From Tourism Studies to Hospitality Retail

My role here at Zealong Tea Estate is Retail & Hospitality Assistant and my main responsibilities include helping our customers choose tea and tea ware at our boutique retail store.

I love the mix of people that come through on a day-to-day basis that I get to chat with and have a good yarn. As Zealong is a destination, we get so many people from all over the world who want to experience a local taste.

I love to talk to people – I talk all the time – and I get to do that as a job! I get to meet so many different people too and hear a wide range of different stories.

As cliché as it sounds, I knew I wanted to travel from a young age; so, after high school I took on a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Tourism & Hospitality at the University of Waikato. I think that set me up on the right path to get where I am today.

I get the question “what is your favourite tea?” almost every single day and I can’t get enough of telling the story about how I got engaged while drinking Zealong’s ‘Icebreaker’ green tea. I’m reminded of that memory every day I come to work and my customers love to hear this story. Workwise, I was lucky enough to help open our children’s clubhouse here on the estate, where I was able to build on the knowledge I learned in university; and also I recently went to an event in Auckland to serve tea to VIPs, which offered a glimpse into how this role can take me places.

Generally, a day in my life looks like helping our customers choosing tea at our store and tea ware to take home. Our customers are often newbies to tea, so I get to explain the history of our tea to them, which is really good story to tell and all starts from a Camellia tree.

I believe my career will progress in a way that will give me opportunities to see the world, to meet different people, and create meaningful relationships. I know that a role in a company like this, and the wider tourism and hospitality industry, can provide those opportunities for me.

Don’t second guess it! If you love to talk to people, if you want to see the world, just jump right in. It’s so much fun and there’s so many cool people.