Peta's wicked confessions 'MY LIFE IS AN OPEN BOOK!'

From a fling with an ex to mental health, nothing's off limits to the curious cook

- Nicky Pellegrino

A quiet life has never been something Peta Mathias goes looking for. She's a person who needs travel, adventure and excitement.

But as she arrives back in New Zealand after a long hot European summer, the celebrity cook, author and broadcaster is celebrating her 76th birthday. And while she doesn't really feel much different, this seems a good time to take stock of where she is and where she wants to be.

"I've always said that I'm never going to get old, but my friends have told me I might and what if it turns out that they're right?" she reflects. "I've decided that I may as well be ready."

Peta adores her life of endless summer, with half the year spent at her house in southern France and the other in her rented Auckland apartment. Equally, she loves hosting small group tours in glamorous destinations. But change is bound to come whether she wants it or not.

"I prefer to be in control of my life," she says. "So I'm slowly making changes, like doing fewer culinary tours next year and trying to think towards the future.

"Do I want to end my days in France or New Zealand? That's what I'm thinking about at the moment. It's difficult because I have two distinct lives and two distinct sets of friends, but my family is all here in the southern hemisphere and I'm very close to them."

Peta isn't at a crossroads in her life exactly, more circling around one and thinking about which direction she might like to take. Earlier this year, with the idea of simplifying things, she decided to sell her home in the beautiful French town of Uzès.

"It's the best house I've ever had," she says. "It was architecturally designed specifically for me and the way I live, and it's fabulous. But sometimes in life you just have to make tough decisions."