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Now that I have moved beyond the half-way mark of 55 I can confidently say that life is all good... except for the fact that I keep scratching my head trying to fully grasp the value of the digital age with so-called "influencers" and the never ending hype relating to social media streams of tweets, likes and shares. Perhaps that is why there is very little hair remaining beneath that cap.

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I was born in Chippenham, England but lived most of my life in Johannesburg, South Africa. Living, working, and travelling in Africa was incredible. However, in light of the ever increasing crime levels, in 2009 my wife and I, together with our two young daughters decided to immigrate to New Zealand. Our new home in Tauranga has allowed us to spend more quality time together as a family, and if there is one life lesson I have learnt, it is that time is blessedly precious. Most of our extended family now also live in the beautiful Bay of Plenty and we are all very proud New Zealand citizens.

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Turning the clock back, the early years of my career were firmly rooted in the field of commerce, specifically marketing, sales and distribution. I did however, also choose to pursue some more unusual adrenaline and hobby focused business ventures. These included training as a tactical combat firearms instructor (which laid the foundations for learning to deal with people in highly stressed situations), as well as driving for competitive watersport and motorsport works race teams. 

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Drawing on my love for African wildlife, I qualified as a FGASA safari field guide and spent several memorable years guiding international visitors on their dream wildlife safari holidays. It was during this time that I got my 'lucky break' when I was granted the privilege of hosting the United States of America Embassy Delegation, and Presidential Safari Experience.

 

Seeking to make the very most of this windfall, I quickly established life changing connections and special partnerships with a multitude of exclusive international travel agencies, celebrity & showbiz promoters, film studios, and foreign government offices. The years that followed were exuberant, crazy times as I hosted a steady flow of well known personalities wishing to explore the 'new' South Africa and alluring African wildlife. These visitors included: presidents; prime ministers; royal family members; government officials; business leaders and entrepreneurs; celebrated sports stars, and over 200 renowned film, music and big stage artists, actors and other high profile celebrities. As the proud owner of one of South Africa's leading independent specialist touring companies, my connections and affiliations continued to increase, providing unique and memorable travel experiences to more than 7500 visitors over a period of approximaitely ten years.

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This is where my first responsibilities as a private caretaker and property manager originated, with a notable client/asset portfolio made up of prestigious palatial estates, lavish holiday homes and luxurious wildlife game farm sanctuaries, together with all accompanying opulence. From quaint idyllic hideaway retreats to magnificent super yachts - being associated with the effervescent jet set lifestyle on an almost daily basis was extraordinary.

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To make things even more interesting, and to capitalize on the demand for new innovative tourism facilities, we banded together as a family to develop, build and operate our very own exclusive boutique safari boma lodge/host venue. This large scale venture provided me with valuable hands-on experience in many aspects of both residential and commercial property compliance, design, development and construction. On the business management side, I had to become a multitasking jack of all trades, juggling every possible hospitality skill set and owner operator responsibility, whilst constantly fine tuning my expertise in customer service. This undertaking was both challenging and rewarding as the business strived to deliver five star standards focused on the expectations of our discerning high-end clientele.

 

Sadly, after several years of dedicated hard work and ongoing investment, the stress and risks of living and running this business in an environment of growing crime and intrusive corruption became too much of a challenge. From both an economic and personal wellbeing standpoint, especially with two young daughters to think of, it was clearly time for change. The eventual sale of this joint venture afforded ourselves and other family members the resources to relocate to New Zealand.

 

Reset the clock to current time, and life is a lot less pressured. The slower pace and emphasis on the everyday quality community Kiwi lifestyle is most welcomed and of prime importance. My wife relishes her position as a statistician and mathematics teacher, our girls are now at university, and I continue to foster my dealings with people, which leads me to all kinds of places and interesting work roles. Furthermore, I also maintain a long standing part-time managerial role at a local Tauranga company with over 200 staff, which helps keep me grounded when I am not wearing my other hats. Otherwise, for me it's family first and I no longer stress about the small stuff. I do however, happily continue to own my addiction to people, property and Porsches, complemented with lots of good food and a full bodied red on occasion. If there is fishing or boats involved then you can count me in too!

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As for the social media stuff, I prefer to live my own life rather than following someone else's. Now that you know a little more about my back story, I hope to be in a position to assist you with some additional precious time to realise more of your own aspirations.

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Whether it be dealing with important heads of state; hosting famous celebrities; welcoming local Airbnb guests; assisting everyday rental property tenants; organising events/functions; arranging visitors travel adventures and touring excursions; or facing down a curious pride of lions, or herd of buffalo - there are not too many people who can say, "I've been there and done that". On the other hand, there's always more experience to be gained, and what I do not know... I am eager to learn.

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Be it a large estate, medium sized family residence, tiny bach, business, rental home, Airbnb or other situation, I am ready to be of steadfast assistance, including Premier Drive and other casual driver services as required.

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My name is Mark Warner, and I am... The Caretaker (amongst other things).

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