The father can be seen leaping for joy at the reveal. Video / Supplied
This article was one of our best read stories of 2022.
A young Te Aroha couple’s gender reveal has gone viral after thousands were charmed by the father-to-be’s reaction to finding out they were having a little girl.
Azrael Spiryt Hansen and Josh Henwood posted the video on TikTok and said they have had a great response to sharing their special moment.
The video shows the couple waiting, as a Ford behind them begins to spin its wheels producing plumes of bright pink smoke.
The couple turn to see the result before Henwood throws his hands in the air and the jubilant couple embrace as the crowd cheers.
Commenters said Henwood was going to be the "best Dad ever". Photo / Thomas Falconer / InTheFrameMedia
One commenter said the video was a sign that Henwood was "going to be the best dad ever" and another said they has "never seen a dad be this excited for a girl".
One woman said his obvious excitement was "adorable" and told Hansen she was "so lucky".
"You sir, are a legend," added another commenter.
There was some criticism of Hansen wearing slippers to the gender reveal.
"I tried to get him to put on proper shoes all day!" Hansen told the Herald.
But Henwood said he has taken a liking to slippers ever since learning he was going to be a dad.
Others said the smoke could have been harmful, but the couple said it was a damp and breezy day and the effect of the smoke was limited.
The happy couple's joyous reaction has gone viral. Photo / Thomas Falconer / InTheFrameMedia
A modern love story
Hansen, 20, who has worked as a nanny, and Henwood, 18, a plasterer, have had a very modern romance, meeting online in September 2021 after Henwood pursued Hansen on Instagram after a friend scrolled past her as the mates were discussing finding the right girl and settling down.
It took a month for the couple to meet in person - and they told the Herald that they have been inseparable since.
They moved to Australia in December where Henwood proposed to Hansen atop the legendary Mount Panorama - home of the Bathurst race - wearing trackies and slides with socks.
After the January proposal, Hansen quickly fell pregnant and the couple made plans to return home.
Henwood and Hansen are engaged to be married. Photo / Thomas Falconer / InTheFrameMedia
Henwood said he bonded with his father through riding dirtbikes and was hoping to form a similar bond with his daughter.
The couple said they have a few names in mind for baby, due in October, and the couple are engaged to be married and plan to have the wedding next November.
They told the Herald they would love to have another child but are worried about how hard it will be raising a family in the current tough economic times.
Update: An ‘amazing little girl’
We caught up with Azrael and Josh in December to see how parenthood was treating the couple after the birth of their daughter in October.
Little Ellieanne Marie Henwood arrived on October 21, ably caught by dad after a water birth.
Mum and dad say she was smiling on the day she was born and was giggling by three weeks old.
Her parents says little Ellieanne has been full of smiles since day one. Photo / Supplied
“We are beyond happy with her in our lives she has definitely changed our relationship but for the better, we call her our little princess made from pure love,” Azrael Hansen told the Herald.
Josh Henwood says it’s an “unreal” feeling being a father and he can’t believe his luck.
“I never thought i would find the one to have a child with but now it’s happened and I couldn’t be happier. She’s completed both of our lives and we can’t wait to see what the future brings.”
