The survivor of a Sydney shark attack says the soundtrack to Lord of the Rings helped calm her when she was in a coma because New Zealand is her "happy place".

On 13 June this year, 35-year-old Leah Stewart was mauled by a four-metre-long shark at Coogee Beach as she was finishing up a swim.

Speaking to RNZ’s Saturday Morning, she opened up about her strong connection to New Zealand and picking up her daughter for the first time since the attack.

A soundtrack to her 'happy place'

While she's grown up in Australia most of her life, her family is from the Hawke's Bay and she is also a New Zealand and Australian dual citizen.

She said she was "obsessed" with New Zealand and was eager for a full recovery to start planning a trip.

"I probably come over to New Zealand probably three times a year... when I was in hospital, I kept on saying to Fernando, my partner, I'm like, when I can finally fly or travel, we're going to Queenstown."

Her love for New Zealand was so strong her family had played her the soundtrack from Lord of the Rings to calm her down while she was in a coma.

"When I was in the coma, it felt like 10 years, like it just felt like a lifetime, and I felt like I was a bit trapped and it was scary.

"New Zealand is just my happy place. And my family were just like, let's transport her to the Shire so that she'll be in a better place."

'I've got to bring myself back to be her mum'

A trip to the Remarkables is one thing to work towards but her main motivator has always been her baby daughter, August.

Stewart has been vocal about the attack itself, describing the moment the shark dragged her into the water as being "beyond panic".

"When it took me, it felt impossible. And it almost felt easier for it just to kill me quickly, because I thought, there's no way I'm getting out of this.

"But the thought of her [August], just like, it gave me a strength I don't think I would have had."

She fought off the shark, throwing in some left hooks until it let her go. This meant the loss of her left arm along with many other ongoing injuries.

It's not easy but Stewart is focusing on the positive and her most recent highlight is being able to pick up her daughter for the first time.

"That's something I didn't think I'd be able to do... I got to pick her up and hold her on my side and that's what I'm focusing on. I'm not focusing on all the other things I can't do."

When the attack happened Leah was still breast-feeding August, who was six months old at the time.

This made being in the hospital and separated from her baby girl one of the hardest parts of the recovery.

"For me just to disappear, for her was so hard.

"And then for me when I woke up, it was just the hardest thing to be kept away from her. I could see her... But it was still really difficult because at that point I couldn't move."

'I actually do feel lucky'

Stewart is no longer in the hospital, but she is still recovering.

"At the moment, my leg is still open.

"I was bitten by the shark, I lost my outer muscle of my leg, so the outer quad and so I can't really move that freely. I've been on bed rest the last two weeks, which is awful."

She hasn't let that get her down because the way she views it, she is lucky to be with her family and for the people who helped save her.

After fighting off the shark she was spotted and taken to shore by Charlie Vercoe, the world's number one paddle boarder.

She was then tended to by a top medical specialist for pre – medical care, Professor Ian Furgeson, who happened to be on the beach.

"The fact that I had Charlie Vercoe, Ian Ferguson, there was ICU nurses, there was surgery nurses all on the beach... the fact that I can walk, speak, don't have brain damage.

"For me, I actually do feel lucky."

A mental recovery

Stewart has done several interviews about her experience, something that has helped her erode the fear attached to such a horrific memory.

"I feel like I'm trying to regain power over the situation and every time I speak about it, the fear of it, it gets a little bit less."

At first she says she couldn't even hear the word shark, now she's chosen to live by the beach and conquer the fear.

"By seeing that [the ocean], I feel like it's helping with the fear just by exposure."

While she has a desire to get back into the water, safety has become more of a priority than ever before.

"I've been speaking with the Premier of New South Wales, and I really am passionate in making sure that we can keep our beaches safe."

Being a primary school teacher, she recently visited her classroom who also helped her gain more perspective.

"No, they were just so curious and asking me questions like, how sharp are the shark's teeth? Can you show us your missing arm?

"I was worried about going, but then afterwards, I'm like, I can face anything... And it was completely fine. And it comes from such a beautiful place of innocence."

She wanted her story to inspire people into a deeper sense of gratitude.

"It's just about being grateful for what you do have and not focusing on what you don't have."