Hopes And Dreams Paul Henry's Heartwarming Journey For Mum

The Ex Broadcaster Reveals Why He’s Setting Sail and Choosing to Live in the Moment
 

- Alice O'Connell

There were many things that brought Olive Hopes great joy during her long life. Paramount, of course, was time spent with her son and her three granddaughters, but in her later years, it was also scoring the correct answers at her retirement village’s quiz nights (often for the geography questions), and hearing a good travel story, particularly if it was being told by her son Paul. She liked to sing − one of her favourites was Far Away Places – and so it was only fitting that a video of her singing it was played at her funeral.

Now, nearly 18 months after her death, she’d surely be thrilled by this next chapter of her son’s life.

Back in 2016, her son, former broadcaster Paul Henry, was in the midst of building a boat – a decent sized one at 80ft – when Olive’s health began failing. She was 86 years old when she passed away in his arms that December, just three days before Paul permanently signed off from his breakfast television and radio programme The Paul Henry Show.

In his retirement, he planned to take the boat around the world, and now there was only one name for the boat – Olive.

“Mum and me were a team, and we spent many, many years on our own together,” reflects Paul. “She was my biggest cheerleader and lived her life for me. She loved travel and in her final years talked about going on a cruise, but she’d left it too late. She was too frail.”

Now, Paul is ensuring that her dream is being realised. Olive’s namesake was launched in a little town in the Netherlands called Heusden on May 7 – coincidentally on what would have been her 88th birthday.

Paul will now spend the next few years pottering around in his boat, travelling to as many strange-sounding locations as he can, aiming to bring her home to New Zealand in time for the America’s Cup in 2021.