A rigorous training schedule, which involved catching a 4am bus to Auckland one day a week for three months, has paid off for Te Rua Wallace, who was second runner-up at the Miss World New Zealand competition on Saturday.
The 18-year-old fashion student who competed against 19 other young women was surprised at her placing.
"I didn't think I would get that far, just because I don't think I was that good," she said. "A lot of the girls were really good."
But she said she had enjoyed the experience.
"It was all worth it now, it's all paid off. Everything went well."
She said the event was a blur.
"We had three sections - national costume, evening wear and cocktail wear. The final question was a really long question about Isis, I can't remember what I said."
She said she would definitely enter the pageant next year, where she had become close friends with many of her fellow contestants.
Miss Wallace was not sure what the future held for her, but said she would go back to studying for her degree in fashion from the Waiariki Institute of Technology.
"I am just going to go back to Rotorua and go back to my routine. I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who supported me in every way, it is much appreciated, and to my sponsor HT Fitness."