Barry (Teutenberg) was born in Gisborne on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand in 1955, living there all his life apart from 6 months in 1976 when he travelled to England with some friends and initially caught the 'boating bug' after spotting barges on the Norfolk Broads.
He ran a successful photography business for 35 years before selling it in 2008 to pursue his dream of travelling the waterways of Britain by narrowboat. Having spent many years photographing weddings, schools, family portraits and commercial work, Barry loved nothing better than capturing the beauty of the canals and places along the way, taking the majority of the photos for the blog during 2009 and 2010. In 2011 Barry opened up a 'Home brew and more' shop in Gisborne, New Zealand, using his extensive knowledge and experience to interact with his customers! This shop is now for sale (see the Trade Me advert here), and being managed by Adrienne whilst Barry is back in UK ...
Sandra (Walsh) was born at home in Shirley, Solihull, in 1959 and is a qualified nurse and midwife, having practised nursing and midwifery in a variety of roles and places for the past 35 years. She fulfilled a long held dream and immigrated to New Zealand in January 2005 - then met Barry in January 2006 who subsequently presuaded her to return to England in 2009 to buy a narrowboat. Sandra's had a number of articles published in the nursing and midwifery press, and is the author of the words of the blog posts. In March 2011 Sandra began a two-year Diploma in Holistic Life Coaching - something she's been interested in for many years, and which she plans to make her next career. She graduated on 16th March 2013, having supported more than a dozen clients to discover more about themselves, their beliefs about life, what they want from their future and how to move forward.
Barry and Sandra married in England on the roof of their narrowboat 'Northern Pride' in September 2009, and back in New Zealand on the beach in December 2009. Sandra chose to retain her maiden name and vice versa! Barry and Sandra have four grown up children between them, and a gorgeous grandson in England.
In 2009 and 2010, Barry and Sandra travelled almost 2,000 miles on the waterways of England and Wales, following which they put their beloved Northern Pride on sale. She was sold to some lovely people who keep in touch with their travels and hopefully we'll catch up in 2013 ...
Barry and Sandra returned to England on 20th March 2013, and have now purchased another narrowboat called 'AREandARE'. She's 60' 2" long, and has room for family and friends to come and visit, as well as space for Sandra to set up her new business. Barry will return to NZ in August 2013, to apply for his UK residency visa, and then will also set up his boat-based business.
We're looking forward to following our dream, finding ways of earning a sustainable income flexibly, while spending time with people we love and seizing each day ...
