A 102-year-old Briton, Eric King-Turner arrived on the Saga Rose cruise ship in Wellington today, to a media frenzy after spending the five-week trip out here being treated like a celebrity.Mr King-Turner is New Zealand's oldest immigrant.
He left his home near Southampton to move across the world to be with his New Zealand-born wife Doris, 89, who has lived in Britain since the couple married over 12 years ago.
Mr King-Turner enjoys fishing and cricket, has a great interest in learning and fits in anywhere, his step-daughter said.
Before he left Britain Mr King-Turner told the Daily Mail newspaper: "I'm an Englishman through and through and there will be things I miss such as my friends but New Zealanders are very easy to get on with," he said.
"It's a wonderful new adventure and I would say to anyone that if you want to do something you should do it straight away while you can. What's important is that when I'm 105 I don't want to be thinking `I wish I had moved to the other side of the world when I was 102'."
He advised people never to say, ‘I’m too old for that.’ If you do that, it will be the end of you.
Source: ‘New Zealand’s Oldest immigrant Arrives in Wellington’, New Zealand Herald, 13 February 2008 and CNN International News, 13 February 2008.
Image: “Eric King-Turner arrived on the Saga Rose cruise ship…”