Marie Johnson from Napier celebrates 100 wonderful years and a chat with Hawke's Bay Today reporter James Pocock.
It is not often someone has two 100th birthday congratulations from the same monarch sent three decades apart.
For 100-year-old Marie Johnson, that unlikely situation became a reality when she hit the same milestone her mother did 33 years ago and got a card from Queen Elizabeth II.
Some might credit good genes - Her mother, Nellie Norrie, lived to 101 and received a telegram from Queen Elizabeth II in 1989 - but Marie credits her comfortable longevity to being surrounded by her close, happy family.
Marie celebrated her 100th birthday on July 14 and had a celebration that included all of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren bar one relative who was in England.
"I had all my family together and we had a lovely relaxing time at Lawn Road Retreat, near Clive," Marie said.
Marie has five children, nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, the youngest of which is one-year-old.
Marie was born as the youngest of three girls in Takapau in 1922 and moved with her family to Wellington just before the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake.
She had a solicitor father and a stay at home mother who Marie remembers as a "very good organiser and hand worker" with a commercial job hand knitting for a Christchurch firm.
She studied to be an accountant and met her eventual husband Tom for the first time at a dance in 1939 before he went to war.
She returned to Hawke's Bay in 1945 with Tom after he returned from World War II.
100-year-old Marie Johnson from Napier holding her mothers 100th birthday telegram from Queen Elizabeth II next to her own 100th birthday card. Photo / Paul Taylor
She founded Hawke's Bay's first Scottish country dancing club 63 years ago.
She and Tom also closely helped what was known as the New Zealand Crippled Children's Society at the time
She has never let age slow her down with anything, staying in work as an accountant for Cafe Ahuriri until 94 and driving herself until 95.
The centenarian currently resides at Summerset in the Bay in Napier independently.
Her daughter, Sally Davies, said Marie acknowledged the birthdays of all of her descendants in her birthday speech.
"Technology-wise she's way up with it. She has an iPad which she uses for internet banking and keeping up with world affairs," Sally said.
"She is amazingly active in body and mind, she will just do everything."
Marie added she plays card games and Sudoku on her iPad.
