What was the best birthday present you ever received, and why?
For my 21st birthday, my parents gave me a return airfare to the UK. We had returned to New Zealand seven years before that, and it was the first time I was revisiting England where I had grown up. I travelled alone and it was great. It gave me a taste for ongoing travel.
What smell do you find irresistible?
Lavender. Especially on a warm night in Central Otago.
If you were going to an island and could take only three things, what would they be and why?
Sunblock; a device to enable me to read books, connect to the world and listen to music; and, my husband, because he said so!
What's something only your family knows about you?
When I was about 7, our family travelled through Europe. One afternoon, in a field above Salzburg, my dad fell asleep. While he was asleep, Mum and I plaited parts of his beard, ending each plait with a small daisy from the field. We thought it was lovely. He was not impressed and promptly cut off each plait.
You are a new addition to the crayon box. What colour are you, and why?
I would like to be bright blue, as it is the colour of the sky against the water as I drive to and from home, in St Leonards. It is uplifting and hopeful and a positive way to start the day.
