As a supposed low-key entry back into New Zealand and a new career as a referee quickly became a photocall for a bunch of excited home ground players, it was clear Glen Jackson's arrival home would be anything but normal.

New Zealand's No 1 ref Bryce Lawrence looked on in mock disgust as 34-year-old Jackson obliged a handful of Bethlehem College students wanting a memento of the former Bay of Plenty first-five's first game back on New Zealand soil.

Jackson arrived home last week after six years in the UK and this week had his first day on the job as a professional whistler.

Puffing from Bethlehem's 51-5 blowout win over Putaruru College (Jackson claimed it was from the puggy ground but three weeks of post-season celebrations clearly had an effect), he said the timing felt right to bring his family - wife Fiona, son Peyton, 3, and 10-month-old Ella - home.

"Making a final [Jackson's Saracens team lost the English premiership title 33-27 to Leicester at Twickenham] was a good way to finish things off, and although that last game didn't go the way I'd hoped I'm satisfied about how the season ended for me and the team.

"It's a good way to retire, going out thinking you can still play rather than being tapped on the shoulder and told you've had enough, but ask me in a year and I might be wondering if I should have carried on."

Jackson has bought a five-acre kiwifruit/avocado block at Whakamarama - a world away from the 120sq m, two bedroom ground floor flat the family occupied in central London.

"We've gone from one extreme to the other and Fiona and I were laughing the other night at how many toys Peyton had inside - twice as many as we'd even fit into the place in London.

"It's a good time to bring the kids home and the kiwifruit and avocados are enough to keep us busy, although I'm relying on the father-in-law because my knowledge of kiwifruit is pretty limited."

Jackson, England's Professional Rugby Players' Association Player of the Year in 2007, was typically chirpy on the paddock at Bethlehem, yet mute compared to the advice he used to dish out playing at No 10 for the Steamers.

He goes into a New Zealand elite referees' training camp next week eager to learn.

"There's plenty of adjusting to do yet. ... so far I haven't been tempted to look at a game as it unfolds from a player's perspective, thinking 'he should have taken that gap or done that', because I'm having to concentrate too hard on the wider picture."

"I've had the odd quip from mates about how it should be an easy transition because I've been giving refs advice for years and I expect some lip when I start doing senior games in the Bay."

Jackson could referee at Heartland (provincial) level by August or September and is ambitious to push as far as he can in the shortest amount of time. He has squashed rumours of a possible Bay of Plenty playing comeback this season following the injury to first-five Mike Delany.

"I'm still competitive and refereeing gives me that outlet and an ability to compete at the highest level, and if I want to make a go of refereeing the opportunity is now.

"I don't know any of the guys involved with the Steamers any more and it wouldn't be fair, to me or to the players, to start back playing again."

Last night, Jackson got another chance to stretch his vocal chords as SKY television commentator in the New Zealand Maori v England clash in Napier.