Living back in England, one Friday night I was at the pub, when a friend said, "I want to go to Australia to visit my boyfriend but I'm scared to go by myself". And I said, "I'll come". We got our tickets on the Saturday, went to London to get our visas on Monday in preparation for flying out Tuesday afternoon. Then the friend was dumped and decided not to go. But I went anyway. I had no idea what I was going to do or where I was going to stay — all I had was a flight to Brisbane.
I had such a great time. It felt so free after growing up in England in the 80s. From there, I did the classic thing: backpacking and working. I had no plan, no idea what I wanted to be. I just wanted to explore and not get tied down.
I didn't know much about New Zealand, but I knew I wanted to come here, and when my Australian visa ran out I had to leave, so I hopped on a plane to New Zealand. I arrived in Auckland and hitch-hiked with a friend to the Bay of Islands, Taupo, Wellington and we ended up doing a ski season in Wanaka.
Rob was one of my flatmates in Queenstown, and I know it's against the rules but he's my husband now. In the early 90s, not long after we got together he took over his dad's wooden boat and fished for crayfish. When the quota price got ridiculous we swapped the boat for a gold claim up the Arrow River but because the sea is in his blood he returned to commercial fishing, doing fishing and diving charters on the side. Rob prefers the people who just love fishing, diving and hunting, not the stag-party trips. He tended to attract wealthy, older businessmen who'd want to come back with their families but didn't want to be crammed into one bunkroom. This got Rob thinking about multi-day trips with individual cabins and en suites, which is where we are now.
Today we operate overnights in Milford from early November to March, then down to the Southern Inlet till mid-July. Last year, for the first time, we did overnight cruises in the winter season. I think it's the most amazing time to visit, hardly anyone's here, yet you have clear winter days, snowy mountains.
Because we operate a very upmarket boat, there's an expectation of the sort of service we provide. Yes we have a beautiful boat and yes we're very professional and we always have fantastic cuisine, but it's also about who we are as people. Rob is very true to himself — his father was a fisherman and his grandfather a gold miner — and it's very clear that what we're offering is a personal service.
I always say I should've been born a Kiwi. In England I never really felt I fitted in, but when I first arrived in Queenstown, I felt I'd come home.
Further information: see fiordlanddiscovery.co.nz
