They had stopped at shops just on dark to pick up takeaways and were approached by three men with a gun as they got back in the car.
Pam was thrown out of the car on to the ground and the car only missed her by millimetres as they sped off.
"They were yelling at us, 'get out, get out'," Leanne said. "All I could see was the gun ... My husband ran after the car but they turned the gun on him so I pulled him back. Even now talking about it, it gives me goosies," Leanne said.
It was that horror incident that made the "bubble burst" for the family.
They realised there must be more to life than living in fear.
Little things that we take for granted, like being able to walk to the mailbox at night without being mugged, are now precious for the family. They are also getting used to our trusting way of life.
"I have to admit, when we first came to New Zealand I felt a little uneasy sleeping in a house that didn't have burglary guards or bars on the windows," Leanne said.
Pam said she couldn't believe the view from windows without bars.
"You just have big panes and I remember thinking 'wow, I can see out these windows'."
Leanne said the family would never look back and can't speak more highly of Rotorua. "This is a beautiful town. There is so much to see and do for the kids."
Pam said Rotorua people were more friendly than anywhere she'd been.
"The openness and the feeling of freedom is incredible," she said.
The family returned to South Africa in 2008 for a short holiday but they won't be going back any time soon.
"We couldn't get back on the plane to New Zealand fast enough," Leanne said.
