Rotorua Pakipaki runner-up pleased with result

Being placed second in the grand final of Homai Te Pakipaki was "just like a dream" for Rotorua's Diane Tibble - but now it's back to reality.

Mrs Tibble (Tuhoe, Ngati Porou) was the last contestant to perform in Friday night's final of the Maori Television singing contest Homai Te Pakipaki, and although she didn't quite get enough votes to take home the grand prize, she's pleased with her result.

"It's pretty good going for an old lady," she said. "I had a lot of votes, but it was a great experience and something people should go and try for."

Singing Young Hearts Run Free by Candi Stanton, Mrs Tibble had the crowd up and dancing as the closing act of the show, and said performing at Auckland's Logan Campbell Centre was a "great experience".

"It was just like a dream ... now I've got to get back to reality. It's good to be back home.

"I can take a big breath now it's over and I can get back to entertaining our whanau back here in Rotorua and going back to work for my business. My husband and all my supporters were there - they had a great night.

"Being last, I thought I'd take out the show with a bang - I certainly did, everyone was up dancing and singing."

It was a long day in Auckland, starting at 10.30am with placings and having hair and makeup done.

Mrs Tibble said her friends and family were "getting cheeky" to her about the length of her skirt.

"When I was getting interviewed, the lady said I have nice legs. Now everyone is getting cheeky to me.

"I originally wanted to wear tights with the dress, but the dresser told me not to."

Coming back to Rotorua, Mrs Tibble was greeted with a home-cooked meal by her proud whanau and she said she was still getting phone calls from people congratulating her.

She said the challenge now was for a Rotorua person to take the number one spot in Homai Te Pakipaki as it has now been won twice in a row by someone from Gisborne. It was meat worker Hukanui Brown, 22, from Gisborne, who won Homai Te Pakipaki with his rendition of R Kelly's I Believe I Can Fly.