Cromford, it's a village in the middle of England, ironically about as far away from the sea as one can get.
But in 2010, Cromford resident Dave Savage's love of the outdoors and learning about all things technical, combined with his wife Helen's love of projects and adventures, prompted them to buy a Hans Christian 43 sailboat, the Grace of Longstone.
And now the couple are moored in Careys Bay, having travelled halfway around the world from Hull, on the east coast of England.
Mrs Savage said they had already had quite a few adventures on land, and they were ready for a new kind of adventure.
Sailing around the world was a natural progression.
"It's where our two passions meet," she said.
The 59-year-olds set sail on "the big one" in 2016, aiming to make it to New Zealand at some stage.
On the way, they had the privilege of going wherever their noses pointed.
They travelled down the coast of France, Spain and Portugal, and then went on to Tenerife, Cape Verde, Barbados, the Caribbean, up and down the coast of America and Canada a few times, Bermuda, the Bahamas and Jamaica.
"It was really fun in Bermuda. We got to watch the Kiwis win the America's Cup," Mrs Savage said.
It was all fun in the sun, until they went through the Panama Canal to the Pacific Ocean and then got stopped dead in their tracks.
"Covid-19 hit and everywhere in the Pacific was shut," Mr Savage said.
"So we had to sit on the west coast of Central America for about three months.
"We were thinking, `hmm, what's going to happen now?'."
Fortunately, French Polynesia reopened its borders and they immediately set sail, he said.
"We had two years in French Polynesia because nowhere else was open.
"It was fantastic. We had an amazing time."
From there they went to Fiji and then to New Zealand, where they have been slowly making their way down the country.
They arrived at Port Chalmers earlier this week.
Mr Savage said it had been the trip of a lifetime so far.
"I think it's one of the things that actually helps keep you young, it keeps you fit.
"We didn't want to wait until retirement and be in our late 60s before we started, because we would need to bring someone else with us to help sail it."
"And also, let's face it, working sometimes isn't that much fun. So basically, we've been faking being retired for a few years," Mr Savage said.
The best things about sailing were exploring new places and making "life-long friends" along the way, he said.
"We've met several boats that had kids. And kid boats are great, because kids love having people around that aren't their parents, and the parents like having people around who haven't got kids."
They were also amazed by the amount of wildlife they had seen, the spectacular sunsets and sunrises and the ferocious storms.
"Just the scale of it, sometimes as human beings, we think we're big and important, but actually when you're in the ocean and you're a speck, I really like that," Mrs Savage said.
The couple said space was limited on board and there was nowhere to get away from each other, so things could get tense at times.
But when they were in stormy seas, they had no option but to work together.
"I was lying on the bench seat inside and Dave was up top," Mrs Savage said.
"A wave came over, and that's when we learned that the hatches weren't as well-sealed as we thought.
"I was not very impressed at all, and after having a little rant, I suddenly wondered if Dave was still up there or if he had been swept away.
"On the boat, there's only two of you, and if something happens to one of you, there's only one of you.
"So you've got to be pretty robust, and we get on pretty good. You've got to treasure that partnership."
The couple intend to spend the rest of the week in Dunedin before heading to Stewart Island.
After that, their plans were pretty fluid, Mr Savage said.
"There's a few ideas kicking around.
"We've started to think about whether we should carry on and go around the world, you know, check that box.
"We're still undecided."
john.lewis@odt.co.nz
