Mr Rayner was living in a caravan in Lower Hutt and had a job making car batteries while Norma was working in the Ford factory making ammunition for the war. They were married on May 5, 1945 in Morrinsville where Mrs Rayner wore a pink dress.
"She asked me if I wanted her to wear white but it didn't worry me," he said.
The pair first lived in Tatanui, near Morrinsville, but moved further north to Wahoroa where Mr Rayner owned and operated Waharoa Transport for 30 years. They had three daughters - Jenny, Maralyn, and Carol - and two sons - Garry and Brian. They also have 15 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren. They bought a beach house in Papamoa in the 1960s and now live happily in Mount Maunganui.
Mr Rayner said he loved everything about his wife.
"It's no good just loving her big toe and nothing else. But she looked after the five children, brought them up so well. Just everything. [She's the] love of a lifetime. I couldn't do without her."
Mr Rayner said his wife had always looked after the two of them but sadly suffered a stroke two years ago. Now he has taken over the domestic duties. "The tables have turned, it's my time."
Mrs Rayner said it was love at first sight when she first met her husband. "He's my darling."
Daughter Carol Turner said growing up her parents always took them away for weekends and holidays - camping and tramping. "We were always walking up mountains or pitching tents somewhere, we never stayed home."
Grandson Wayd Turner said his grandfather still had that energy today. "In his mid 70s they came over to Australia, I was telling him about this thing the explorers built on top of a mountain, about 15km out of town. He said 'come on lets get on our bikes, ride out and climb this thing'. So we jump on the push bikes rode the 15km out of town, climbed the mountain to look at this thing, climb back down and rode home. It took us all day and I thought 'far out, he's in his 70s'."
