108 women dare to bare for calendar

Kelly Albrecht knew she was on to something special when more than 100 Rotorua women agreed to pose in lingerie for a fundraising calendar.

But even with the high expectations, the result has blown the Rotorua photographer away.

The brave women who posed for the calendar got together again for its launch last night - the first time they'd seen the finished project.

Now more than 1200 copies of the calendar have gone on sale in a bid to raise $12,000 for the Rotorua Breast Cancer Trust.

"It's what I imagined but bigger. I had an idea in my head and now it's on paper it's just amazing," Mrs Albrecht said.

She said she was still blown away that 108 Rotorua women had agreed to pose for the calendar, some in lingerie, others topless.

"They all look beautiful. I think what made a huge difference is that they all looked really lovely with their hair and make-up done by the Waiariki beauty and hair girls."

Mrs Albrecht came up with the idea after she set about losing weight and wanted to encourage women to be "body proud".

The calendar features women ranging in age from 18 to 70 and from size 6 to 26.

"Many of the women said it was so invigorating to take part. They felt so on top of the world."

One of the highlights was watching the women, most of whom started off as strangers, develop friendships during the photo shoot.

Mrs Albrecht set out with the idea of making Rotorua proud - and after seeing the finished result she's confident she's done just that.

The limited-run calendars are on sale for $10 each and are available from the Rotorua Night Market, the Waiariki Institute of Technology reception and the Three Lakes Clinic reception in Pukaki St.

They will also be on sale at stalls around town over the coming weeks. For more details go to the Operation Body Proud Facebook page.