Tears and champagne will be the order of the day when Taradale couple Dale and Murray Rigby are reunited with their son Brett, and his partner Anna Barnett, in Rotorua on Friday.
The young couple were among those lucky to have survived the Asian tsunami. Taking a break from studies at
Wellington's Victoria University, Anna, 22, and Brett 22, were holidaying at the Thai beach resort Kohlanta on Boxing Day when the tidal wave hit, killing an estimated 155,000 people across the region.
Mr Rigby had gone deep-sea fishing, leaving Miss Barnett reading a book on the beach when the tsunami hit.
Miss Barnett was running for safety when the wave tossed her into a beachside bure.
As the water receded, it threw her back down the beach, leaving her with cuts to her legs and back. Retreating to hills behind the resort, she waited for news of her partner, who had also survived the disaster.
The couple were evacuated to a hospital in Bangkok where Miss Barnett was treated for a serious eye infection.
Ms Barnett's parents are meeting the couple when they arrive in Auckland today, while the Rigbys will travel to Taupo on Friday.
Asked how she would react to seeing her son, Mrs Rigby replied "I'll probably cry. Then we'll probably crack open the bubbly".
"It's certainly a great relief. We had feared worst when we'd heard 400 fishermen were missing. It was pretty horrifying," Mrs Rigby said.
The Rigbys had not seen Brett, a former Taradale High School pupil, since November 5.
"We've talked quite a lot on the phone since the tsunami. Brett bought a cellphone after Anna lost the last one on the beach. We've talked to them every night," Mrs Rigby said.
She said Brett and Anna had originally planned to go to Sydney after Thailand, but had cut their holiday short by several weeks.
