Upper Hutt woman meets her mystery man

Upper Hutt woman Tiffany Beese, 50, has met the mystery man she met on a flight two weeks ago and felt a "soul connection" - thanks to the help of social media. Photo/Supplied

An Upper Hutt woman's social media search for a mystery man she connected with on a flight has paid off, with the pair meeting in person and exchanging phone numbers.

Tiffany Beese, 50, felt she had "a soul connection" with a man she sat next to on a January 5 Jetstar flight from Melbourne to Wellington.

They chatted throughout the journey, but didn't know each other's names and forgot to exchange phone numbers.

About a week later she reached out to her local community for help finding the man, posting a description of him on the Upper Hutt Community Facebook group and asking him to get in touch if he too felt a connection.

"[He had] bright eyes, short brown hair with silver showing on the side, quite tall, over 5'10", wearing a tree of life necklace with a red stone... I know he has two brothers in Upper Hutt and he too lives there. Has another brother on the Gold Coast. He used to live there for 11 years," she wrote.

"He likes to travel and wants to settle in Hokitika and get off the grid. I believe he was brought up in Greymouth. He is about 45ish."

Her search was successful. Two of the man's brothers who live in Upper Hutt saw Beese's post and contacted the man, who got in touch with her.

On Monday, the pair met up and exchanged numbers.

"We just had a beer in a pub and a light meal and sat and talked for hours. We share the same interests and the same spiritual outlook," Beese said.

"We're both travellers. He's travelled and done an array of different jobs, as I have. It just felt comfortable. We've been texting and communicating."

Beese, who runs a naturopathy business in Wellington, she and the man, who she did not want to name "because he's a very private person", were planning to get together again soon.

However it was too soon to tell whether they would continue to pursue a romantic relationship or just be friends.

She told the Herald she met many people on planes and the connection she felt with this particular man was unlike anything she had experienced before.

"This is the first one that went 'actually I need to pursue this'... It wasn't anything weird or anything crazy. It was just: 'I just have to ask'."

"I just felt either I needed to learn something from him or there was a reason why I had to get in contact with him.

"I don't like living with regrets and I would have regretted the 'What if?' Whether it could have either turned out good or bad, or whatever it is, at least I've answered my 'What if?'"

She advised other people who felt they had a connection with a stranger to follow their heart.

"I think you really have to know the difference between a slight fancy and something that goes deeper. If you know the difference and it feels really good and comfortable, then I say go for it, try it. [But] don't stalk people."