They say long distance relationships never work out. I say, if it’s meant to be, it will be. Meeting the one isn’t about the perfect place or the perfect time. It’s about the perfect person. I never saw my own long distance love story coming. But somehow, it all unfolded like a real life rom com, and here I am, ready to share the entire tale.
My Long Distance Love Story: An American Girl Visits Auckland
When I was 18, my dad was in a world triathlon series in Australia as part of Team USA. Planning the trip at the time, my mom decided we should all go to New Zealand too because “we’d never be at this part of the world again.”
My dad crashed his bike during the race and was very injured. Regardless, he decided once he arrived in Auckland that we’d continue our trip. That afternoon, we headed to the Stamford Plaza hotel’s teppanyaki restaurant, Kabuki, for lunch.
At the teppan, was a very hot Kiwi chef who introduced himself as Tom. The moment I locked eyes with him, I had the oddest feeling soar through my veins: that this boy would be special to me. I had just come off a summer of the worst dates ever and shrugged it off as just a silly thought about a fleeting crush. But during the meal, as he chatted to us with his sexy accent, he offered to show my family around Auckland on his lunch break.
After lunch, we walked around Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour with him. As he and I tried to break away, my sister kept tagging along. I must’ve shot her hundreds of glares until she finally got the hint. My family headed back to the hotel while we walked separately. As he and I got back to the hotel, he asked me if I’d go out with him that night. Unsure of going out with a boy I just met in a city I didn’t know, I told him “I might be tired” and that “I’d have to think about it”.
That night though, I had second thoughts and convinced my family to go back to the restaurant for dinner. There he was, cooking at another table. As he locked eyes with me mid-teppanyaki trick, he dropped his spatulas. Little did I know at the time he was on every TV across the hotel because he was cooking for Prime Minister John Key! His bosses weren’t thrilled but for me, that was the moment I thought, “Okay. He’s harmless. He’s dropping things looking at me, I can go out with him.” I pulled him aside as he walked by our table and told him that I’d go out with him after all.
My Long Distance Love Story: Our First Date in Auckland
We met up in the lobby after his shift had finished and went out for a drink. His accent was so thick that I had some trouble understanding him, but it didn’t matter because he was so darn cute, my stomach was flip flopping and I could hardly concentrate anyways.
I close my eyes
“Glass Slipper” by Justine Thomas
And I can sense every aspect of you
I breathe a little
Trying to be calm and cool
As you sit across from me
That sexy accent
I can’t breathe
In the bar, he sat there proudly showing me pictures of his food on his phone and then he sweetly asked if he could kiss me. Afterwards, we went dancing before heading back to the hotel. As we headed back, it was raining outside and he gave me a piggyback ride all the way back.
When we arrived at the hotel, he told me he’d have to come visit me in the states. In my head, I assumed these were just words he was saying in the heat of the moment and the realist in me assumed it would never happen.
My family left Auckland the next day. As we arrived at another hotel, I went to use the coin slot computer. There, in my Facebook inbox, was a message from him. After that, we messaged back and forth for the rest of the trip.
My Long Distance Love Story: Arriving Home in Denver and The Lie I Didn’t See Coming
For the entire first month we were talking, I would go on and on to my family, friends, and on my Facebook page, about Tom. The cute Kiwi I was dating. After arriving home, we started talking to each other on the phone, every day, for two hours at a time. During one of these phone calls, he had to share with me something important.
His name wasn’t actually Tom.
It was Gwith.
It turned out that everybody at his work refused to pronounce his real name so he went by Tom instead. When he introduced himself to my family the day we met, he didn’t think anything of it. It was the name on his name tag after all. After sharing his real name with me, I started calling him Gwith, much to the confusion of my entire family (and friends!). My poor mom even had to write his name on a sticky note to remember how to pronounce it.
