My Family

Carlos

My dad is a very interesting person. Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he has been living in New Zealand since 1982. He worked very hard and created business called Telsoft in which he designed computer systems. He is a very smart man and has many interests. Although he only learned to speak English in his twenties he speaks it better than most New Zealanders (with an accent) and he has been known to beat me in scrabble (not very often though) . My earliest memory is of dad making kites which he is quite good at. At one stage he was a porsche racing car driver, he used to have a boat and was a fishing enthusiast, his new hobby is collecting antique telephones. He is quite a good cook and has a few specialties including home made fettucine with his special pasta machine, homemade icecream with his special ice-cream machine and chocolate mousse, he also makes the best rice of anyone I know.

Dad is a very strong, fiery and determined person but he is very funny and likes to have a good laugh, he is also extremely generous and kind-hearted.

Gaynor

My mum is a lovely person. Born and raised in New Zealand she lives in Auckland where she is a yoga and pilates teacher and looks after my little sister Zoe. Mum is a very talented person, she speaks Portuguese and Spanish fluently. She is also an awesome cook. My love of food and cooking undoubtedly came from her. She always let me have free reign in the kitchen to cook up a storm when I was a kid, although I have to admit she was never very happy about the mess I created! She has been a vegetarian since I was a child and has always been interested in spirituality and health. Growing up there was always a plentiful supply of interesting books in the house about health, spirituality and cooking which provided me with endless reading material and sparked my interest in those kind of things.

Mum is very gentle and soft natured, she loves children and has a very warm heart.

Raivata

My little brother is four years younger than me. Growing up we were really close and spent a lot of time together playing. I have to admit that I bossed him around quite a bit, but mum says that he didn't mind. When he was a kid he liked insects (especially ants), which I hated. In many respects we are quite different, I inherited the fiery latin blood, whereas he is more mild and placid. I was the academic and he was the artist. I liked all sports but he was decidedly un-sporty, the only sport he played was chess - he is an excellent chess player. But in many ways we are quite similar. Everyone says that we look amazingly alike and we have the same mannerisms, we have even been asked if we are twins! We also share an avid interest in spirituality. Raivata is a spiritual name that his spiritual master gave him (he is also known as Roberto), even though he is four years younger than me he took up the spiritual life before I did and inspired me in my own spiritual quest.

Raivata is a real character, he is quite funny and he gets on well with everyone, but boy is he unphotogenic.

Zoe

My little sister is 20 years younger than me and lives in Auckland with my mum. She goes to Rudolf Steiner school and enjoys playing, ballet, athletics and swimming. She is a good runner with an excellent style, I went for a run with her once at One Tree Hill and I was quite impressed with her capacity, she was fiercely competitive with me and boasted that she wasn't even puffed at the end of the run - not bad for a five year old! Being a capricorn Zoe has a great sense of humour and is a lot of fun to be around. She has been diabetic since the age of four which has been a challenge for her but she is very responsible and mature about it and never complains.

Zoe is a very strong and determined character, she is bright, bubbly and articulate.