You could say Nikki Smith is living her dream.
She used to come to Raglan as a little girl growing up in Hamilton, and even then loved the wild west coast. “I always knew this was where I wanted to be.”
Three years ago that’s exactly what happened.
Nikki reckons our little town’s the perfect spot for an “old hippie” like her. And hubby Andrew’s pretty sold on the lifestyle too, as well as with their new home over on Rangitahi Peninsula with views of Mt Karioi one way and a reach of the inner harbour the other.
“We drove up here one Sunday before Covid,” Nikki recalls, “and I said to Andrew, hang on a minute, let’s see this (section for sale).”
There’s definitely no looking back, she insists, having now immersed herself in the community and obviously still bubbling along on a bit of a high.
They like to walk, Nikki and Andrew. Three mornings a week the couple hoofs it down Rangitahi Rd, across the new bridge and to the end of Opotoru Rd, and then Nikki heads along Wainui Rd to town where she works three days a week from 8.30 to 5pm.
Meantime, Andrew goes in the opposite direction, typically up the beach then back home via the Town2Surf walkway. But they do get to walk together at weekends, Nikki says.
People often remark on Nikki’s purposeful stride as she heads into town and back but she insists it’s not power-walking. “I’m in my zone, in the moment, in my head,” the spry 67 year old explains.
She loves her job as a cashier at the local Four Square supermarket, a sea change from her 12 years as an administrator at Tai Aroha – a Department of Corrections facility housing high-risk offenders.
Knowing she didn’t want to commute to Hamilton, and wanting to get to know the locals, she ventured downtown one day to see if anyone would employ “an older chick”. Long story short, Four Square owner Satnam Bains would – and did.
Nikki is effusive she’s with an employer who’s “so generous” to the community. “And I work with a great team of people,” she adds.
She likes the direct customer contact, too.“Being at the frontline is me.”
She was rewarded for her upbeat customer service and positive energy recently by being voted Four Square’s ‘Employee of the Month’.
Meantime – along with Andrew who formerly owned a property maintenance company – she’s loving the Raglan lifestyle and delighted to be part of a community where “you can do whatever you like, you don’t have to conform”.
