'The Bachelorette NZ' stars Lily McManus and Richie Boyens share big announcement

Lily McManus and Richie Boyens have shared some exciting news.

The couple, who met on TVNZ's The Bachelorette NZ, has announced the next big step in their relationship.

"So myself and this guy that kisses me with his eyes kinda open have an announcement to make," she wrote, captioning an adorable photo of the pair embracing.

Many fans of the couple may have assumed the pair were announcing their engagement or that they were expecting a child, but McManus revealed a different piece of news.

"Despite this promising vanilla couple photo, my uterus is childfree and no knees have been dropped," she insisted.

"We are moving to Wanaka together."

She shared what they'll be getting up to in the South Island: "I've taken a few gigs down there for the winter and Rich will be working on his clothes."

"Apart from that, we plan to snowboard, slow it all down, and cleanse our insides of all the residue that has amounted in our organs over these past six months."

"We leave Auckland in two weeks. Heart is full."

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Rich, you’re the kindest, softest piece of work a woman could ever ask for. Before you, the word ‘easy’ was seen as negative word for me when it comes to relationships. I was under the impression that maybe I had to feel a little guarded, restricted, insecure, like I couldn’t always be understood or feel adored every single day. I thought maybe this was just me. That maybe the free, crass, rough cut, emotional, independent woman that I am I was never going to be completely understood or supported. That I was always going to be clashing in some way with my partner for being and feeling everything that I am. That’s why I didn’t believe in ‘easy’ and I guess I thought I was okay with that. That the battles were going to be exhausting but worth it if I was able to keep everything that I was intact. Yet this is easy Rich. I’ve realized that ‘easy’ is so far from being a negative word. I don’t want to feel exhausted, I want to feel energized and supported. I want the time and energy to put into things that I want to do to feel accomplished and satisfied as a woman. You do just that for me Rich. You can always seem to understand how I feel, even if my brutal honesty is the last thing you want to here. You support my choices, space and emotional capacity. You never make me feel like I feel too much or too little. You put every single strung out string inside my brain at ease. You’re an incredible man Rich, I’m in complete awe of who you are as a person. Cheers to trying as hard as we can to be exactly who we are and putting a little trust in the universe to sort out the rest. I’m a very happy woman. Thank you to everyone that showed us even the slightest amount of love and support. I’m going to go cry into a beer bottle now ❤️

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McManus and Boyens have shared snippets of their loved-up life since The Bachelorette NZ, taking to Instagram to post about their adventures.

In May, the couple told the Herald about their experience living together during lockdown and how they've adjusted to life after reality TV stardom.

"We've been isolating in a one-room shed for six weeks, and the lack of personal space has been hard," McManus said.

"We're really open about our feelings, and compared to talking about your feelings on camera to the entire nation, it's been a walk in the park."

This article was first published on the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.

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