ENGAGED: Renee Anderson said it was "the best thing that could ever happen" when her partner Daniel van Leeuwerden got down on one knee at Nitro Circus. PHOTO/TANIA WHYTE
ENGAGED: Renee Anderson said it was "the best thing that could ever happen" when her partner Daniel van Leeuwerden got down on one knee at Nitro Circus. PHOTO/TANIA WHYTE
Renee Anderson had been waiting years to attend a Nitro Circus show so she was pretty excited to have VIP tickets.
But when her partner of seven years got down on one knee during the half-time break one dream was topped off with another.
With a crowd of 13,000 peoplepacking out Toll Stadium on Sunday, Daniel van Leeuwerden, 27, was pretty nervous to ask Ms Anderson, 28, to be his wife.
He got the VIP tickets as a birthday present last year but did not think about proposing until Monday and got the approval from Ms Anderson's parents on Wednesday.
"When it was half-time I went back to the car to get the ring and told my friends then, it was all a bit of shock to everyone. She's been hinting about it for years for a proposal but I just thought I'd top off one dream with another," Mr van Leeuwerden said.
"Everyone came back and they were all smiling and I asked what was up and they wouldn't tell me. I thought something was going on but that's the last thing I thought would happen. He said 'oh I have to get over the seat' and sat in front of me and as soon as he bent down on his knee I was speechless. The best thing that could ever happen," said Ms Anderson.
The Dargaville couple met at a New Year's party in Paihia seven years ago.
"We were on the way back from Paihia and I meant to send a text to my friend saying 'oh my God he's in the car, this is pretty cool' and I accidentally sent it to him and he caught on because I got his number that night. We just started hanging out together and one day he said 'do you want to be my girlfriend?'" said Ms Anderson.
Mr van Leeuwerden said Ms Anderson is the one who is motorbike mad. She has been riding since she was young.
"Renee is all in to her motorbikes, she got me into motorbikes. She kept taking off to the beach on a motorcycle and leaving me behind so I had to get my own," he said.
"I've been planning to go to Nitro Circus for years and years and finally made it when they came to Whangarei. It was the best night of my life," said Ms Anderson.
It's early days but the wedding is also looking likely to be motorcycle-themed with the bridal party riding in on dirtbikes and the bridesmaids and groomsmen wearing motocross gear.
