First in line and that's just the ticket for Kiri Te Kanawa fan

Julie Bason was first in line yesterday morning to purchase her mother and father tickets to Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's only Tauranga show. Photo / John Borren

Fans waited more than three hours in the cold to be the first in line to purchase tickets to Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's only Tauranga show when they went on sale to locals at 9am yesterday.

The Kiwi soprano will delight the ears of opera fans in her performance at Baycourt as one of only three North Island shows next year.

Tauranga resident Julie Bason arrived at Baycourt at 5.45am, after waking up at 5am, to make sure she was first in line to buy her parents tickets for her father's 80th birthday. Fifty others crowded around behind her in the reception area of Baycourt for tickets.

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Her father, Jeff Major, had been the chairman for the Bowl of Brooklands in New Plymouth when he hosted Dame Kiri to the area and fell in love with her voice.

"Dad just loves it," she told the Bay of Plenty Times.

Dame Kiri said she was excited to be bringing her music to Tauranga.

"Whilst I have performed in other parts of the Bay, I am looking forward to my first performance in Tauranga. The songs I have selected are all personal favourites and it is always a pleasure to share my music," she said.

Baycourt manager Megan Peacock Coyle said she was passionate about giving residents the opportunity to purchase tickets in advance of the general public.

"Dame Kiri's only other North Island performances are in Gisborne and Wellington, so we expect to have strong interest from around the country. We're so proud to be bringing Dame Kiri to Tauranga, and we feel really strongly about giving our local audience the chance to get in first, before we open sales to the rest of the New Zealand."

Dame Kiri would be accompanied by acclaimed Christchurch-born pianist Professor Terence Dennis.