Lomu plans exclusive party

By STUART DYE

Newlyweds Jonah Lomu and Fiona Taylor are planning an exclusive post-wedding party - a week after marrying in a secret Waiheke Island ceremony to which Lomu's parents were not invited.

Just 16 guests were invited to the ceremony in which Lomu, 28, wed the 30-year-old Ponsonby marketing executive at a luxury lodge on the island. The rugby superstar's family said they knew nothing of the wedding and were reportedly deeply unhappy at being excluded.

Around 160 revellers are due to attend the party tomorrow evening at the Mikano restaurant and bar on the Auckland waterfront.

Sources said they expected that Lomu would include his family.

The guest list is also thought to include friends as well as past and present All Blacks.

Mikano specialises in hosting exclusive events and tailoring them to the customers' preferences.

The restaurant has a helipad for guests to arrive, leave or take a tour over the Hauraki Gulf by helicopter.

This is Lomu's second marriage - and the second time he has kept his family in the dark about the exchange of vows.

After his first wedding, to Tanya Rutter in 1996, Lomu made it up to his family with a second ceremony in Rutter's native South Africa.