Lieutenant Commander Phil Bradshaw said many naval staff might not look at Dunedin as their first option when accepting a posting, but he has found his four years' service here rewarding and full of opportunities.
And it has led him in a new career direction he would never have imagined when arriving in the deep south.
Tomorrow is Lt-cmdr Bradshaw's last day as Dunedin's RNO, and his last official duty will be a memorial service for the sinking of HMS Neptune and the Battle of the River Plate, before he leaves for Wellington to take up his new job as the national director of communications for the defence force.
While excited to be going to such a job, he and his family were sad to be leaving Dunedin, he said.
"I think this has been the highlight of my career so far."
After more than 20 years in the navy, he took the RNO job in Dunedin in February 2006, looking, together with his young family, for a change from the engineering roles he had previously held.
He did not have any expectations of what the job would be like, but had come to know the city and many of its citizens well.
Over the past four years, he had enjoyed what he called the "just get in and do it" attitude of Dunedin people and the community spirit.
"It's those old-school values, like integrity and professionalism. If they promise something, they'll do it - much of that stuff that's out of step with much of the rest of today's society."
He enjoyed the sense of community in Dunedin and "all those quirky things" that might not happen in bigger cities.
"I love things like the Regent 24-hour book sale and the ease with which they just shut George St to let bagpipes or motorcycles come down it. That would never happen in Auckland."
He had also enjoyed his involvement with community groups and was particularly proud of the Blokes' Sheds and the grass-kart challenge, which he started, and which he was confident would continue after he left.
He was leaving the city with a real sense of achievement, he said.
"It's been phenomenal."
While RNO in Dunedin was not a job many in the navy scrambled for, it had been one that opened many doors for him.
The broad nature of the job had given him opportunities to meet many locals and many of the navy's top brass and had honed his organisational skills, factors he was sure had helped him get his new job.
He will spend next week in Wellington before taking five weeks' holiday with wife Joanne and daughters Izzy (5) and Sophie (3), who will join him in Wellington early next year.
"We'll miss it here. We really will."
