Tauranga's Wynn Foster loves all things Apple, so it's no surprise the 57-year-old was waiting outside the door of Noel Leeming on Friday when the technology company's much-anticipated new product, the iPad, went on sale.
Mrs Foster, who describes herself as "an Apple devotee to the end", had woken up at
4am to find out where she could buy the iPad in Tauranga, and rushed down to the store.
Mrs Foster's Twitter name is "iPhone Diva", and the licence plate on her car reads IPHDVA.
Her "Apple obsession" is purely a hobby, as Mrs Foster works as a nurse at Althorpe Village.
She spent the weekend playing with her new toy, which she said did not disappoint.
"It's wonderful. I like the product, I like Apple's way of dong things. It far exceeds my expectations. It's wonderful, it's really, really good."
Duane Thomas, the store manager of Noel Leeming on Cameron Rd, said it was Apple's decision where the iPad went, and the fact it had chosen Noel Leeming's store for the "only" launch in the Bay of Plenty was "like winning Lotto".
For commercial and security reasons, Mr Thomas was unable to say how many iPads the store had been sent, but told the Bay of Plenty Times its shipment had sold out by Friday evening, indicating demand was sky-high.
People travelled from around the central North Island on Friday and Saturday to nab their iPad, and Mr Thomas said the regional release was good for Tauranga.
"It puts us on the map."
Mr Thomas said extra iPads were sourced from a Hamilton store for Saturday, and by lunchtime just a handful remained.
Noel Leeming in Tauranga is expecting another shipment of iPads to arrive this week and is pre-selling the consoles, of which there are six types, at prices ranging from $799-$1350.
The tablet device allows users to watch high-definition videos, play music, surf the web, read e-books and run hundreds of applications from Apple's App Store.
Both 3G and Wi-Fi versions of the iPad are available through Apple resellers, including the Tauranga Noel Leeming and the online store.
More local stores are likely to be included at a later date. with Ellen Irvine
