It was Ms Puriri's seventh trip to her husband's home country "and that's why she was so comfortable going this time", he said.
However, this time was different.
"She loves for life, she took those marriage vows seriously. She wears her heart on her sleeve. We're talking a very, very smart young woman here. The only thing we could accuse her of is being over-trusting."
The couple and their three children travelled to Mr Azzaoui's native Algeria because she thought his father was gravely ill.
She alleges that soon after they arrived Mr Azzaoui took the family passports and then held their daughters Iman, 5, Assiya, 2, and son Zakaria, 11 months, captive in the family home in Mostaganem.
"Upon arrival Mihi realised that the paternal grandfather was not ill.
"It does appear that Mohamed did have this planned for some time, it certainly wasn't a spur of the moment thing. I would say that my knowledge of it is that he had this planned for some weeks ..."
The family shared the two-bedroom apartment with up to 14 Azzaoui family members, showered once a week at most and there was little entertainment for the children, said the spokesman.
Ms Puriri has not seen or spoken to her children since she managed to escape to Algiers on February 27 following a tense stand-off between a New Zealand diplomat and dozens of police, soldiers and Algerian locals.
"It was felt it was too tenuous a position to leave Mihi there any longer, and she thought it was better for everyone including the children if she left at the moment."
Mohamed Azzaoui, 36, has accused the New Zealand diplomat involved of lying about who she was.
He spoke to BBC correspondent Chloe Arnold, who told National Radio today (Tue) that she spoke to a "very belligerent" Mr Azzaoui last week.
"He said this is a matter only for him and his wife, and he was very angry that the media was getting involved. On the telephone he said this was absolutely nothing to do with anyone but him and his wife," she told Radio New Zealand.
The retired boxer said he didn't believe New Zealand Consul Barbara Welton, who had travelled from Cairo to the apartment with a full gendarme escort to carry out a welfare visit, was who she said she was.
"... he said this was just a New Zealander who had stolen this woman's business card and pretended to be the consul and come to his home and tried to steal the children".
Ms Welton was reportedly involved in a tense stand-off over the three children, and sat on the floor refusing to leave the property "without my citizens".
Legal experts say that because Algeria is not a signatory to the Hague Convention, she is at the mercy of the Algerian legal system in the fight for her children.
The family spokesman agreed, saying Ms Puriri's only options were through the Algerian courts or through mediation with her husband.
The spokesman was in contact with her daily, and said while the situation had been very distressing for her and her New Zealand family, she was staying strong for her children.
She was particularly upset she would miss the first birthday of her son, who she had been breastfeeding, when he had his birthday later this week.
The three children spoke English, Arabic and French, were "wonderful", "highly intelligent" and a credit to both parents, said the spokesman.
