Tracey Goodall got the $150,000 job no-one wanted - and she's loving it
Forgotten World Adventures' advertisement for the $150,000 a year role went global.
After a seven-month struggle to fill a $150,000 a year job in Taumarunui, Auckland woman Tracey Goodall took the plunge. She talks to Leith Huffadine about the job and her move to a small King Country town.
The story of Forgotten World Adventures' long search for a general manager – despite the large pay cheque – gained international media attention after Stuff reported on it.
Goodall, 40, saw the story, decided to apply for the job, and got it.
She left the big-city lights of Auckland for Taumarunui – a town with a population of about 3500 – to start the job on May 14, and she's loving it.
READ MORE:
* Forgotten World finally fills $150k per year job
* Forgotten World Adventures inundated with applications
* Journey to New Zealand's forgotten world
The small town, tucked in the central North Island, has given her a change in lifestyle that she's enjoying.
Instead of shopping, she's got plenty of other activities do to. On Sunday, she's off to do the Tongariro Crossing – in the snow.
A NEW COMMUNITY
"Previously, I tried to live close to my work so I could walk, because the traffic was horrendous in Auckland," Goodall said.
"[In Taumarunui] I jog as much as I can – four days a week. I'm right near the river, whereas before I was close to the [Auckland] Domain, but I had to get across so many sets of traffic lights before I could get off the main road and get to green.
"My daily life is wake up and go for a jog, and there's dogs running around everywhere back and forth and there's friendly people saying 'hello'."
Forgotten World Adventures general manager Tracey Goodall with one of her company's golf carts.
The community had exceeded her expectations, she said.
"So far, it's been absolutely great – really enjoying it. Role-wise, it's a fantastic business to be a part of. [The] community has more than exceeded my expectations, actually. People are just way too friendly down here.
"Walk down the street and people talk to you. It's totally different to Auckland in that regard. I have lived in small towns before. I've lived in cities around the world, so I guess you know the pros and cons of both of them and the community aspect was a bit of a drawcard for coming down here.
"People, they just pop by – in Auckland we make a lot of appointments, we write a lot of emails – but here, people just pop by."
TAKING THE JOB
She's not sure why the job wasn't more popular.
"Obviously, people have perceptions about certains things. But me, I'm not an 'I need to be in a city' person. Again, I think a lot of New Zealanders think it is quite a big distance... maybe a lot of people, they want to be close to the things they love and maybe those things are shops or things in life that I find aren't quite essential every day.
"I'm not sure, to be honest. Maybe it's better for me because I think it's a great job and a great place.
"That being said, lots of people did apply for it and they didn't get it."
She's "absolutely" pleased she took the job.
Forgotten World Adventures Owner Ian Balme initially struggled to attract a manager to the $150,000 position at his Taumarunui business.
Goodall grew up in Wales before moving to Australia with her family, aged 14. For the past 15 years she's lived in Europe and Asia.
"I was probably more apprehensive when I went to live in Thailand. Taumarunui was only 3½ hours for me and I was more excited.
"I love change. I love grasping onto it and going forwards."
People had been questioning Goodall about her decision to move.
"I think maybe because of that [the area] has exceeded my expectations. Even though I have seen it before I came, you are like: 'OK, where am I going, what is actually happening, what have I done?'
"I had a pretty good job in Auckland, to be honest, a good boss.
"When I applied for it, it was late. I didn't see it [the job listing] at the same time as everyone else.
"My partner and I, we'd been down at the timber trail and we were sitting outside, and we'd had an amazing couple of days and we were in the middle of nowhere and he was like: 'Imagine if you got that job', and we decided then that if I was ever offered it ... we'd just take it.
"When the call came, we'd already made the decision, so it was quite easy, I guess."
Tracey Goodall is relishing her move to Taumarunui, her new job and her new lifestyle.
WHAT'S NEW
"There's always things you miss, you know. The shopping. My credit card is probably not missing that.
"Honestly, it's not far to drive anywhere. Because I've lived other places around the world I find New Zealand quite compact.
"So Auckland is 3½ hours. If I was desperate about a pair of shoes I could do it in a day."
Goodall had been to the area before, so she had a bit of an idea of what she was getting herself into.
"I took my parents down here a couple of years ago and we drove the forgotten highway, so we did that. It was actually on our bucket list.
"Additionally, I've done the Tongariro Crossing and I've done the Tongariro circuit there and I've done the timber trail – all kinds of things around this area."
Stephen Dempsey, left, and Laurence Turner enjoy the Forgotten World Adventures rail cart tour.
ON THE JOB
Goodall said Forgotten World Adventures was busy – close to "cracking 10,000 people a year", in fact.
She's ambitious and Forgotten World is planning to expand.
"We're pretty busy for sure. It's just that... you've got that main highway that goes down the middle [of the North Island] and you've got Rotorua and you've got Taupō and then down to National Park, so it's like how do all these towns on these regional parks keep people coming down this road.
"There needs to be a reason and it's great we have a reason so many people come here and it's fantastic, but part of our job – and one of the reasons I love the role so much is not just Forgotten World Adventures, but it's about growing the businesses to support each other.
"We can't double in size and not have enough hotels and restaurants to accommodate people because they won't come.
"So, you know, a really intriguing part of the role is to look at the community developing as well."
Christchurch couple Nathaniel and Ellen Watt on the Forgotten World Adventures rail bike journey, a 42-kilometre trip from Whangamomona to Tokirima.
Previously, Goodall has worked as the operations manager for Haka Tours, based in Auckland, she launched Busabout into Asia, and has other international tourism experience.
She is planning to stick around Taumarunui for a while.
"I'm the sort of person that needs to be kept busy so if Ian [Balme, the Forgotten World Adventures founder] didn't have any plans for expansion and said 'just come in and manage the business', probably not.
"But he's not that sort of person... There's always something to keep you busy, occupied. He's got that spirit.
"I can't see myself getting bored too quickly at all."
Balme's a happy man – getting Goodall was a "huge relief", he says.
"She's fantastic. It's great. It opens up lots more opportunities for Forgotten World. It's freed me up to do all the other things that we've got planned for the business.
"She's brought incredible international marketing and tourism experience, which is really now what our business needed to grow. I'm not going to say we've saturated the domestic market, but... the growth for our business is going to be in the international market and probably the development of new product.
"So, those are her specialities. She's young and really intelligent and internet-savvy. It's a huge step up for our business.
"She's bloody lovely to go with it... She's got all these attributes and she gets on really well with our staff. We've got a really loyal team of staff and she's hit it off really well with them, and she's really hit the ground running."
- Stuff
Comments