Tauranga florists frantic as Valentine's Day love sweeps the Bay of Plenty

Blooms on Cameron owner Angela Garaway said the team have been kept busy preparing for the big day. Photo / Caroline Fleming

Love is sweeping the city today, with flower shops prepped for their busiest day of the year, restaurants booked out and life-long lovers ready to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Angela Garaway, owner of Blooms on Cameron, said Valentine's was a massive event for flower shops around the city with staff starting from 5am and finishing as late as midnight.

Garaway said she hires extra staff, cajoles family and friends into helping with deliveries and "leans on anyone who owes her a favour" to get through the day, which she started planning before Christmas.

Red roses were still the number one player when it came to flower selection, with the store ordering close to 1000 for the big day, said Garaway.

Tammy Courtney, a worker at Blanc Flowers, said the team end up "working like machines" to get the bundles of orders out.

She said they do get a little sleep, but mostly work all through the day and night.

Like others, Blanc Flowers ordered in "thousands" of red roses as the variety remained in high demand.

Florists were not the only ones kept busy. Cellar door attendant Kate Pollock from Mills Reef Winery and Restaurant said they are booked out with over 40 couples scheduled to dine there on Valentine's night.

Although the venue also does weddings, Pollock said that in her experience, people do not want to get married on the day of love.

60th Valentines

Val and Sol Brown celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary over four days. Photo / Caroline Fleming

Today Val and Sol Brown will mark their 60th Valentines Day as a married couple.

The Pyes Pa couple will be keeping the day low-key, however, as they were tuckered out from four days of celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary last week.

The couple met as teenagers at a tennis tournament, dated for two years, built a house and tied the knot.

Val said the pair used to "walk everywhere" to save the money to pay off their freehold section at 21, an achievement she agreed sounded almost impossible nowadays.

The couple had four children and after living in Auckland for a number of years, moved to Taupo and owned the iconic AC Baths Hot Pools.

They moved to Pyes Pa in Tauranga almost 20 years ago to retire and the pair said "they love every minute here".

Val and Sol Brown said their anniversary was full of lovely surprises from their children and lots of eating out.

They also received an array of cards from the Queen, Prime Minister, Governor-General, and loved ones.