Only two days into a dream holiday in Fiji, the Barnetts - mum, dad and their two children - were transferring from the Fijian main island of Viti Levu to the Yasawa Islands by boat when Mr Barnett suffered a severe seizure.
"It was obviously very frightening - we were on a boat and this happened. It's an experience I'd hate anyone else to have to go through," says Mrs Barnett.
An urgent air evacuation was arranged back to the mainland and Mr Barnett was admitted to hospital in Lautoka. Local doctors suspected meningitis but were unsure and Mrs Barnett made contact with her insurers.
Things moved very quickly - "It was wonderful how quickly they took control and made all the arrangements," says Mrs Barnett.
The next morning Mr Barnett was on an air ambulance bound for Auckland's Middlemore Hospital, with his wife and children following on a rescheduled commercial flight.
Mr Barnett spent more than two weeks in hospital recovering from a virus that had spread to the fluid on his brain. He has since made a full recovery.
"When something like this strikes it's frightening how quickly costs can rise - the total paid out by our insurers was more than $135,000," says Mrs Barnett.