Matt Bowden, 30 years old
What are your family links with Mercury Bay?
My mum, Anne, is one of the local Whitianga mosaic artists who is pretty involved in the local art scene. My dad, Laurie, used to be the local auto electrician for years here in town until his old apprentice Dallas bought the business off him. While my parents moved to Whiti in the early 90s, my granddad had bought a plot of land out near Cooks Beach back in the 50s, and his brother and sister-in-law, Dan and Edith Hansen (my great uncle and aunty), started Wilderland not long after.
Where are you living now?
I am back living in Cooks Beach on the family bush block and have been here for almost a year. I left Whiti in 2020 at the start of the pandemic to be with my partner in Mexico since NZ was closing its borders, returning in mid-2023.
When were you living in Mercury Bay and which school did you attend?
I spent my entire childhood in Whitianga, and did 13 years of school at MBAS.
What have you been doing since school?
Almost directly after school I went travelling with a friend through the UK and Western Europe for two months. Once I came back, it was straight to uni to study linguistics and language, with a couple gap years thrown in for some extra travel. When I was about 24, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and adjusting to that took quite a bit of time out of my schedule for a while. Once the studies were finished, I moved to Mexico, and now that I’m back I have just been focusing on getting better at horticulture and prioritising my physical and mental health.
What, about the culture where you are, do you like the most?
At least compared to Mexico, when I came back home the biggest shock to me was the safety aspect. I’d forgotten that it’s pretty safe here, comparatively at least, and it’s easy to take for granted or to just not be aware of how good it can be here. Obviously, there is crime and danger everywhere in the world, including NZ, so it always pays to be careful.
What are you most proud of?
I’m proud that I went ‘full-send’ with the girl that I loved and moved to her home country. Even though it didn’t work out, we made a pretty nice home for ourselves and overcame quite a few challenges in the process. I learned Spanish, got my Mexican residency, and had plenty of opportunities to grow personally and professionally.
Biggest life lesson so far?
The word YOLO is its own antonym. ‘You only live once’ can mean live fast and die young, party, do all the risky things, and don’t worry about the future. But ‘you only live once’ can also mean the opposite, as in you only have one life so take care of yourself, take time to heal or grow, and think about giving yourself a better future because there isn’t a restart button.
Both are useful, the trick is knowing when to apply each one so you maximise what you get out of life while reducing the detrimental effects of being alive.
Support of Ron Morgan
PROUD TO BE LOCAL — BROUGHT TO YOU BY CFM — IS OUR INSPIRATIONAL FEATURE, HIGHLIGHTING HOME-GROWN COROMANDEL PENINSULA FOLKS DOING WONDERFUL THINGS OUT IN THE WORLD.
Coromind: Coromandel’s Collaborative Magazine
Help us take Coromind Magazine to new heights by becoming a member. Click here
Change the Weather for Your Business: Advertise with Us.
Advertise your business in the whole Hauraki Coromandel in the coolest Coromandel Art Magazine, from Waihi Beach/Paeroa /Thames up to the Great Barrier Island.
Advertise Smarter, Not Harder: Get in Touch
