About me

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” – Mark Twain

Welcome to KAIHORA and thanks for stopping by.

I’m Cartier, a twenty-something year old Melbournian, with a passion for writing hence this blog.

On 15 June 1995 I took my first breath in Melbourne, Australia. Like many other millennials, I was born into the world of Third Culture Kids (TCK for short); a 21st century term coined to refer to children who were raised in a culture outside of their parents’ culture for a significant part of their development years. Thanks to my Kiwi mother and Mauritian father, I happily fit this description even before leaving Australia to live overseas at the age of 10.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have not only seen some of the world as a tourist but also as a resident in 4 countries (Australia, Kenya, England and Austria).

Let me break down the timeframe of my residential statuses;

• 1995 – 2005; Australia
• 2005 – 2010; Kenya
• 2010 – 2014; England {on a part-time basis}
• 2013 – 2014; Austria
• 2014 – present; Australia

Everyone has aspirations and dream jobs, as a child many of these include career paths such as becoming a super hero, a princess, possibly an astronaut. For much of my childhood, and well into my teens, I had my mind set on joining the Australian Defence Force as a helicopter pilot. Obviously this didn’t happen.

Instead in September 2014, after living abroad for 9 years, I made the move back to my hometown, Greensborough (Melbourne for those that aren’t from Victoria) , for university, where I have since completed a Bachelor of Journalism.

But during the move back to Melbourne I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do and subsequently followed an additional passion of mine, fitness, by becoming a qualified personal trainer and have since worked in the fitness industry as well.

November 2017 saw me add to my resume by embarking on a candle making business (Grace + Marie) adventure.

What originally began in 2016, Kaihora was a place for me to jot down my personal journeys and recollections whilst also helping out like minded travellers with travel tips and guides for places I had been; as well as providing some lifestyle content, including book reviews and cafe profiles amongst other things; and recommendations for what to do in certain countries. In the early days I was really on the ball with the blog, writing and posting content regularly. However, life got in the way a little bit and I also lost my passion and pretty much stopped writing for a few years.

Well, things have changed and the passion has reappeared, but don’t expect to read the same style as I once wrote. Since starting the blog in 2016 a lot has changed; I’ve been through a couple of relationships, moved homes five times, lost both my paternal grandparents, endured a global pandemic, changed careers (I now work for a digital marketing agency), oh and had a daughter!

Here’s a brief overview of where I’m currently at…

In 2019 I made the move to the coastal town of Torquay and then in August 2020 I met my amazing partner Chris and in October 2021 we welcomed our daughter Sahara.

Travel has been, and always will be, a big part of my life and I’m fortunate to have a partner who shares this passion with me. So I will absolutely continue to write travel related content however, instead of purely focussing on the topic of travel, Kaihora will be a space where I can share my journey of motherhood amongst other lifestyle related content and I hope that you enjoy reading!

*All posts read on my blog have been personally written by myself, likewise, all photos seen on my blog have been personally shot by either myself, a member of my family or a friend. If you wish to re-blog or use any of them, please ensure you credit the source. 

*Unless otherwise stated, no posts are sponsored or have affiliations with the mentioned companies. 

*Kaihora is a copyrighted brand. This includes the brand name and logo, as well as all content published on the website and across all social media platforms.