Episode 7430

Extended Summary

Alf greets Leah and Justin when they arrive at the Diner, noting it’s good to see them out. Justin says he’s got tired of eating salad. Ziggy comes in and jokes about Justin being in need of a surf; Leah tells her not to encourage him. Ziggy tells Alf she’ll be round later to drop off the new battery for Ryder’s car. Justin thanks her for looking after the garage and invites her over for dinner. Leah promises that she’ll be cooking. At Salt, Ryder arrives and starts saying he’s perfected his new rum and passion fruit cocktail, then discovers Mackenzie crying in the store room. She explains she and Ari broke up. Ryder agrees things can creep up on you and suggests she goes home, saying he’ll cover if she puts his “Pash and Dash” on the specials.

Outside the caravan park house, Alf chats to Marilyn about his latest conversation with Martha: He didn’t ask her when she’s coming back because he didn’t want to pressure her. Marilyn thinks they need each other. Ziggy finishes fitting the battery and starts the car. She says she’ll send an invoice. Alf says he was planning to check how she was coping with her parents gone. Ziggy says she broke up with Dean but it’s fun now Mack is living there. Marilyn starts saying it’s terrible being lonely and people who love each other shouldn’t be kept apart. Alf drily calls her subtle. Meanwhile, Ari is being lectured by Gemma over the phone and accepts that what happened isn’t all Tane’s fault.

Ziggy arrives home to find Mackenzie has nearly finished off the tub of ice cream they just bought. Ziggy explains about her dinner plans, saying she thought Mackenzie was working. Mackenzie explains about Ryder sending her home. Ziggy says Mackenzie could come with her but Mackenzie notes she’d be miserable company. Mackenzie wonders why Ari needs it to be all or nothing. Ziggy says not to underestimate the slow burn: She and Dean were friends for a long time before they got together, and just because Mackenzie doesn’t love Ari today doesn’t mean she won’t in the future. She slaps Mackenzie’s hand away from the ice cream. Soon after, Ziggy arrives at the Morgans’ with flowers for Leah and car magazines for Justin. Justin notes he heard she moved back to the farm and Ziggy admits she and Dean broke up. She offers to tell them about the deal she got with the tyre people or the grandma with the torana. Leah calls out that she had a torana.

Ryder arrives outside the house and tells Marilyn about his cocktail. Alf emerges and says he’s spoken to Martha again. He’s considering visiting her but needs to know Ryder and Marilyn will be okay. They tell him they can look after the house and Nikau will probably be glad of extra shifts at the bait shop. Meanwhile, Justin proposes a toast to Ziggy. She says she’s got work waiting for him to show her how to do it but Justin admits it’ll be five weeks before he’s allowed to work or drive. He offers to get someone in to help her but Ziggy says she needs the distraction. She asks Leah for dessert.

Tane arrives home. Ari admits he was hard on him earlier and accepts it’s down to him that things didn’t work out with Mackenzie. He offers a night of drinking beer and watching rugby, since Nikau has gone to see Alf about the bait shop. As soon as they’ve sat down however, Ari gets a call from Mackenzie asking him to come round and talk. Ari instantly bails, leaving Tane looking disappointed. Mackenzie greets Ari as he arrives at the farm house. She offers him a drink but he wants to get on with talking. He says that he wishes she could say what he wanted her to but is sorry for pressuring her. Mackenzie says she wants to be with him but doesn’t fall in love easily, although she wants it to happen with him. They kiss and hug.

Justin is sat on the bed and Leah brings him the car magazines. He wonders about getting the all-clear to go back to work in the office but Leah quickly shuts the idea down. She offers to let him read the magazine to her but he’d rather hear about her torona. Next morning, Ziggy is having breakfast when Mackenzie and Ari enter behind her. Without looking round, she starts talking about Mackenzie being heartbroken. Mackenzie gets her to stop talking and Ziggy realises Ari is there. She leaves them to it as Ari accepts the benefits of being in the middle of nowhere and having the place to themselves.

Alf is by his range rover as Marilyn and Ryder bring him a picnic basket. Alf tells Ryder about getting the new battery fitted as they say their goodbyes. As Alf drives off, Ryder checks Marilyn isn’t going anywhere. Marilyn suggests he show her what he’s learned on the guitar. Meanwhile, Ari arrives home and confirms to Tane that he and Mackenzie have sorted things out. He suggests they forget yesterday ever happened. Tane agrees that they’re good but doesn’t sound happy.

Tane goes to Salt, surprising Mackenzie since he’s not due to start work. She starts to apologise, saying she didn’t mean what she said yesterday, but Tane says he quits: Not because she snapped at him but because he’s sick of standing on the sidelines. He heads down the beach and bumps into Ziggy. She mentions surfing: He calls surf boards a flotation device but also admits he doesn’t know how. He says Ari and Mackenzie were blaming him for everything, then one late night text and it’s all forgotten. He tells Ziggy he’s quit: He doesn’t know what he’s going to do for cash but he doesn’t care.

Leah finds Justin making breakfast, which consists of chopping fruit and pouring her a bowl of cereal, as thanks for dinner. Unseen by her, he has difficulty holding the knife and puts it down. They sit and start bantering about Leah getting Justin a job at the Diner. Justin has trouble gripping his spoon but says nothing.