Romantic treasure hunt ends with Fiji proposal | Canterbury News | Local News in Canterbury

When Claire Speirs got up on November 13, little did she know by the end of the day she would be in Auckland and en route to her engagement in the Pacific.

The 27-year-old Parklands woman was to follow a trail of clues left by her partner David Bennison that led from her inner city job to Fiji, where he was waiting with a diamond ring.

That morning, as she was leaving for work Mr Bennison, 25, told her he would be at a conference in Riccarton all day.

Instead, without her knowing, he boarded a plane to the island.

The couple met at QEII pool almost five years ago when they were both training for triathlons, and quickly clicked.

"He’s cheeky," said Miss Speirs.

"She organises me," he laughed.

Mr Bennison, who works as a real estate agent, had been thinking about proposing for some time but wanted to "make it memorable".

He came up with the idea of sending Miss Speirs on a treasure hunt after watching reality television shows.

"I thought it would be quite cool to go to Treasure Island (in Fiji)," he said.

But there was one concern – Miss Speirs’ dislike of surprises.

"She likes to know what’s going on."

He decided to plan the trip and enlisted the help of friends along the way to keep his future fiancé relaxed and to make it more fun.

At 3.30pm on November 13, Miss Speirs’ colleagues at Immediate, where she works as a media assistant, placed a wooden treasure chest on her desk.

"I thought, ‘this is weird, what’s going on?’"

The chest was filled with chocolate gold coins, her passport, a camera, an emergency envelope only to be opened if she got stuck, and her first clue.

It said Mr Bennison was taking her on an adventure and she needed to collect nine ceramic tiles that fitted together to form a map that gave her directions to the treasure.

She was also instructed to take get a photo of herself at each stage.

The first clue read:

"Finish any work that you are currently doing and pack up your things. Your driver (Keith) will be at the front desk to pick you up shortly. He will be delivering you to your next destination and providing you with your next clue."

In shock, Miss Speirs accepted a glass of wine from her workmates to calm her nerves before the taxi arrived.

To prevent Miss Speirs becoming anxious, Mr Bennison reassured her that everything had been taken care of at each stage of the treasure hunt.

He had spent six months creating the trail, organising flights and accommodation, spending hours on Google Earth and writing the clues.

Miss Speirs’ second clue took her too the airport and then on a flight to Auckland, where she was met by an old friend.

"We went straight from the airport to Lone Star for dinner and I couldn’t eat. I was excited and nervous."

The next clue said she needed to get an early night as she would be flying to Fiji the next morning.

On the plane, she started to think about what the trip might lead to.

"I thought he could be proposing to me."

But she also knew her partner’s love of practical jokes so thought anything was possible: "I know what he’s like."

When she arrived in Nadi, a driver was waiting to take her to a boat bound for Treasure Island, a 40-minute journey by catamaran from the mainland.

Meanwhile, Mr Bennison had spent the day setting up deck chairs and a bottle of champagne on the beach and then snorkelling in the afternoon.

"I was pretty relaxed."

At the island resort’s reception, Miss Speirs received her next clue, which led her to the couple’s room.

On the bed was the final clue and piece of the puzzle, so she could complete her map and locate the treasure.

It pointed her to the beach, in front of a white chapel.

Mr Bennison was standing 20m away, watching her come out of the hotel and down the waterfront.

"I looked down the beach and saw him.

"It was such a relief, I went and hugged him and said ‘I’m so happy I’m here’," she said.

He then gave handed her a mini treasure chest and said "there’s one more thing".

Inside was a platinum diamond engagement ring.

Mr Bennison admitted he "was a little bit nervous" about giving her the ring.

"But I knew she would say ‘yes’."

And she did.

"It was perfect," said Miss Speirs. She now has a different attitude to unexpected situations.

"For someone who doesn’t like surprises, I’m OK with him surprising me from now."

The treasure hunt couldn’t have worked out better, Mr Bennison said.

"Yeah, it was good fun."

The couple spent the next eight days on Treasure Island, enjoying the sun and water, and even took part in an ocean swim between islands.

The couple will celebrate their engagement with friends and family this weekend and plan to marry in March, 2011.

They are considering a venue in Fiji or Mr Bennison’s home town of Nelson.