Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter chief pilot Charlie Beetham carries Bay Marina by Des Robertshaw, one of the lots for auction at Friday's event. Photo / Duncan Brown
After running for quarter of a century, this year's Hastings Karamu Rotary Club Helicopter Cocktail Party is looking to be the biggest yet.
Hawke's Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust marketing and fundraising manager Laura Hyde said more than 600 tickets to Friday's event had already been sold, the highest amount ever.
The unprecedented number of tickets meant the venue was changed from the trust's hanger to the A&P Showgrounds.
The event will be silver themed, with prizes for the "best dressed lady in silver" to celebrate 25 years of support from the Hastings Karamu Rotary Club, and the club's own 40-year anniversary.
The auction will also have more "fabulous prizes" donated than ever before.
