Betting on Love

It wasn’t until six years later, back at the Glenorchy Races, that Patrick’s attempts tow in Brenna over finally saw some success. He says, “When I first met Brenna I told her I was going to marry her one day, as a joke – but it turns out it was true! I liked that Brenna was fun, sassy, outgoing and out of my league, but little did she know the powers within. A few cheeky smiles and banter had her coming back for more!”

Not long after that second meeting, Patrick took Brenna out to Mou Waho Island on Lake Wānaka and asked her to be his girlfriend. This same place sprang to mind when he was looking for somewhere to propose – although things didn’t quite go as planned. Patrick says, “I was going to take the jetboat out to Mou Waho, but as I launched out towards it there were these massive waves smashing us, so I had to make a quick plan B and shoot down the river where it was more sheltered. We ended up pulling into a bank, having a picnic and I eventually built up the courage to pop the question – so it worked out in the end.

Brenna and Partick’s childhoods share a common rural thread. She grew up in the remote township of Haast, never far from the countryside due to her dad’s work on a nearby farm and her love for riding horses; he was born and raised on a station in the Nevis Valley, farming alongside his family. Brenna says, “My childhood was filled with bare feet, climbing trees, riding horses and living a pretty carefree life. Pat grew up on a farm in Marlborough in his early years and then Central Otago where his sister and brother-in-law are now. As a couple, our shared values really come down to the love of the outdoors. We both love to be outdoing things together – jet boating, walking, mountain biking, fishing, hanging with our family and friends. We make it a priority to do these things as often as we can.”

Brenna now works as a teacher at Te Kurao Take Kārara school in Wānaka, while Patrick has recently left his job as an aircraft engineer at Wānaka airport to begin a new chapter as a manager on a grazing block. This career change meant a move to the countryside in Tarras where Patrick is now working. “Since living back out on the farm, we’ve learned to really appreciate the small things. Hearing the birds and lambs each morning as you wake up. Having your neighbours pop over to catch up or see how you are getting on. For me, just looking out my kitchen window to a beautiful garden and mountain tops has been something I stop and take in every day. You just don’t get that in town.”