She would spend 23 years living and working there as a freelance flautist and teacher.
One of six sisters, Culliford says her father was a teacher and the family lived in a number of rural locations when her father was posted to country schools.
"It was a good life but I became seriously interested in music when we moved to Lower Hutt.
"I was about 10 then and, rather than me discovering the flute, I would say that the flute found me.
"A friend of my father's gave him a flute for me to play because I think Dad complained to him about my recorder playing."
In London, Culliford played with orchestras such as the London Sinfonietta, Royal Philharmonic and the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, as well as recording for the BBC.
She became the professor of flute at Trinity College and the Royal Academy of Music junior department.
While in London, she co-founded the contemporary music ensemble Lontano in 1976 and the Mornington Trust, a registered charity promoting music education, in 1981.
"I enjoyed being a Kiwi living abroad and I met a lot of other New Zealanders pursuing music careers in the UK."
She met and married Bob Morgan, who grew up in New Zealand although he was born in England.
The couple returned to live in New Zealand with their young son, Francis, and settled in Whanganui where Culliford's parents were living.
Francis now lives in the Netherlands and is studying towards a biochemistry PhD. His younger sister, Elena, is an accomplished cello player working as project manager for Sistema Aotearoa, a trust that encourages young musicians.
"I don't like to say that I'm proud of my own accomplishments but I'm happy to say I'm proud of my children," Culliford said.
She says others deserve credit for her many musical projects.
"I don't do things alone - everything I do is a joint or group effort."
Culliford has organised the annual secondary schools' Chamber Music Contest in Whanganui for several years and is convenor of the Sonja Wilson Music Competition in Whanganui, held annually to recognise advanced solo musicians.
She co-ordinates and hosts the subscription series of touring Chamber Music New Zealand musicians, comprising about six concerts annually.
Until 2017 she was a principal music examiner for the International Baccalaureate Organisation.
Culliford has taught music, particularly woodwind instruments, at various tertiary institutes and secondary schools including Nga Tawa Diocesan School in Marton. She currently teaches at Wanganui Collegiate.
She has performed nationally with several groups such as 175 East and individual New Zealand musicians and is a past president of the New Zealand Flute Society and a senior examiner for the New Zealand Music Examinations Board.
Culliford was presented with the Chamber Music New Zealand, Marie Vandewart Memorial Award in 2015.
