Bell-Kake (49) is in Dunedin this week as she comes towards the end of a working stint in Hong Kong.
She will move to Dunedin permanently in July to be with husband Mark Kake, the new Southern hockey development coach.
Bell-Kake, who played 132 games for New Zealand and is considered one of the best female players to come out of this country, will coach the Southern women's team in this year's NHL league.
Bell-Kake, or Bell as she was known then, first arrived in Dunedin in 1986, fresh out of Colenso High School in Hawkes Bay, as a fresh-faced 18-year-old.
''I've got great memories of being in Dunedin. Just all the fun times and being a student. We used to train down at the old stadium out in South Dunedin and then play on grass,'' she said.
''Out down at Logan Park and then at the Oval. They were good fields and it gave you some different skills.
''But Dunedin hasn't changed in some ways. It still looks the same. The same fields although the stadium really stands out.''
The old stadium she used to train in is now the Dunedin Ice Stadium while grass fields are no longer in use, with the first turf put in at the McMillan Centre in 1990.
Bell-Kake first played for New Zealand while she was studying physical education and teaching in Dunedin.
She played at the Barcelona and Sydney Olympics and has been around hockey all her life.
She moved to Hong Kong with her husband seven years ago. He worked there as the national hockey coach.
''I started off there in fulltime coaching and then got a bit of teaching work. That gradually took over and now I'm fulltime at a French international school and still doing a bit of coaching.''
The Kakes had built up hockey in Hong Kong but a rule which cut out many of the ex-pats meant they had to start from scratch last year.
She will finish her contract at the school on June 30 and head to Dunedin straight away.
She ran her eyes over the women players at club play last Saturday at the McMillan Centre.
''There is some talent there and of course I want to get the best out of the girls. But we don't want to ignore the older players too. I'd like to see the older players still playing.
''I know when I was down here we had that older bunch of players, the players from say 23-28, who really held the team together. They just had that bit of experience that kept everyone grounded.''
The mother of Chelsea (21), Mark (19) and Jakob (14), her sons followed their parents into hockey. She only stopped playing last year as her knees and hip starting playing up and put all her energies into coaching.
''I suppose you could call me a passionate coach. I set high standards and expect them to be reached. Coaching though is a lot like teaching. For a lot of teams and players you just need to be interested in them.''
