local folk

Sandspit resident John Anderson can look back on an exhilarating 60 years in business which began as a 22-year-old arriving in London with just £25 in his pocket. Here he founded Contiki Holidays, which became a worldwide travel company phenomenon. Eighteen years later, he returned home with his wife and four children, built two resort hotels and helped establish the Ellerslie Flower Show. He recently retired as a motivational speaker on the international speaking circuit and took some time out to talk to Allan Barber about his tumultuous and exciting journey …

I was born in Wellington, attended Scots College where I narrowly achieved School Certificate. I had planned to be a horticulturist, but had a strong desire to see the world before settling down in a career. A friend gave me a share market tip, which I took up by using my savings and my punt came off. After selling the shares I had enough money to start my travels. Telling my mother I would be gone for a year, I set off alone for Europe in 1962 via the Far East, visiting 17 countries in seven weeks. I arrived in London with the ambition to travel round Europe, but realised I didn’t have enough money, so started thinking about how I could do it. I believed it was possible if I could get a group of other young people for a tour, camping and cooking our own meals to save on costs.

I prepared a 12-week itinerary visiting 15 countries and a budget for 12 people. To arrive at a cost per head, I took the total cost and divided by 11 giving me a free ride as the driver and tour leader. I found a 12 seater Commer minibus and put up a notice advertising the trip in the Overseas Visitors Club in Earls Court, where Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans used to gather. Within 24 hours I had my first confirmed, paid up traveller, and enough money to pay a deposit on the bus. Within 10 days I had filled all 11 places on the trip. However, with more people wanting to book, I decided on my return that I would take a second trip. I soon had this full, too. Now I could pay for the minibus outright and Contiki Holidays was born.

Initially, I named the tours Tiki Tours, but had to change this as it was already registered to the NZ Government Tourist Bureau. So, to retain tiki, I added con as I was running tours of the Continent. Thus, the international brand Contiki was created. Few New Zealanders can claim to have created a truly international brand name, which has now been established for over 60 years.

My first tour was definitely a case of the blind leading the blind. I had been to France briefly, but had never driven on the ‘wrong’ side of the road with an overloaded minibus and a group of young people I was responsible for. The group was so grateful to be on the Continent on an organised trip, albeit with a tour leader of dubious experience and ability. We made it back to London on the scheduled date after only a few minor mishaps, having had some wonderful experiences together, just like a family. I felt an extraordinary sense of achievement, as well as a sense of relief. I had delivered what I had promised. Within three days I was welcoming my next tour group practising tent erection in Hyde Park.

Soon it was time to expand. I bought another minibus the same way as the first and convinced a friend from Wellington to fly over and follow me around in the second year. Soon after I stopped leading the tours myself. Based in London, I started to build a good team of young people, all with different strengths to take the company to another level. Over the next 10 years, we expanded the minibus fleet to 38. What we achieved was mind-boggling!

I met my wife Ali when she took one of our holidays. We were married in Christchurch in 1969 and continued to live in London through the 1970s. The business was growing, too – we made the move out of minibuses into coaches. In 1974, we struck up a relationship with a Dutch coach operator who understood our needs and leased us Mercedes Benz coaches which were comfortable and reliable, as well as allowing us to use our own drivers. We had the buses painted yellow with Contiki branding, which turned them into moving advertising billboards. Over the following years we took many calculated risks as the business grew with an ever increasing number of copycat competitors. We tested and introduced pre-erected tent villages at the campsites. We introduced special stopovers such as a chateau in France, a villa in Italy and even a 58-berth schooner in Greece.

In 1980, Ali and I decided to return to New Zealand with our young family and I set about starting tour operations in New Zealand, Australia and America. In addition, the company built two 150 room resort hotels, one in Queenstown and the other in the Whitsunday Islands off the Queensland coast. In 1989, Contiki had grown into a genuinely international company. However, with the share market crash in 1987, the value of resorts plummeted forcing me to sell the company. The Travel Corporation, a large multinational tour operator which also had offices in the same markets, bought the Contiki tour operation. Having started with 22 passengers in 1962, Contiki has recently taken its four millionth passenger and operates a fleet of several hundred coaches worldwide. Subsequently, the hotels were also sold.

In the early 90s I was a member of Auckland Rotary Club which was looking for a unique fundraiser, so I suggested holding a flower show based on the same lines as the Chelsea Flower Show. I spent 10 days in London studying the Chelsea operating model, came back and put together a two year business plan and, in 1994, the first Ellerslie Flower Show was held. I became the inaugural chief executive to set it all up. The first person I employed to help run it was well-known local resident Liz Morrow, the first manager of Eden Gardens. I handed over the role after the first year as I had other business priorities. From a standing start, 100,000 people came through the gates for the first show.

By the 2000s, Ali and I were living in Blenheim and one day I was asked to give a speech to the members of the Marlborough Club. A member of the audience asked me if I would be willing to speak at a Sheep and Beef Conference in Napier for which I would be paid a fee with all expenses covered. At that event somebody from Celebrity Speakers heard me and invited me to address the Mainland Cheese conference in Dunedin. After several more speeches which received a great reaction, I contacted another speaking agency in Sydney, which commissioned me to address a Coca Cola Conference.

Over 12 years, I gave an average of 60 speeches a year mainly in Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific, and as far afield as Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Macau, Hong Kong and Thailand. In 2010, I wrote and published a book on the Contiki story, entitled ‘Only Two Seats Left’, now available as an eBook. Then in the 2012 New Year’s honours list I became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to tourism. By 2020, when Covid arrived, it was time to retire from the speaking circuit and Ali and I now live quietly at our home in Brick Bay where we moved 12 years ago to be closer to our children and eight grandchildren.

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Four of Harry’s five children were at the unveiling of the seat in their father’s honour. From left, Donna, Sina, Wayne and Sharon.