Matt & Amy met in the spring of 2021 during covid, we met through an online dating website (hinge). At the time Matt was based in Taupo and Amy was based in Hamilton.

Amy was working fulltime as an acupuncturist and Chinese medicine practitioner. Matt was not working at the time spending his days practicing Qi gong, meditating, and frequently visiting the Wairakei hot pools. We started by chatting online and found an instant connection around Amy’s passion for Acupuncture and Matt’s passion for Qi gong, Amy was surprised that Matt was studying an ancient Chinese practice that aligned with the principles of Acupuncture through the breath, thought and movement of Qi.

Shortly after a week or so of great discussions around our common interests, Matt asked Amy out for a lunch date. Amy accepted and we had our first lunch date. The date went very well, and we connected effortlessly on many topics. And so it began, we had numerous lunches and dinners over a period of 3 weeks when Matt asked Amy to commit in a steady relationship.

Shortly after (2 weeks) this commitment Amy was mandated out of her work position just before Christmas, this turned out to be a great blessing enabling us to do a couple of short trips in mid-January 2022 where we explored the upper north island and got to know one another more and more. In February 2022, the mandates were still imposed for Amy meaning Amy could not return to work so we both made a plan to travel to the South Island for 6 months. This was the ultimate blessing to be able to explore the magnificence of the South Island whilst growing our relationship. We experienced many incredible places during our trip like Nelson, Christchurch, Castle Hill, Hokitika, Arthurs Pass, Queenstown, Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo. We experienced many adventures all whilst deepening our love for one another. During our time in Queenstown Easter 2022, on the day of our arrival it was the same day the covid restrictions were lifted. This was a magical time to visit, and a time that we were very fortunate and privileged to experience. The energy was perfect attributed to crystal blue skies, uninterrupted sunshine, snowcapped mountains, and the mirrored lakes, it was beautiful. The town was a buzz, it was genuinely a celebration, the business owners were very happy to be back in business, and the people arrived by the bus load. The cafes and restaurants were full it was absolutely amazing and awesome to experience!

So awesome we decided to have our wedding there.

After a week in Queenstown, we made our way north with the final destination being Nelson. During these 6 months travel, we had learnt much about one another and the key thing we learned is that we connected on all levels and sharing time together was effortless and we both knew we wanted to be together forever. Fast forward to today the wedding is booked and you are invited, and our lives keep getting better and better! The best is yet to come 💫