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After many years of living and travelling around the world, Karen and Eric met each other in Malawi, Africa in 1996. They decided to continue their adventures and eventually Karen moved to Seattle, where they were married. Almost thirty years later and after raising two children, they decided it was time to move back to Karen’s homeland; Aotearoa (New Zealand).

Through the years, they had spoken about how they wanted to make a change regarding their careers. Since they had both worked in Hospitality and Tourism, they became interested in pursuing a future together in the hospitality industry. After extensive research and discussion, they came across an advert for the sale of Waipoua Lodge, which seemed perfectly suited to their backgrounds and aspirations. After a trip home to New Zealand. they met the prior owners of the lodge and after learning more, decided they had found their next adventure. They subsequently bought the lodge and moved from the United States to Aranga in September 2024.

Eric’s career has been in Food and Beverage with a bachelor’s degree in hospitality. He spent many years working in high end restaurants as an Executive Chef in the Seattle area before embarking on a career with Amazon, developing and overseeing their vast Food & Beverage operation. More recently, he managed an historic lodge and resort on Whidbey Island, a stunning island north of Seattle. His passion is service and a love of creating special experiences for people by showing his love through food and drink. He believes that real hospitality comes from anticipating needs and creating a custom experience for each guest.

After a successful career in Digital Marketing, Karen worked in the Tourism and Travel Industry for many years, creating custom

high-end packages to New Zealand, Australia, and the South Pacific. She is known in the industry as one of the most experienced, knowledgeable, and professional experts in her field and ascended to a position of executive management. This also meant many trips 'Down Under' to conduct research for exotic luxury resorts and hotels. In all her travels, she has learned what it takes to create a transformational experience by learning about her clients and their preferences and using that information

to create experiences that go beyond expectations.