She said yes? The art of the proposal
Sunday, 21 June 2026
Mike White is a senior writer and columnist.
OPINION: Liam and Chloe came from the Sunshine Coast in Australia.
They were on holiday here, and Liam said he liked our winter temperatures. “A bit cooler,” he nodded approvingly.
It felt strange to hear someone from a place with Sunshine in its name, say they wanted a bit less of it.
They sat on a wooden bench by the lake, with a view across the water to the mountains, which were silhouettes in the distance by now, as the sun slid behind them.
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We’d wandered down to the beach on Friday evening to see the last of the sun, trying to put behind us a week with some sadness.
In the distance there were shrieks from someone who’d thought going for a twilight dip in the lake was a good idea.
A dog barked at the fun.
A guy who looked a bit like Che Guevara walked down the rough path near us with a thermos and cup of mate, complete with metal straw. Not long after, a woman walked down the same path and sat near the water’s edge, also with her distinctive mate brew. The Argentinians were in town, we figured.
All this time, Liam and Chloe had been sitting, surveying the serenity.
Then they got up, wandered down to the beach in front of them, and Liam turned to face Chloe.
He dropped to one knee, looked up, and opened a small box in his hands.
We were about 20m away and couldn’t hear a word being softly said, but it was clear Liam was proposing.
Of course she said yes.
He stood up, they hugged, and Chloe looked at her hand a lot.
Then they went back to the seat and continued watching the day gently fade.
As we left, we said congratulations, and impressed on them that we’d not been spying.
They’d been high school sweethearts, and been together for 12 years now.
“So I’m about four years too late,” Liam smiled.
They were almost at the end of their holiday, and Liam had felt mounting pressure as their day of departure drew near.
“I was on the clock.”
But he couldn’t have chosen a lovelier spot to ask Chloe to marry him. Well, apart from the rocks, which must have been hell to kneel on.
Chloe sat there with a large diamond on her finger. Liam sat their with a large smile on his round face.
We wished them well for the rest of their holiday, and the rest of their lives.
I’d happened on a proposal once before.
I was writing a story on lupins, which some see as an exotic scourge, but most appreciate for their spectacular colours.
Late one evening, I was taking photos at Lake Tekapo, on the stony foreshore in front of the Church of the Good Shepherd where the flowers flourish.
Tourists from all parts of the globe were posing and pashing amongst the pinks and purples and blues of the lupins in full bloom. Someone was doing yoga on a boulder.
And then I noticed this guy place his camera on a rock, squint through the viewfinder, and sprint back towards his partner. Then he took a knee and, in that timeless tradition, stared up and pleaded a little for his girlfriend to marry him, tempting her with sweet earnestness and a ring he’d carted around for weeks, waiting for this moment.
A couple of German cyclists slowly wheeled past me and noticed what I was staring at.
“I hope she says yes,” one of them said quietly.
Of course she did.
They were Hayden and Jenny, on holiday from Auckland.
It was a perfect night - everything turning gold in the sunset, apart from the lake’s otherworldly blue, the Southern Alps ranged on the horizon.
I’ve occasionally wondered how Hayden and Jenny were getting on, how life had gone since that special moment on holiday.
Hopefully they’re still together and happy, and their wedding was spectacular.
After seeing Liam and Chloe’s happy moment, my partner posed the uncomfortable question about how many proposals are unsuccessful. There must be a few.
Oh the disappointment, oh the awkwardness, oh the heartbreak.
But also, oh the bravery of saying no, knowing how cruel your response will sound, but how the truth is more important at that moment than being seduced by sentimentality.
All the way back to the Sunshine Coast, I imagine Liam and Chloe were planning their wedding. Who to invite, how to arrange them at the reception, what to feed them.
What the dress should look like. What the bridesmaids’ dresses should look like.
So many decisions. So much expectation.
All with its genesis in a moment by a lake while on holiday.
All their time together having built to this.
All the best, Liam and Chloe.