Kō Victoria rāua ko Teaowera tēnei.

Nau mai e te pēpi ki te ao mārama!

Late last year I had the privilege of spending a rainy Koanga evening with first-time parents Victoria and Teaowera.

Highschool sweethearts and now māmā and pāpā to be, they invited me to their whānau kāinga to capture their last few moments of what had been a beautiful hapūtanga.

It was an ātaahua morning for all, and I was so lucky to pay witness to just a small part of the emotions and growth they were experiencing as soon-to-be-parents.

Even from behind my camera, you could see the deep aroha that tētahi kōrua had for one another, spanning over decades, and how it had now magnified and expanded to encapsulate their new pēpi too.

Tēnei te mihi maioha ki a kōrua mō te rā nei.

A beautiful ata that still warms my ngākau to this day.