This engagement gem's one of those stories that rocketed into Our People's orbit as we quizzed Charlotte about her mixed heritage, what led her to Rotorua, when our original intention had been to add her to the lengthening list of nationalities who now call our city home.
There's a lot of giggling and blushes as this 21st century Hinemoa reveals the path the contemporary version of the legend took.
For starters, it wasn't the notes of a flute that lured her to the island, nor was there any swimming involved. Instead Troy whisked her off in a jet-propelled 'waka' for a surprise trip to Mokoia. The November day was wet and windy, the ride bumpy.
Charlotte wasn't over-impressed, that was until Troy slipped into the pool, leaving her on its edge.
"He took out this little box, said 'Charlotte, will you marry me?'. I said 'of course' and the sun came out, everything was so bright after that. The jet boat guide was taking pictures, I posted on Trip Advisor what a romantic place Mokoia is."
The cultural significance of the proposal's location wasn't lost on this non-New Zealander.
"I knew the Hinemoa and Tutanekai story through work where it's often woven into cultural-related projects."
Work's Darryl Church Architecture where Charlotte's been two years.
Unsurprisingly it was Troy who enticed her to Rotorua where his job's with his father's trucking company.
The couple met on Charlotte's first night in a Sydney youth hostel in 2014.
"He was wearing an All Blacks jersey, had a great smile, a bit of a beard, we chatted, he offered to show me around New Zealand."
Which takes us back to how the heck this girl who did most of her growing up in Normandy and has a BA in a wide range of architectural design fields, came to be at the opposite end of the earth.
"I've always wanted to travel, there's always something exciting to learn in your travels, more than you can ever learn on paper."
Two destinations were on Charlotte's radar - Kenya and New Zealand.
"I knew they were amazing; natural, beautiful, rich in culture but my parents were worried about Kenya's political situation so I had a rational think about it and realised New Zealand was the place to be."
Noting she's the first person on our Our People's books to have been Guadeloupe-born, we insist she rewinds to her roots, learning her avid traveller parents had lived in the French Caribbean territory eight years before their daughter's birth.
A year after it they were back on the French mainland, her father's home; her mother's an English import from Devon. Ah, that explains Charlotte's almost unaccented English and the language barrier we'd feared would stump us. It's our tongue Charlotte happily chats away in.
"I have great memories of growing up in France, I loved creative things, discovering worms, making perfumes from our garden, had great friends."
And school? "It's a lot stricter than here, I hear in New Zealand everyone's a winner, kids are taught fair play. In my country school is very competitive, you stick to the rules. We have long hours but not as long as Inga (Latvia's Inga Eglite, Our People, May 13). With sport at home you play what you're told to. But (and there's another giggle here) I didn't play rugby."
That omission apart, Charlotte's a sports and dance devotee. "I played basketball, did synchronised swimming, took a lifeguard course, went to classical ballet and Latin dancing classes, played the clarinet; a bit of everything to be honest, I was an arty kind of kid."
Art re-entered her life when she moved to Rotorua, painting to fill in time while job hunting.
"My work's very colourful, I love using contrasts of colour mainly portraits and animals."
She's created a blog devoted to her art and photography.
Not one to sit around waiting for work to come her way she, to use her words, "took herself out there", Marguerita St's Ciabatta Bakery was her first port of call.
"I was willing to do anything, preparing to sell myself as a French person with knowledge of bread and patisserie when a man behind me asked if I was looking for a job. He gave me three contacts who might need someone with a graphic art background. That stranger brought me really good luck, that's how I got my job developing my landscape skills and working in architecture with Darryl [Church]."
The job will end after her wedding. The couple have one way tickets to France where, first up, there'll be a celebration of their New Zealand nuptials.
"Only my parents are coming [to New Zealand], then we're going home to party with family and friends. I'll be wearing my wedding dress, Troy's mother and aunty are making it, he'll be in his Scottish-Irish kilt."
Travel's to follow. "We love it here, it's a great place, but I also know there are great things in Europe. If it works out for us we'll settle there. I think it would be good for Troy to learn the French language and culture, he has an aunty there.
"Living in Europe would be beneficial for our children but we will try and bring them the best of both cultures wherever we live."
CHARLOTTE PAGESY
Born: Bassre-Terre, Guadeloupe, 1992.
Education: Primary and secondary in Normandy, Universite de Nantes.
Family: Parents, brother in France, fiance Troy Ferguson.
Interests: Art, architecture, music, weaving; has studied harakeke (flax) weaving. "I'm going to incorporate it into our wedding. including my bouquet." Exercise (recently attended boot camp). "Walking in the Redwoods and around the Blue Lake", people watching. "I hang around places and draw."
On New Zealand: "I think the Maori culture is so respectful, its strong connection to the land is beautiful."
On Rotorua: "It's quite a shy town, you have to involve yourself in the community to get to know the community."
Personal philosophy: "If you want something go for it."