Helen's melons on the block

Kerikeri artist Helen Jean is putting her melons up for auction in a bid to raise money for breast cancer.

Well, okay, they're not her melons exactly, but an oil painting of a pair of melons.

Pair of Melons (mixed media and oils on canvas) will be sold to the highest bidder on October 14, which also happens to be the date of the Breast Cancer Foundation's national pink ribbon appeal.

Ms Jean said her choice of fruit was no accident.

"I think they're really appropriate. It is a serious cause but we may as well have some fun ... and if you do something fun and lively, you encourage more people to donate to breast cancer," she said.

While the auction is still more than a week away, Ms Jean is already thinking ahead to her next fundraiser.

The firm which printed her fliers without charge challenged her to do something for prostate cancer as well - so next year you can look forward to a painting featuring a telegraph cucumber and two avocados.

Ms Jean is the artist responsible for the giant (100:1 scale) plug which can be seen floating in the Kerikeri Basin.

The painting will be auctioned at 5pm on October 14 at the Pear Tree Restaurant, next to the Stone Store in Kerikeri. All proceeds go to the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation. For those wanting to see Helen's melons beforehand, the painting is at the Pear Tree.