"My feeling is that the driftwood couch is a work of art by two local artisans and the driftwood is a taonga (gift) from Tangaroa (God of the Sea) and Tane (God of the Forest)," she said to me recently.
I exchanged a bunch of emails with Lois and spoke with her on the phone a lot.
During each call, I learned something new - either about her or the seat she and the community had grown to love.
By last Friday, it looked certain that the driftwood sofa would be relocated, despite the fight.
A lot happened before that.
One of the men who built the structure, Brian Currie, came out of the woodwork and shared his story.
Then Brian and Lois took the cause to their two local councillors. This was covered as well.
Each time messages of support from the Mount Maunganui community flooded our Facebook feed and filled our letters page.
Last week, Brian was sitting on the seat when a van-load of people from out of town rushed up to see it.
He has also had phone calls from the United States and Australia about it.
In the end, the story was no longer just about a popular sofa, but also about the people who created it and those who had been enjoying it.
Councillor Steve Morris, after meeting with Brian and Lois, explained they could not override resource consent rules. I understand that.
I also understand and agree with the council's reasoning for wanting the seat removed - it has been working hard to restore dunes back to their natural state, which includes removing structures and encroachments.
The dunes are a conservation area and any structures there require resource consent to assess any potential environmental impacts.
I have visited beaches and coastal communities around the country where that work hasn't been done, or where it's been done too late, and have seen the erosion issues that arise.
The sofa has to be moved, the council can't simply make an exception - where would that leave them next time a structure is found to have been built on the dunes?
Lois understands that too.
There is now a proposal to install a tidied up version of the seat as part of the Phoenix Park development next year.
Mr Morris and fellow councillor Leanne Brown will also ask their fellow councillors to consider funding park benches and improved road-to-beach accessways at key locations through the 10-year budget.
Lois said she is happy for the sofa to be used as a functional piece of art at the park but she will still be sorry to see it go.
So will I.
Before saying goodbye last Friday, Lois suggested I visit the seat and enjoy it in its current location, on Marine Parade halfway between Sutherland Ave and Grove Ave.
After work on Monday night, I did just that and got there in time for sunset.
The sky was a pinky-peach colour and there was a line of surfers bobbing in the inky-blue water below.
I sat on the driftwood sofa and watched them catch waves as the sea and sky grew darker.
Later, after walking further down the beach and back, I saw someone else sitting there.
I couldn't help but wonder if they also had a story to tell.
