Intense media scrutiny had put strain on the fledgling relationship between Scot Sarah Milne and Picton local William Chalmers.
It was the love story that captured the hearts of the nation and caused a global sensation.
But the story of the strangers who met after sharing a fleeting smile in a Picton park will not have a fairytale ending.
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Sarah Milne and William Chalmers have decided to go their separate ways.
The Scottish visitor and the local lad met in front of cheering and curious crowds at the Picton foreshore on Tuesday.
The rendezvous came after Milne pinned a note to a tree near where their eyes met.
Chalmers told the Herald on Sunday yesterday that he and Milne were calling it quits.
It could have been so different - after their reunion, Chalmers convinced Milne to spend another week in Picton. He revealed they had talked about travelling back to Scotland together in May, but intense media scrutiny had put strain on the fledgling relationship.
"We've had a really cool time together here, but I don't think I will be going back to Scotland with her," said Chalmers.
"We're going to go out and we're going to go fishing. We're going to have a very good last couple of days together." He added the pair were going their separate ways after some media reports went into "tacky" speculation about their first date. He earlier reminded people on Facebook that Milne was "a classy lady".
"They made us sound stupid, like we'd just had a sleepover and we were hungover when that wasn't the case at all," he said.
"It just put stress on her family back home, we can't have that, and it's the same over here for me too."
Yesterday, Gina Williams, co-owner of DA's Barn Restaurant & Bar, said everyone in town was talking about the pair.
The couple made global headlines and media from Chicago to London had been calling local businesses for the latest news on the couple.
She said Chalmers didn't mind the publicity but Milne was a bit more private, despite the meeting being the stuff of a Hollywood movie.
"You don't get many love stories like this. This is actually happening in Picton."
The story hit the headlines after Milne, from Glasgow, hung a colourful handmade poster in a bid to find the man who caught her eyes nine days ago at the Marlborough Sounds town.
Staff at local firm Beachcomber Fun Cruises shared the poster and a few photos on Facebook, and the story soon set the internet on fire.
Romantics shouldn't despair; Chalmers didn't rule out rekindling the sudden romance at some stage in the future.
"Well, who knows. Once it all dies down maybe."
The new free open-air saltwater pool is already proving popular.