The scenic route around retirement

Retirement was just the beginning of a road more travelled for shuttle driver Allen Diamanti.

Sixty-five was too young to retire when you had your health, according to the Executive Shuttles owner.

‘‘You can only garden or watch TV so much,’’ he said

So instead of sitting around gardening, he started the successful Marlborough business where he never knew who he would meet or what job would come up next.

‘‘We have a very large province,’’ Diamanti said.

‘‘It goes from the Clarence River to Rainbow to Rai Valley.

‘‘One-fifth of New Zealand’s shoreline is in Marlborough.

‘‘There’s a hell of a lot of variation here.’’

He has seen a few familiar faces in the back of his cabs, Billy Connolly, Caroline Quentin, members of parliament and ‘‘several’’ All Blacks over the years.

‘‘Winston was a laugh, but we won’t talk about him. Peter Dunne was a real gentleman.

‘‘They come and talk to the Chamber of Commerce and someone has to carry them.

The shuttle company is not just concerned with delivering people. Some of their strangest jobs have come from their contracts with ‘‘big Auckland companies’’.

Blood, bones and boxes had all graced the back seats of Diamanti’s shuttle van.

‘‘Someone has to get stuff from a plane to where it needs to go very quickly,’’ Diamanti said.

‘‘Lost luggage is an interesting one.

‘‘It’s urgent stuff, no one’s going to pay for priority air freight unless it’s urgent.

Diamanti also delivered for the hospitals in the region.

‘‘I had half a split femur I had to deliver, but it wasn’t needed so I returned it,’’ he said.

‘‘We transport things between Nelson and Wairau hospitals.

‘‘I’ve had a case where a guy was already in the theatre prepped waiting for the delivery.’’

Diamanti said they saw a niche between the bigger shuttles and taxis, and of the five registered to operate from Woodbourne airport, four of those businesses were shuttles.

‘‘That gives an idea of the variety of the work here.’’

Small tour groups, weddings, trips out on boats and personalised wine tours.

‘‘Most are genuine people just wanting to go somewhere,’’ he said.

Diamanti said the days when cruise ships dock at Picton were big and he had even delivered a new priest for one of the luxury liners.

‘‘You can’t let 5000 people off for coffee in Picton,’’ he said. ‘‘Shuttle drivers are vital. ‘‘One of my favourite sayings is I’m going to have to retire from retirement.’’

Allen Diamanti has shuttled celebrities, freight, medical equipment and once, a part for specialist mining equipment in Western Australia that could only be found in Marlborough.