Community-minded family become NZ citizens

August 9th, 2013

Tasman Mayor Richard Kempthorn presented the community-minded Everett Family from Kaiteriteri with their New Zealand citizenship at the Tasman District Council Chambers yesterday.

Jim and Terri came to New Zealand for the first time in 1994 as part of their round-the-world honeymoon trip. They visited many place in the world over a year but one place really made a lasting impression.

They planned a couple of days for the Abel Tasman National Park like so many others and pitched their small tent at Old MacDonald's Farm Camp in Marahau. They experienced their first earthquake while on their four-day walk in the park, which was such an amazing experience for them.

They planned one more night in Marahau but that night was a challenge with their tent being flooded out after a huge fall of rain, but this was just a minor detail to the devastation that they woke up to the next morning. A huge slice of the mountain had slid down, cascading torrents of logs, boulders and earth, which engulfed the camp.

Linda and Doug MacDonald took pity on the newlyweds and offered Terri and Jim a night in their honeymoon suite and in return they experienced another new idea - WWOOFing. Terri and Jim ended up staying a week or so to help clear up all the mess ready for the approaching season in exchange for their accommodation and food.

Over that time they got to know other locals. One such local was George Bloomfield who at that time ran the Riding establishment, a pastime close to Terri's heart, and she soon convinced George to allow her to help him as a trail boss. In total Terri and Jim stayed for about two months in Marahau and it was hard to move on.

Terri and Jim returned to England and started a family and even lived in France for four years, but something just kept nagging both of them and the challenge was on.

In 2006 the Everetts finally managed to move over to New Zealand after a two-year paper trail, medicals and questions and they soon realised their dream when they found themselves back in Motueka and took over Kaiteriteri Boat Charters, now known as Sea Limousines.

The family have really embraced their new life style. Terri is now a registered NZ Celebrant and helping others by offering event planning with her experience of travelling to New Zealand from overseas.

She has also become a household name in the area with her huge Dream Maker dream wedding radio competition to promote the Nelson, Tasman and Golden Bay area into the New Zealand capital for weddings, events and honeymoons (see our story here). She also initiated the contacts with TV One which got Motueka into Seven Sharp's sharpest town competition.

Peter, their oldest son, is a student at Motueka High, earning the title of student of the week twice and organising the Kaiteriteri sandcastle competition. Christopher is doing well at Riwaka School and is involved in a national maths challenge.

Jim works for a company in New Plymouth as an engineer, which does take him outside of New Zealand quite a bit, but he is looking forward to the time he can enjoy semi-retirement out in the Abel Tasman again.

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