I’ve got a little problem
“Oh Tom” by Justine Thomas
I’ve loved two men
One of them is Tom
The other is my husband
Our Long Distance Love Story: A Kiwi Boy Visits America
Over the next 6 months, our relationship continued to grow. Whether it was a phone call or Skype, we’d never miss a day of talking to each other. We refused to tell each other we loved each other until we’d be together again. So instead, we were in four dots. “I …. you”.
Before I knew it, his plan to come visit me in the states was actually happening. The hotel wouldn’t give him the time off so in a leap of faith, he quit his job and flew out to the states to visit me for three weeks. When, I picked him up from Denver International Airport, I raced into his arms the moment I saw him coming through arrivals. As he unpacked at my house, I walked into the bedroom and we said our I love you’s for the very first time.
During his trip, I showed him my life in the outskirts of Denver, introduced him to Beau Jo’s Pizza dipped in honey (is there any other way to have it?), and flew to Los Angeles with him. Those three weeks were pure magic. With every day together, we fell deeper and deeper in love.
The day he left to go back to New Zealand was a painful day. We knew just how much we’d miss each other and had no plan at the time of when we’d see each other again.
Our Long Distance Love Story: The In Between
Thankfully, my parents recognized how important this relationship was to me. During the time he had stayed with us, my mom even told my dad, “This is it. He’s the one.” They made sure I was able to fly out and visit him in Auckland a few more times over the next year.
For our one year anniversary, I flew out to see him and we went to Australia together to celebrate. By this point, I was already daydreaming about the day he’d propose to me. While walking along the Brisbane River, he sat me down on the bench. As he took my hand, he looked into my eyes and said, “I read your diary.” Of course, I 100% left it opened in our hotel room because I wanted to facilitate the “where is this relationship going” conversation.
He said to me, “I want to marry you too. I can’t propose yet but just know that one day I will.”
Our Long Distance Love Story: 19 Months of Long Distance Dating Led to This Moment
Seven months later, he flew out to the states for his next visit. One week into his visit, he asked me to dinner and told me I should dress up. We had been partway through watching the Karate Kid when we had to pause and head to my voice lesson first, and then dinner. I brought my fanciest dress along to my lesson and my voice coach and I spent the entire lesson gabbing about our joint assumption he was proposing.
Of course, during dinner, he kept making all of these weird comments to try and throw me off. Mainly, he was going on and on about how we’d finish the Karate Kid after dinner. How romantic? After dinner was over, we headed out to the 16th Street Mall. There was a horse and carriage waiting for us. I had never been on one before and he knew I always daydreamed about a horse and carriage ride. He and I sat down on the carriage and partway through the ride, he pulled a box out of his pocket and opened it.
“Will you…”
Before he could finish the sentence, I was already screaming yes and putting the ring onto my finger. I had absolutely zero chill.
Suddenly you’re giving me a piggy back in the rain
Glass Slipper by Justine Thomas
Next thing I know you fly to USA
Suddenly you’re giving me a carriage ride and a ring
Next thing I know we’re in LA planning everything
Our Long Distance Love Story: Closing the Distance
We got married three months later in my childhood backyard when I was only 20 years old. Some could say I was too young but when you know, you know – and it was the best decision of my life.
We have been through so many adventures together. Moving to California, working for an entertainment company, owning our own restaurant, having two beautiful children, and eventually moving to New Zealand.
I’ll leave my glass slipper in New Zealand
Glass Slipper by Justine Thomas
You can chase my pumpkin around the globe
I’ll leave you breadcrumbs you can follow
And you can come find me
And put that glass slipper on me
And kiss me under my white veil
Cause we’re living in a fairytale
My parents have since retired in Auckland too and now live right down the street from us. My husband has opened a fish and chip shop in Orewa, I’ve recorded my very first album, and our kids are so happy.
It’s 17 years later with nearly 15 years of marriage under our belt. All because my mom thought, “What the heck. Let’s go to New Zealand because we’ll never be at this part of the world again.”
My song, “Glass Slipper”, dedicated to our love story will be available to stream starting August 28, 2026 on all streaming platforms!
Follow Justine Thomas on Instagram and Threads for more updates about her music and life.
Leave a Reply