Paul Henry talks about Mustangs, Trump, nudity and cheap motels on book tour

Paul Henry, pictured with some of the Paper Plus Stratford team, was an entertaining speaker.

He votes right, but turns left when boarding an airplane, he stays in cheap motels but drives Mustangs, he loves the USA yet calls it moronic.

When Paul Henry spoke to a packed hall in Stratford on Monday night, he told them he had never cared what others thought of him, or had tried to fit in with others.

He might be a mass of contradictions when it comes to his life, but staying true to who he is and what he thinks has made for a very successful career for the television and radio personality / author / winemaker.

Paul was in Stratford as part of a nationwide tour promoting his latest book, I'm In A United State, and said he always enjoyed visiting the town.

"I actually came here with my first book, and my second. I love it, you don't get the same reaction in Auckland as you do somewhere like here."

A keen motoring enthusiast, Paul said Taranaki was fortunate to have "one of the best drives in New Zealand, or even the world" on its doorstep, referencing the Forgotten World Highway.

"Although, I almost did a forgotten world drive myself coming here, I don't know who programmed the GPS in my car, but it was a disaster. It took me onto a cycle path at one point."

In the evening, organised by Margie Hodgetts and the team at Stratford Paper Plus and emceed by NZME radio journalist Bryan Vickery, Paul spoke at length about his love for the USA, his thoughts on the recent election over there, as well as the time he himself stood for election in NZ, cheap motels, flying business class, nudist resorts, changing nappies and anything else he was asked about by members of the audience.

On the subject of being a nudist, he said there was a clear difference between nudists and naturists.

"Nudists believe in swimming and sunbathing nude, and maybe walking from the pool to the sun lounger nude. But naturists, they believe you should hike in the desert with cactuses while nude. That's the difference."

As for the American election, he would have voted for Trump last time if he could, he said, but not this time. When he first ran for election, Trump had given a voice to a large group of people who had not had a voice before, said Paul.

"Suddenly these people, they are called marginal voters because while they can vote, they never do, and suddenly there was this person speaking for them, for people living in the rust belt of the USA, who had been forgotten about by politicians over the years, and that person spoke for them, so they voted for him and he was elected president. Sadly, of course, he was a moron."

While the event was free, there was a limit of 100 tickets, which went quickly, said Margie.

"People were really keen to come and hear him speak."

After nearly two hours of talking, Paul then spent time signing copies of his book and posing for photos with the 100 people who had come.

Raffle tickets were being sold at the event, with prizes donated by Paper Plus Stratford, raising $180 for The Scratching Post on the night.

I'm In A United State, by Paul Henry is available for sale at Paper Plus Stratford, with some signed copies available.