is also working on the restoration of the angel war memorial statue in Kaitaia.
He is comfortable working with stone, bone and wood, but his favourite wood is kauri.
"I use traditional carving styles, blended with contemporary styles," he said.
"The resurgence of Maori culture and its art is something I'm dedicated to and fascinated with. I draw inspiration from Hongi (Hika, Ngapuhi rangatira/chief). I've learnt that he was happiest when he was doing ta moko and carving. It's a side of him that's not that well known, but I look to it for inspiration."
He finds it hard to judge his own work, however.
"When it comes to final analysis, it is for others to judge," he said.
"I always find faults. I believe somebody who thinks their own work is perfect will never progress. There is always room for improvement."
And he likes "everything" about living in the Far North.
"The climate, the beaches, the fishing.
"There are a lot of good people in the North. I feel like I belong here."
