Breaking the Drought

With a shared love for a good time, a busy social calendar in the lead-up to Christmas meant the pair quickly formed a natural relationship. Their spark came with plenty of laughter. “I’m really short, so when Fraser showed up at our Christmas party, a family friend who’s extremely tall introduced herself to Fraser as my mother. You could see him trying to work out where my short genes had come from. Another friend, who’s South American, introduced himself as my father. Poor old Fraser was so confused! Mum and Dad eventually let Fraser in on the joke,” laughs Phoebe.

Nearly two years later, Phoebe’s parents purchased an 800-hectare sheep and beef block at Waimakariri North Canterbury’s Birch Hill. They presented the young couple with an opportunity to take over management. Phoebe, an agronomist at the time, was living with Fraser at Te Kiekie Mount Somers, so they packed their bags to give farming a go. Their respect for each other’s work ethic grew stronger as they worked together. A year after the big move, Fraser managed to get Phoebe’s dad, Warrick, alone to ask a very important question. “He was up visiting and as he was about to leave, I hopped in his ute and asked if I could please marry Phoebe,” says Fraser. “He was so excited and shocked that he jumped out of his truck and gave me a hug. If you know Warrick, you know he’s not a hugger! Then he said, ‘Hang on, we have to ring CeCe.’ I had to do it that day, because I knew no one would be able to keep their mouths shut.

Though the two had spoken about marriage, Phoebe was surprised when Friday beers turned into a proposal at the bottom of Tawera Mount Thomas, nestled in the foothills of Kā Tiritiri o Te Moana Southern Alps. “It was just another Friday after work when Fraser asked me to come with him to drop some beers off at the neighbours’. The neighbours weren’t home, so we carried on up the road to Mount Thomas. Mount Thomas looks over our farm, and I love walking and trail running, but Fraser does not. So when we ended up at the mountain’s carpark, I had no clue what he was doing. I turned around to find him on one knee! We never made it to the top of the mountain.” Phoebe always said if they were to get engaged, they could design a ring together. Fraser took that advice on board, proposing to Phoebe with a substitute ring purchased from The Warehouse a few weeks earlier. “The lady came over to me in the jewellery section and asked if she could help. I was trying to fly under the radar, but she got it out of me that I was buying an engagement ring. She was so excited she only charged me five bucks. She probably went home and thought, ‘What a tight-arse!’” he laughs.