Kiwi's shots of brooding rockers set the scene

The Rolling Stones Photographed on a rooftop near their hide out near Marble Arch in July 1968. Photo / Frank Habicht

A photo of five brooding young men taken on a London rooftop by Bay of Islands photographer Frank Habicht helped to create the image the world came to know of the Rolling Stones.

Habicht, now 76, had moved to London from his native Germany to work as a freelance photographer for magazines, film directors and at one stage the Playboy Club at the peak of London's reputation as the swinging style capital of the 1960s.

"In July 1968, my agent arranged a private photo shoot at the Rolling Stones' hideout near Marble Arch, still with their original band leader Brian Jones," he said.

"I was lucky that day, that the Stones were not dressed up to impress their fans. Their rooftop and private quarters were ideal for the shoot. They were forthcoming, relaxed and open-minded to oblige to any poses I requested.

"My images helped to promote their image and they were published in some German magazines. In the decades to come, their fame snowballed."

Habicht photographed them again a year later when half a million fans gathered for a free outdoor concert in Hyde Park. Brian Jones had died just two days before, giving the concert a memorial tinge. Sackfuls of butterflies were released.

"On this occasion, Mick Jagger introduced the new guitarist, Mick Taylor. It was his first memorable gig. Unknowingly at that time, I photographed him outside the Kensington Markets while he was walking his dog," Habicht said.

"The event was unique in its own right, but it wasn't the Stones' best performance. Some of the songs were unrehearsed and sometimes the guitars were out of tune.

"The Daily Telegraph quoted Keith Richards: 'Nobody minded, the fans just wanted to hear us play'."

Habicht and his wife moved to the Bay of Islands in 1982.

"When they had children they kind of wanted somewhere beautiful to bring up their kids, so decided to move to the other side of the world," said son Florian Habicht, a film-maker whose film Pulp opened in 35 American cities yesterday.

Two tickets cost Stones fan $2400

A Rolling Stones fan has paid $2400 on Trade Me for two front-row tickets at their Auckland concert tomorrow - even though other seats remain unsold.

Trade Me spokesman Jeff Hunkin said the North Shore fan bought the tickets from someone who paid $4000 for four seats but had to offload two after the show's postponement in March.

More than 300 other tickets have been on-sold through Trade Me in the past 45 days. Mr Hunkin said searches on Trade Me for "Rolling Stones" jumped from around 1000 a day in early October to 2500 a day this week.

Searches for "Rolling Stones tickets" passed 3000 a day early this week.

Kiwi fans have also been splashing out on Rolling Stones memorabilia.

An item described as a "Rolling Stones signed guitar" with "a certificate of authenticity from helping hands charity" sold for $7995.

Fans have also bought a Rolling Stones jumbo beach towel, a tribute miniature guitar, Rolling Stones shoelaces and a drumstick thrown into the crowd by the Canadian rock band Nickelback at a gig with the Rolling Stones in Wellington in 2006.