Samantha Hayes has announced she and her partner Jay Blaauw got engaged over the holiday period and are planning to get married.
The Newshub Live at 6pm presenter shared the news on Instagram on Monday, saying he popped the question at their home a few days before Christmas.
"I have some big news... Jay proposed on December 22 (while I was wearing gumboots) and we're getting married!" Hayes said in the post.
"Jay and I met by chance in Brazil six years ago. Life would have been very different if the 6'6" Dutchman hadn't walked into my life and made me a cup of tea in a hostel kitchen in Sao Paulo.
"I love him so much, and more each day as I see what an amazing dad he is to Marlow."
Hayes and Blaauw have been in a relationship for around two and a half years and welcomed Marlow in September, 2019.
After their chance meeting in Brazil, the pair bonded over a shared passion for mountaineering and eventually both embarked on a trip to the Andes.
They were part of a group of 10 climbers attempting to summit Mount Aconcagua, which Hayes was forced to cut short due altitude sickness - at which point Blaauw refused to leave her side.
In terms of when the big day will be, it's too early for the couple to have planned a date. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to restrict international travel and with many friends and family overseas, it's likely to be some time before they tie the knot.
"Right now we're enjoying the happy glow of being newly engaged," Hayes said.
"The wedding planning will come later, but it will probably involve getting a tiny tuxedo for Marlow. How cute would that be?"
