Eldad Ronen. Photo/Stephen Parker
Our People's conducted interviews in some strange places but chatting over our car engine while its having its internal workings repaired's a first.
Discovering the man doing the doctoring was Israeli by birth, the son of Iranian parents, Australian by adoption, is multi-lingual (Arabic included), plays West African and reggae music, is of the Jewish faith and married to an African American demanded a "hang on a minute mate" as we dived for our notebook.
How could we possibly let this go unrecorded?
Better still, it turned into one of those 'two for the price of one' jobs.
Eldad Ronen's wife, Candie Kelly, is his business administrator meaning we snared her too.
What we unearthed was a fascinating pair of internationals who, 18 months ago, chose to make our city their city.
Like his panelbeater father before him who took his family to Australia for a better lifestyle, the Ronen-Kelly duo replicated the exercise by crossing the Tasman.
A holiday walk in the Redwoods, hot pool visits, landscape, "tasting the nice fresh air" confirmed Rotorua was where their future lay.
Eldad, who honed his motor technician's skills on BMWs, Mercs and Jags, acquired the former Cliffs Auto Services run by Cliff and Shona Wickham (Our People, August 1, 2015).
He rebranded as Rotorua Auto Services and is soon to relocate from rented premises to the Otonga Rd building he's bought; these imports are here to stay and contribute.
Both are big on community involvement, Eldad runs car-related courses for women, Candie's hand is up for voluntary work.
What is it that makes these non-Kiwis tick?
Eldad's first off the blocks. A twin (he's seven minutes older than his brother), this deep thinker talks at length about culture and religions, the significance of being Jewish.
"I am proud of who I am, feel blessed, but I believe people of all cultures need to take responsibility, to come together to celebrate life. What the world doesn't know is the beauty of how Muslims, Jews and Christians have, in the past, lived together in peace and harmony in places like Iraq, Yemen, throughout Africa.
"I owe a lot of my philosophy to the teachings of the late Emperor Haile Selassie and the Dalai Lama - two people I love."
On a more personal level he tells us of a Sydney childhood immersed in sport and surfing, he was 10 when his family immigrated.
His passion for West African and reggae music was born in his teens.
"I'm a percussionist, play the djembe [skin topped drum beaten with bare hands] and other percussion instruments. I went regularly to Chicago to hook up with and learn from others and perform. I've always loved Chicago because it's so multi-cultural."
Travel throughout the States were sidebars to his Chicago visits. He met Candie in San Diego.
Initially he's reluctant to share how; fretting it may sound "a bit cheap".
Far from it, we say when the reality of this boy-meets-girl story is revealed, it's one romance writers couldn't better.
They were standing in the same gas station cash desk queue. Phone numbers and email addresses were exchanged, they visited each other's countries. "She eventually came to Australia and we were married."
Bland as that statement is, Candie throws a whole other perspective on it, describing the man she swapped contact details with as "charismatic and very respectful".
His proposal was in front of a cast of hundreds.
"He invited me to his synagogue, I'm not religious, don't speak Hebrew, couldn't understand what was going on, the rabbi called me up, said Eldad had proposed to me, everyone was clapping I said 'yeah', went red and raced back to my seat."
They married on a Sydney beach, Eldad in his kippah [skull cap].
Candie went to work in one of the city's swankiest pre-schools. "The kids were the children of celebrities, fashion designers, very well-known people, the paparazzi were there all the time, I learned to stay inside."
Pointing out she's taking to a 'pap', we press for these famous personages' identities.
Candie refuses to deliver. "I signed a confidentiality agreement, I still honour that."
She also taught at a Jewish school while studying Judaism. "I'd been thinking of converting but it didn't work out for me."
With her University of Arizona Bachelor of Social Science and early childhood papers recently assessed and approved by New Zealand authorities she's free to return to work in her field of expertise and may once the business is in its new location.
"I'm still making up my mind."
Being Eldad's right hand woman Candie's acquiring her own mechanical skills.
"I can check fluid levels, change batteries and tyres, diagnose a basic fault so I'm not totally clueless around cars."
Having delved into her husband's heritage what of the woman with a perpetual smile on her glossy ebony face?
"I'm a real African American with roots in Cuba and Haiti, my dad was in the military, I grew up all over the place."
Naturally speaking to an American that country's presently headline-grabbing political scene had to come into the equation. Had she been Stateside would Candie have supported Trump or Clinton?
"Neither of them were good candidates, I think Obama did a really great job despite not having Senate support he still managed to get things done."
Eldad had also got things done, our car was 'good to go', and it came with a parting shot from this student of human life.
"It's not religion that causes the world's problems, it's the lack of integrity and interaction between human beings, there's good and bad in every race."
ELDAD RONEN & CANDIE KELLY
Born: Eldad: Kfar Saba Israel, 1970; Candie: Ontario, California (prefers not to give birth year)
Education: Eldad: Israel, Bondi Beach Primary, Dover Heights High, Ultimo Technical College Sydney; Candie: Elementary school, Florida, various high schools, Riverside Community College, California, University of Arizona
Family: Eldad: Parents, two brothers; Candie: Mother, three brothers, two sisters
Interests: Eldad: "I love cultures, music, languages, classic cars, I've restored a '57 Chev I bought in America." Candie: Advocacy for children's rights, reading (inspirational and self-help books). "I've just completed nutrition and homeopathy courses". Salsa dancing "I've done a class here."
On Rotorua: Eldad: "Coming here was a good move"; Candie: "People here complain, think the government owes them something, they have no idea how lucky they are compared with other places."
Personal philosophy: Both: "Treat people with kindness and respect."