Picton park lovebirds plan another rendezvous

Sarah Milne and William Chalmers might go camping together.

All is not lost for two of the country's most famous lovebirds, with another get-together set for next month.

Barista William Chalmers and Scottish backpacker Sarah Milne sparked a global media frenzy after news broke this month of their movie script-style romance.

The two met and enjoyed a first date after Milne pinned a handmade poster to a tree saying she wanted to meet the mystery man with whom she had shared a fleeting smile on the Picton foreshore days earlier.

Picton-based Chalmers obliged and they spent seven magical days together. But a fairy-tale ending seemed dashed when the blaze of publicity became too much, and they parted ways - although Chalmers did not rule out rekindling their romance later.

Is that day about to come? Chalmers told the Herald on Sunday this week the two planned to see each other again next month and, perhaps, even go camping together.

"I'm going to go and see her. I'm being sneaky about that. We only just decided [last night] to meet up, when all the dust settled."

Their first meeting was in the bush-surrounded, waterfront village of Picton. The spot for their next meeting will be Burnham, also home to the biggest army camp in the South Island.

Milne did not want to speak to the Herald on Sunday, but Chalmers said she planned to stay in Burnham doing a six-week winery harvest. He had family there and would see her on his way to Queenstown, where he worked during winter.

"I've got absolutely no idea [what we'll do]. I don't really like to make plans. We'll probably go camping or something. Yeah, of course with her. And I love that road, it's one of the best drives in New Zealand, going down the West Coast." He had a six-person tent they could use, he said.

Milne might also visit him in Queenstown. "Nothing's a definite though yet."

Any future reunions could be delayed as Milne planned to spend a year working in Los Angeles after she left New Zealand.

"I don't really like America. I think I might just wait until the UK. I think that seems a bit more interesting. That's a joke. I've got no plans [to visit Milne in the UK] yet."

The couple stayed in touch via text, but Chalmers had ignored Milne's Facebook friend request.

"After the whole ordeal, I got about 3,000 friend requests. I can't really find hers without sitting there for two hours."