OUR STORY
David Oddie founded Oddies Marine in 1992. Now Oddies Marine is owned and operated by Peter Colenbrander, with the help of his partner Jess (accounts) and small dog Bella ( floor supervisor) and staff members, Sapphire, Mark and Chris (sales and service).
Peter comes from a lifetime of owning boats, ranging from power boats through to launches and yachts. He is an experienced sailor and has a great knowledge base of all marine hardware and accessories.
Being a DIY boatie, his advice can assist you with projects ranging from boat maintenance to the most efficient sailing set up for your yacht.​
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The Oddies Team
Peter
Pete's love of the sea began in a home-made sailing dinghy at age 13. His family spent a lot of time on their yacht, an H28 in the Sounds, and he spent many days on Lyttleton harbour mucking about in various yachts and powerboats as he grew up in Governor's Bay.
Pete left NZ at 21 to travel, taking time with a mate to completely overhaul "Lemon", a 45ft double-ended ketch before sailing it from Holland to The Caribbean over a two year period. ​​
After getting on board in the super yachting industry, he crewed racing boats and eventually ended up as the tender engineer on 70m MV Lone Ranger, a converted tug. Much adventure was had on the seas from Russia right down to the Antarctic over 4 years.
Pete returned home and purchased Arrow Water taxis in Picton, servicing the Sounds community for over three years. He went on to become assistant manager at Burnsco in Waikawa before spending the last 7 years as operations controller at up and coming green energy plant, Carbonscape.
Hankering to be involved in the marine industry again, and to be his own boss, Pete took the leap and purchased Oddies Marine in Waikawa along with his partner of 15 years, Jess Monk. They are committed to keeping the Oddies traditions of in-depth and practical knowledge, quality products and great customer service the mainstays of the business.
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Sapphire
Sapphire is a young woman with plenty of enthusiasm and a keen interest in all things fishing and boating related. She has been involved in the aquaculture industry and was a fully trained lifeguard. She is learning "the ropes" at an epic rate, and can already splice beautifully. Her hobbies include painting, cooking and she's a Padi Advanced and Rescue accredited diver.
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Chris
Chris has a wealth of boating knowledge. He has enjoyed his launch in the Sounds since 1986 and currently races his 60 year old Zephyr "Cracklin Rosie" right here in Picton and all around Christchurch. He has raced a lot of dinghies and trailer boats as well.​
His other superpowers include Property consultancy and lecturing at Lincoln University.
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Mark
A British born New Zealand citizen, Mark was inspired at 8 years old by Sir Francis Chichester (the first person to achieve a true circumnavigation of the world solo) when he witnessed his return to port in Plymouth. Mark started kayaking at 11 years old and never stopped. His first yacht at 17 years old was the 20ft homebuilt "Cloudbase" and over the years the yachts have gotten bigger. Living here in Picton affords him access to as much kayaking and boating as his hearts desire, and is a big reason he and his wife moved to New Zealand.
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Jess
Although she has no marine experience to speak of, Jess has a Psychology and Zoology degree that helps her manage staff and other animals quite well. Jess spends her time with accountancy software and sorts the administration side of things at Oddies. She is widely travelled and often up to mischief.
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