Hugh've got to be joking

Hugh Hefner has plans to turn Rotorua Museum into his Playboy Holiday Mansion.

It will feature a Rotorua version of his infamous Los Angeles grotto - with a bubbling mud pool - and be open to the public as a tourist attraction providing employment opportunities when Mr Hefner isn't holidaying here.

Mr Hefner decided to make Rotorua his home after hearing about the link between hydrogen sulphide, which is the gas that gives Rotorua its rotten-egg smell, and male sexual arousal.

If you smell something funny about this story, there is good reason to - it's an April Fool's Day joke and tourism PR stunt.

Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing general manager Don Gunn says the prank was a PR exercise to promote Rotorua in a fun way.

"It's promoting Rotorua in a quirky, tongue in cheek way," Mr Gunn said.

Media releases were sent out to media organisations telling them of the plans and Mr Gunn revealed one radio station believed the joke was real - for about an hour.

The press statement said that within 48 hours of finding out that Italian researchers were investigating the sex link, Mr Hefner was on his private jet heading for Rotorua.

"At my age it's great to get up in the morning without relying on any form of medication," the press release quoted Mr Hefner as saying.

He liked the look of the museum and worked out a deal with the Rotorua Museum Centennial Trust to make it his home.

Mr Gunn said the PR exercise was also about getting the word out about the possible link between the smell of Rotorua and its benefits - especially after Australian bloggers on the fush.chups.co.nz website criticised the city because of its smell.

"It's a great opportunity to have a bit of fun," he said.

Mr Gunn said the organisation had also taken out advertisements on Hugh Hefner and Rotorua in national newspapers.

"It will keep the interest going."

So what if Mr Hefner gets offended by all this?

Mr Gunn said he would then invite him to Rotorua.

"If it did happen we would welcome that and then invite him to come."

A press release was to be sent out about noon today letting everyone know it was a PR April Fool's Day joke.


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