Bliss for some, blitz for others

About 130 Rotorua couples lucked out in the search for long-lasting love last year.

Latest figures from Stats NZ showed 131 local couples got divorced last year, down from the 147 divorces five years ago. While there were fewer divorces there were also fewer weddings - last year just 266 Rotorua couples got married compared to 334 in 2008.

Nationally 8785 divorces were registered. Those most likely to call it quits had been married between five and nine years - with nearly 25 per cent of last year's divorces featuring marriages of this length.

Romance sceptics may point to theories around "itchy feet". But couples who've made it successfully over the decade bump know relationship woes are all part and parcel of finding lasting true love.

While some relationships are turning sour, others are blossoming.

Peter Duncan, owner of Rotorua's The Wedding Guy, said about 330 to 350 weddings occurred in Rotorua each year.

Stats NZ figures show 266 couples tied the knot locally last year - but Mr Duncan said this was likely due to some couples registering their nuptials with district courts outside the area.

Most couples Mr Duncan married were aged 22 to 35 years, he said. "Around about 85 per cent of those would be first-time marriages, the balance being second-time [marriages]."

Relationship expert and psychotherapist Chris Wood says all relationships encounter challenges. "There's a big myth in our culture that if you're struggling in your relationship you're with the wrong person.

"Relationships have particular stages and people don't really understand."

Everyone felt great at the beginning "honeymoon stage", she said.

"Some of that is because we've got a wonderful cocktail of chemicals in our brain that makes us feel very good. The job of those cocktails is actually to bond us together with somebody."

Problems usually surfaced when couples moved on from this initial stage.

Serial daters were more likely to be less satisfied in relationships. "What I've heard is that the more relationships you have, the shorter [the honeymoon period] lasts."

Nationally, about 20,500 couples tied the knot last year. Those keen to take another chance on love made up about 31 per cent of marriages - with 6307 couples registering a "remarriage".

Ms Wood said relationships needed constant attention. Often "you get into an adult relationship and you think about what it should be giving to us, instead of thinking, 'What do I need to do to make this relationship work well'."

Being married may keep a couple committed - but it wasn't a silver bullet, she said.

Marriage and divorce, 2012:

• 
  266 couples tied the knot in Rotorua last year, down from 334 in 2008.
• 
  131 couples registered for divorce at Rotorua District Court, down from 147 five years ago.
• 
  20,521 marriages nationally, compared to 21,948 in 2008.
• 
  8785 divorces took place, down from 9713 five years ago.
• 
  13.67 years - the median duration of marriage ending in divorce.
• 
  3822 divorces involved children.

 - Source: Statistics New Zealand