Music introduced Nick Erickson and Abby Stewart to Whanganui.
And when they were looking for a place to settle down and raise a family, Whanganui was at the front of their minds.
Now, having started a successful business and become involved in the arts community, they may be here for good.
After meeting in Wellington about five years ago, Nick and Abby spent a few years in Dunedin and started a family before deciding to find a more permanent base.
"We kind of wanted to move somewhere where we could do the family thing," Nick said.
"Anywhere is good for that, as long as you have enough things to sustain your interests.
"With both of us being really creative people, it's good to be in a place where there's this strong creative community. That was probably one of the biggest draws to Whanganui - everyone seems to have their own little weird thing going on."
Abby said: "I feel like everyone's really encouraging, as well, of those things. Everyone seems interested in each other's projects.
"I would've been keen to move anywhere, but I'd heard so many good things about it."
Nick was familiar with Whanganui through Space Monster, the now defunct music venue, where he often came to play with his band Diving.
"I had been here and a lot of the other people in our circle of friends had been up here through Space Monster," he said. "So I kind of had a few loose connections to Whanganui people through that."
On the other hand, Abby had never been here before she moved but had heard the same good things. "I remember after my brother came up and played here, he and his band mates raved about Whanganui, and Nick raved about it," she said.
Nick, Abby and their two children, Marlowe and Elliot, have quickly settled into Whanganui life.
Nick has started his own landscaping and gardening business, Nick's Gardening, and has managed to build a solid client base from scratch, while Abby has does work at Article, Lucky and for herself as an editor.
And music continues to be a part of their lives with Nick joining the lineup of Whanganui band the Pussywhippers and working on his own music.
"The river is amazing, and it felt more 'beachy' than I expected, kind of like a seaside feel," Abby said. "I wanna live here forever, I just can't imagine living somewhere else now."