Catchafire

Hello everyone

Just taking a break from the grape harvest and having a bit of time to reflect on being here for 10 years now!

I left the UK back in 2001 at the age of 33 and travelled the world for four years with nothing but my backpack, after selling my house and all my possessions. And it seems a lifetime ago!

Today I am a father to two beautiful Kiwi girls, now aged 6 and 4. My wife, who I met on my travels, has got her dream job, working with horses on a biodynamic/organic wine estate, just down the road. I find myself with a modestly successful wine label, a small guest house (a blinged up sleepout) and a import business of wine making equipment. Much of the time I get to spend being a dad and a husband, as a family we have our afternoons together, I get to do the school runs and sometimes even manage to do some work!

So was it worth it? %^&$ yes! Despite everything that had been thrown at us, earthquakes, money problems, business problems, were are still here and still moving and dreaming forward.

I am really looking forward to the next ten years!

My only advice to anyone considering making the move, do not think that New Zealand is going to make you rich in monetary terms. But if you value time over money, family over work, life over career, then New Zealand has all that and more to offer.

Stormer999

Excellent post, thank you

Pom_Chch

I was smiling ear to ear by the time I had read the last sentence Good on ya Catcha, I hope your next 10 years are as great as your previous 10...

dannigirl

Brill update!

gazmac

Great to hear a positive story. Happy for ya.

cappuccino

Great update. Here's to the next successful and happy 10 years.

BEVS

Bless your socks Catcha.

You're a wonderful NZ success story as far as I'm concerned.

To anyone else looking in, Catcha was a good mod. Is a great guy in real life and makes the most stonkingly ace wine. He & his family deserve all the happiness in the world.

old.sparkles

Brilliant post Catcha and congrats on the 10 Years

here's to you and the next 10

RobDon

+1

SWANA

that is a success story, you are very fortunate to have had a good experience

BEVS

No. Not at all.

This was through their own hard work & times. For real.

Catchafire

Thanks SWANA....everytime I look at my beautiful wife and children, I have to pinch myself and remind myself how fortunate I am.

Everything else is has come from our wit and skill.

Very "fortunate" indeed.

bourbon-biscuit

Hard slog, determination, a creative vision, *and* some good fortune - or at least absence of excessive bad fortune. I am quite sure you've weathered some storms along the way - possibly even storms that would have sunk most people - but all success has some element of fortune to it. To deny otherwise is to suggest that people who have not achieved similar have not tried hard enough (not talking about myself here - I think we've achieved heaps too, albeit of a different nature, and not done yet ...). It's dangerous to attribute all success (and ergo all failure) to intrapsychic processes, imo.

I keep meaning to buy your wine, Catcha! I am so impressed and in awe of what you have achieved.

bearskin

Gosh, I thought it was all terribly bad form to have lived here for a bit and been happy and successful. The poor 'unlucky' buggers who have come here since and not had it all milk and honey might not be happy to hear this at all...

What's your wine brand, I'm always keen to support a bit of honest work? I may already be fan without realising it however...

BEVS

Eureka


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