Mr McGregor (53), a former King's High School pupil, recently returned to Dunedin with his French-born wife, Brigitte, and their two children, Alizee and Ombeline, during a three-week holiday.
For the past 10 years, he has been based in Paris as an airline pilot, and flies Avro regional jet aircraft for CityJet, an Irish airline whose parent company is Air France.
His wife is a vet and Ombeline is also studying to become a vet, in Sydney, Australia.
All the McGregors, who are keen scuba divers, have enjoyed visiting Dunedin and Alizee has been learning how to surf at Brighton Beach, successfully riding a small wave there on Saturday before heading back to Paris.
Mr McGregor has enjoyed sharing with his family the special qualities of his New Zealand home city.
Dunedin still offered a "great lifestyle" and a simpler approach that was close to nature, and he felt "completely at home with the people".
He had also enjoyed catching up with his old Brighton school friend, Robbie Baxter, and had been fishing and diving with him.
Mr Baxter, a former Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club captain, gave Alizee three surfing lessons, and said she had shown natural talent throughout.
Mr McGregor said Brighton was just as he had remembered it, a "beautiful little village" that also offered "beautiful views of the sea".
