He Tangata: Doug Hudson of Fullers Group

Doug Hudson. Photo / Supplied

Elisabeth Easther meets Doug Hudson, Fullers Group board member and former CEO.

My dad started his first bus company in the King Country when he was 21, so I started out in Owhango. Then, in the 1960s he bought a bus and charter company that ran out of Avondale, which grew into Fourways Tours. So my involvement in tourism started way back when I was at school. I used to work on weekend ski tours down to Ruapehu, trying to teach 40 people how to ski in a weekend.

About the same time, in the late 70s, Dad bought his first yacht, so we spent a lot of time sailing round the Hauraki Gulf, but a lot of our holidays were actually based around Dad's work. Because he also owned a camping ground in the Bay of Islands, looking after holidaymakers was a big part of our school holidays. Whether we were cleaning buses in the weekends, or going away to the camping ground, we could be doing everything from kayaking upriver to Haruru Falls or picking up rubbish to take to the tip.

I also did a lot of skiing and, in my early 20s, I'd go off with friends, cruising the South Island in campervans. One of the best experiences ever was heli-skiing in the Mt Cook area. But it was so expensive at the time, $150 for a day's heli-skiing — that sounds so affordable now.

Probably the most dangerous thing that ever happened, I was mountain biking round the back of Ohakune. We were riding along the main trunk, on an established cycling track that criss-crosses the railway line. But we didn't realise the trains through that section were electrified and, without looking, I turned to cross the railway line, but my wheels stopped and I was stuck, straddling the track. I heard this almighty blast and I turned and there was a train right there. I threw myself and my bike off the track, leaving my mate on the other side, and the train trundled through. We looked at each other, as white as ghosts. That's the scariest thing that's ever happened to me.

After school I trained as a commercial pilot, driving trucks to pay for the flying and by 20, I was qualified. I also drove buses for dad, to pay for the ongoing training and, in the course of driving those buses, I ended up in the business so I never really pursued my flying career. I went from bus driver to supervisor, then I became operations manager for the tour company. And one day, Dad and I were sailing down the harbour when we saw the old Kestrel go past and we thought about the unrealised potential of harbour ferries — so in '81 we bought the ferry company.

I'm still big on sailing and I've just done three years in a row sailing in Croatia. It's amazing there, the history, the culture, and the extent of the coastline is incredible. There's a Croatian family I've known for many years, they have a private enclave on a big island called Hvar, not far from Split, and I was lucky to be invited stay, with my kids.

I love the Hauraki Gulf. Every summer I try to ride my bike around the bottom end of Waiheke Island to remind myself what a special place it is. It's such an amazing ride, looking out over the islands from Garden Cove and Cactus Bay. Garden Cove is my favourite anchorage, right on Auckland's doorstep, it's so close and so special.

I don't believe in capping destinations. There have been conversations about capping visitor numbers to Rangitoto, but the answer is in managing the peak of the peak. There may only be 30 days when it's heaving on Waiheke so, rather than creating this impression that tourism is bad, it's better to manage the peaks. For example, on Rangitoto there might be 20 days when there are 800 people on the island, but they all disperse. So it's not the people — it's the infrastructure, toilets, rubbish collection, it's how you manage those things.

Getting people out to Rangitoto Island is so special and nothing makes me happier than seeing kids from a low-decile school up the top of Rangitoto. A lot of them have never been on the harbour, let alone up the top of Rangitoto. The smiles on their faces are ear to ear and it's beautiful to see.

More informaion: see fullers.co.nz