TE ARAHI MAIPI HOSTS THE AFTER MATCH, FOLLOWING EVERY WARRIORS GAME, ON SKY SPORT
You drive a Toyota Highlander to move your family around?
Yeah, I joke about being part of the 4KCs, a “gang” of friends who have four children. It was a tough initiation spanning 17 years (oldest and a newborn). We are pretty ruthless and a crew that can’t be taken lightly, especially my 5-year-old daughter. Don’t let her smile fool you, she makes the hardest person crumble.
What do you like about the Highlander?
It’s a 2010 silver whanau mover. I love it because we can all fit in it. We chose it, well, my wife chose it. She’s the boss of our crew and she has chosen every car we have bought.
Who else is allowed to drive your Highlander?
Well, obviously the boss has total access. Actually, pretty much anyone in my whanau, because it’s the only car with a tow bar and the only seven-seater.
What do you always have in your car?
A car charger for my mobile. Those things are gold, especially when you have serial YouTubers in your house. It’s a miracle to leave the house with a full battery.
Being a dad of four, what tricks do you have to keep the kids happy on car trips?
This is about as complex as working out Rubik’s Cube. We’ve tried so many seating configurations to keep the peace. What we’ve worked out is to keep our two middle ones, Tupaea, 11, and Anitanaha, 5, apart. That’s generally where the inferno starts.
First car?
A 1992 Ford Telstar; bought off my parents. It had gone around the clock three times and it died three months after I bought it.
Who taught you to drive?
My dad taught me when I was about 16. He was cool. In hindsight, I didn’t realise that he wasn’t a very good driver, actually none of my family is. Consequently, I have banged into a couple of things along the way.
Your dream car …
I can’t imagine my life without my whanau, so my dream car would be the A-Team van. Can you imagine the damage the 4KCs could do in that bad boy?
Do you prefer manual or automatic?
I can’t drive a manual, and I don’t get the fuss people sometimes make about that. To me, it’s just a pain having to change gears all the time.
If you could go anywhere, in any car, with anyone?
I follow Kevin Hart on Snapchat so that would be a laugh to spend time with him in the A-Team van picking up a Krispy Kreme at a 7-Eleven in central Sydney on route to ANZ Stadium for the NRL Grand Final.
What do you listen to in your car?
I listen to 1990s R&B slow jams, especially Jodeci. My whanau can’t stand it, so I’m not allowed to listen to it with them. When I’m riding solo, though, what comes out of my car is something else.
Great day trip out of Auckland? We enjoy going home to Huntly. Mum always has boil-up and rewena bread ready and it’s lovely to spend quality time with my whanau. Best thing about the trip is it’s only 50 minutes away.
If you could change one traffic rule?
Let cars back on Grafton Bridge. Traffic around the hospital is atrocious.
What is the strangest thing you have done in a car?
Trying to drive a manual rental. That might not seem that strange but I’m in my mid-30s and I still can’t drive a stick.