I grew up in the small town of Waihi, in the North Island of New Zealand, I'm the second youngest of nine children.  My father was of European origin and my mother of Maori origin from the far North (the Hokianga).

My fondest memories were of family excursions in my dad's 1960 PA Vauxhall Velox.  We loved that big old car, so much so, that I bought one myself in 1990 and owned it for 10 years.

Since I can remember I have always liked drawing and used to stay up late at night to finish off my masterpieces, even though I had school the next morning.