Kevin Geary (53), who grew up in Dunedin and went to the University of Otago, started a perfect Queenstown day last Thursday with a walk up Bob's Peak with friends and a peaceful gondola ride down to the car park, where he collapsed without warning beside his rental car.
The ex-BBC radio and television journalist, who now trains journalists, and his wife Judi (also known as Judi Conner), of London, were in Queenstown for Christmas with Mr Geary's mother.
The couple's two teenaged sons had returned to England the previous day to go back to school.
When her husband collapsed, off-duty volunteer ambulance officer Fiona Lattimore came running from one direction, and from the other came off-duty prison officer Dave Grey.
"Within a minute they had him on the ground, his rucksack under his head and were doing the most professional CPR.
"They did everything. They were just like guardian angels who came from nowhere and saved his life."
Neither Mrs Lattimore nor Mr Grey responded to calls last night.
Mrs Geary said five minutes earlier her husband had seemed fine, other than feeling uncharacteristically tired after the walk up the hill.
What they did not know was that he had a blocked artery and was about to have a major heart attack.
Mrs Lattimore and Mr Grey kept the CPR going for the 15 minutes it took for the ambulance to arrive.
Mr Geary was taken to Lakes District Hospital and the Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter arrived with intensive-care staff on board within an hour.
By the time Mrs Geary got to Dunedin Hospital later that night, Mr Geary had been operated on (a stent inserted), and was in the intensive care unit.
Everyone had been amazing, she said, from the good samaritans who came to their aid, to the ambulance staff, the doctor at Lakes District Hospital, who later called to check on Mr Geary's condition, the rescue helicopter team, the ICU staff, and cardiologist Gerry Wilkins, who operated on Mr Geary and had since called several times from Nelson, where he is on holiday, to check on him.
"It is just extraordinary that you have that continuous care. I felt the co-ordination between the different teams was superb.
"We felt so supported and just can't thank those people enough."
Also a former journalist, Mrs Geary said the couple wanted to share their good-news story and express their gratitude, especially after reading stories with sad endings in the past few days.
"I don't know how to say strongly enough how grateful we are."
Mr Geary was recovering in a cardiac ward at Dunedin Hospital and they hoped he might be released as early as next week, she said.
