Back in the saddle BECKY'S RIDE OF HER LIFE

After wrapping herself in cotton wool for too long, the business owner has finally got her groove back

- Rebekah Hebenton

Becky Cashman has always been an adventurous soul. She spent her childhood in the United States playing outside, only coming home for meals, and when she left school at 18, she became an adventure guide and spent the next two decades leading trips around the world.

It was on one of these expeditions that Becky met her husband John Sanderson, 57, and the trajectory of her life changed.

“I had a job working in Nepal as an outdoor guide. And I met this lovely Kiwi man who was also working for the same business, and we quite liked each other,” Becky says. “That was 25 years ago. We got married, and I moved here to New Zealand and settled down and had children.”

The 56-year-old says welcoming her children, Helena, 17, and Issac, 14, had a huge impact on her adrenaline-filled lifestyle.

“My life changed significantly when I had Helena. My love of adventure and adrenaline just quieted down,” recalls the Kerikeri resident. “I didn’t need that kind of energy in my life because I was taking care of her, and turning into a mum that was softer and quieter.