Her work as a teacher for children with special needs has taken Helmi to many different parts of the world.

She met her husband while working in Australia and after the birth of their first child they moved back to his native New Zealand.

Helmi and her husband live in Titirangi, a small settlement at the foothills of the Waitakere Ranges near Auckland's wild West Coast.

Titirangi is a Maori name meaning "Fringe of Heaven". Here, in a little Rainforest glade near the "Fringe of Heaven", you can find Helmi's Studio, which provides the birthplace of all the Woodlands Enchanted creations.