Aroha: ‘Work is our play so we’re happy’

Saturday, 6 June 2026

Justine Seymour-Wilson and Bayden Wilson got engaged on a whim while on the Alamfi Coast.

Justine Seymour-Wilson, 58, co-owns Kiwiesque Luxury Vineyard Accommodation in Hawke’s Bay’s Esk Valley, with her husband Bayden Wilson, 64, who is also a winemaker. Seymour-Wilson has four adult children from her previous relationship and Wilson has one adult daughter from his previous relationship. The couple live in Esk Valley with Boris the black russian terrier.

Justine: I grew up on a Wairarapa sheep farm and after my OE in London moved to a farm with my first husband and our kids.

Justine and Bayden were brought together at her niece’s christening.

We separated after 12 years and I was very happy being single. I was 40 when I met Bayden. He was a friend of my older brother’s from school, but because of our age gap I’d never met him.

It was 2008 and we were both in Hawke’s Bay for my niece’s christening. We were the godparents and Bayden started calling me his god-wife.

We met at the pub the night before. My first thought was, he’s really cute. I could also see how easy-going and happy Bayden is. We had a cheeky kiss that night.

We got together the next night after the christening. At the time Bayden was working in the sheep genetics industry and was spending three months at a time in the UK with work. I was in Masterton with my kids and going through a tough divorce while Bayden was overseas. It was pretty hard going.

The couple did long distance for three years before settling on a vineyard in Hawke’s Bay’s Esk Valley.

We did the long-distance thing for three years until I moved to the Hawke’s Bay vineyard Bayden had bought a few years earlier.

I’ve always dreamed of building a lodge and running an accommodation business. It’s been challenging, especially with Covid and then with cyclone Gabrielle when we lost our vines, stock and income. I’m a worrier while Bayden is more laid-back so while we were dealing with these issues, he was able to calm me down.

Bayden is very level-headed and can talk to anyone. He’s also really funny. One of the things I value the most about him is the way he pushes me out of my comfort zone. When we first met I wasn’t a sporty person, but he signed me up for the Coast to Coast!

We’ve since done lots of multisport events together and individually. It’s the kind of thing I would never have done without Bayden. It also gave me a love of exercise and now I go to the gym at 5.15am every weekday morning.

On the negative side, Bayden is really messy. I often call him my sixth child because I’m always picking up after him.

Bayden says he can’t recall if there was one moment when he knew Justine was the woman he’d spend the rest of his life with, it just happened.

We love working together and it helps that we’ve got different roles.

We’re quite different personalities, but we love having fun together and enjoy our food and wine. But having our independence is also important – I go to the gym and Bayden does waka ama, hot yoga and swims in the ocean.

This is the second marriage for both of us and this time around we know what works and what doesn’t, which helps a lot.

Bayden: I’m born and bred in Hawke’s Bay. My grandfather arrived in 1835 so I’m the fifth generation here. I grew up on a sheep farm and had my own farm for a long time.

My first marriage lasted 15 years and I’d been single a few years when I met Justine. I was good friends with her brother and we met at his daughter’s christening. Justine and I were the godparents so we were introduced at the pre-christening event the night before.

I thought Justine had a really bubbly personality and was easy to talk to. She thinks I made the first move but actually she did – she backed into me onto the dance floor and that was it!

It didn’t bother me that Justine had young kids. My daughter is the same age as two of hers and they got on really well and still do.

I was working for a sheep genetics company and commuting to the UK so the first few years of our relationship were tough as I was never around and Justine was living in Masterton with young kids.

I can’t recall if there was one moment when I knew Justine was the woman I’d spend the rest of my life with, it just happened.

We hadn’t talked about it but I proposed on a whim while we were in Italy. Justine had come over to meet me in the UK and we went to the Amalfi Coast for a few days. We were doing a cooking class when I got down on one knee and proposed with a cheap ring I’d bought on the spur of the moment. We were on a terrace overlooking the Mediterranean so it was the perfect spot. Back in the UK, Justine bought a proper engagement ring.

We built the lodge so that Justine could work from home as she previously worked in real estate which was hard to do with kids.

Some couples who work together like to separate work and home life but for us, work is our play so we’re happy to eat, breathe and sleep the lodge and vineyard. We love where we live and have the same vision for the business and for our lives.

We both love food, wine and sport. Justine had never even been on a road bike when I signed her up for the Coast to Coast. These days she’s a real gym bunny.

She can get a bit grumpy, especially at my messiness. Justine is really tidy so I’m a constant challenge to her. She also complains about the vineyard and how it doesn’t make any money but I say to her, there’s more to life than money.