HUMANS OF ŌTAUTAHI: PAUL
“I grew up in Dunedin and loved it down there. I was heavily into sport; I competed all around the world. I ended up based in Australia in 1990, and in 1994, I was in Germany trying to qualify for the Commonwealth Games, and I injured my shoulder. I was a javelin thrower.
“I ended up playing rugby, played for Queensland a few games and then snapped my collarbone in 1995. So left collarbone, right shoulder. I got involved in sport administration and worked there until 2004. I was desperate to come home; I really missed New Zealand. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy Australia, there are just too many things that will kill you over there.
“Many of the things I learnt along the way, I get to pass on to the kids that I coach now. As a coach, you’re always trying to find how that athlete responds best, and you’ve just gotta keep changing your hat to find it. I really get a kick from an athlete coming back, and they’ve done their best throw. And that smile and the sheer joy, that can’t be beaten.
“I came to Christchurch in 2004. Oddly enough, I was fully intending to move back to Dunedin in 2005, but then I met my wife.
“When the earthquakes hit, it was the moment that probably changed my life in many ways. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was going to take a sabbatical and just chill out until I found it.
“A friend of mine said, ‘Can you run my skate and snowboard store?’ I ended up doing that for 18 months and really enjoyed it, but one day, the guy who was turning up every day to sell me a coffee had ‘for sale’ on his van. I virtually bought it on the spot.
“I knew nothing about coffee, but I like challenges, and I like learning about stuff. It was a little S-cargo van. That began the path to learning about coffee; we spent a long time learning about how it works. It’s really easy to make a bad coffee, and I’ve probably made my fair share along the way, but the challenge was how to make a really good coffee.”