Finding a balance between work and play in NZ

Mary on top of the world - Mt Ruapehu, New Zeland.

By Mary McBride - multi-sporter and dentist!

I came to New Zealand in 1999 and discovered more outdoors, hills and rivers than you could shake a stick at.  I grew up on a farm in Northern Ireland and had spent much of my youth wandering through bucolic pastures (or chasing cows around fields) but had abandoned them for the bright lights of the city, pints of Guinness and chasing boys around nightclubs.  An all or nothing kind of gal.

When I arrived, I still felt the need to have buildings and bright lights around. With the harbour glistening on a bright sunlit day as I rounded the corner at the bottom of the Ngauranga Gorge, Wellington, the Coolest Little Capital, was always going to be my favourite city – great food, art, music, theatre, sport – and you could walk everywhere – there was just no contest.

I secured a job as a dentist in a city practice, discovered the positive and “give it a go” attitude of Kiwis, their generosity of spirit, and was blown away with Wellington J.  I watched the races on the waterfront from my flat window (an ant infested old house, now buried under apartments, on Oriental Parade); “Splash and Dash”, parents running around pushing buggies in front, and was inspired by their determination to stay fit despite the rigours of life. 

So I started running for 20 minutes around the waterfront, which progressed to a marathon (my only one, long distance road running was not for me), the Coast to Coast as team person (2-day), then it was just all on – up at 5.30am, training before work, training after work – big days and weekends in the Tararuas tramping, mountain running, paddling, biking on the road, biking off the road, climbing, skiing, bike tours, races.    I felt fit and free and away from the restrictions and control of working life in the city.

At that stage I was still working as a contractor, but had decided to start up my own practice.  With help from all of my friends, including WorksWonders own, Angela and Jane, as my communications and graphics specialists, Mary McBride Dentist was conceived and created on Tinakori Road, and a new era in my life.  Now I was working until 10.30pm at night planning things, going boggle eyed in front of the computer working out how to set up things like payrolls and buy chairs and materials and employ assistants.   I was too exhausted to get up at 6am for a ride and I had to squeeze in runs in the occasional 45 minutes I had free.   

I still have a sense of freedom, however, by having control of my working life.  It does take up a lot of my time, but this is necessary for its smooth running and my wellbeing.  I am still able to get up and train and paddle and run, but I can only do this on a less intensive level and I have accepted my loss of absolute fitness (which is really only transient in any case) and gained a better balance in my life.