The decision to quit smoking is good for obvious reasons - but for Dan and his wife Viv it came with an extra benefit: more money to spend on cars! Over the years, those cigarette savings have seen them trade in for lots of different models of Honda, which was always a highlight for car-fan Viv. Sadly, she passed away in 2017 but Dan is still going strong, honouring her legacy and about to hit the road in his new Honda hybrid ZR-V.
“Viv always loved cars,” says Dan fondly. “Her father was a Mercedes dealer and he had new cars all the time so I suppose she grew up used to that. I was just used to having old dungers!”
But that all changed when the couple made the big move to quit smoking, and Viv decided that the extra few thousand dollars would go towards purchasing the family’s first ever brand new car - a Honda Accord Euro.
The Accord served them well for many years, but as time went by, and the pair weren’t so sprightly, the next car of choice was the Honda CR-V. “As you get older, getting down into the Accord and out again is harder,” laughs Dan. “So we got the CR-V because it was more comfortable - that’s what the ‘C’ stands for - and it really was.”
Tragically, Viv then got diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease and as that progressed they needed to switch cars again. “I couldn’t lift her up into the car,” explains Dan, “so we got the Honda Jazz to make life easier.”
After Viv passed away, Dan had to face a new phase of life, and he decided to go back to the CR-V so he could make road trips around the country to reconnect with friends and family. In doing so he was also continuing with one of Viv’s favourite things to do.
“My wife used to love travelling,” explains Dan. “We both worked, while raising six kids, but with the money that Viv earned, she always wanted to put it towards travel.”
Once the kids were older, Viv and Dan joined the Taranaki Golden Oldies hockey team and managed to travel all over the globe, making new friends through sport and exploring interesting new places.
At Viv’s funeral, Dan and the family were able to capture her passion for adventure, with the words they had printed in the order of service - which summed up her attitude to life:
“Travel as far and as much as possible. Work extra shifts to save your money. Go without the latest iPhone and throw yourself out of your comfort zone. Find out how other people live and realise the world is a much bigger place than the town you live in. When you come home, home will still be the same. And yes you may go back to the same old job, but something in your mind will have changed and trust me that changes everything.”
Find out how other
people live and realise
the world is a much
bigger place than the
town you live in. When
you come home, home
will still be the same.
In keeping with that spirit, Dan is doing two things that Viv would have approved of: he’s got a new car and he’s heading off on a journey. “I’ve just bought the new ZR-V Sport e:HEV from the great team at Honda Store Wellington, and I’m going to drive to my friend in New Plymouth. His wife died last year, so I’ll pick him up and go on a golf trip round the North Island together. It’ll be great!”
Photography by: Emily Chalk
