Deborah Kay, owner of helloworld Travel Rotorua, has revealed the luxury cruise destinations available to the winning Supper Club Rotorua bidder. Photo / Kelly Makiha
A luxury cruise to the Mediterranean, Scandinavia/Iceland, or Alaska?
That’s the tough choice that will face the winning bidder at Wednesday’s annual Rotorua Supper Club fundraiser, the Rotorua Daily Post can reveal.
The top item to go under the auction hammer is a luxury cruise for two valued at $25,000, donated by helloworld Travel Rotorua and Oceania Cruises, with three destinations for the winner to choose from.
Supper Club raises funds for the upkeep of the Ronald McDonald Family Retreats in Rotorua. The two retreats are used as holiday homes for families of very sick children or families who have lost children to illnesses.
More than 50 tables for eight people have been pre-sold, with each going into the draw to find out where in the city they will be hosted for dinner that night.
The night, on Wednesday, starts with drinks at Novotel Rotorua Lakeside, an auction for donated goods and the table draw.
Ticket-holders then head to their dinner destinations. All food is donated by the venues.
Deborah Kay, owner of helloworld Travel Rotorua, was thrilled to offer the top cruise bidder the flexibility of being able to choose their destination from three options.
She said the sailings were in June and July this year, the perfect time to plan a holiday away from New Zealand’s winter.
Oceania Cruises was known for its 5-star quality and “country club” atmosphere, she said.
The package includes 10 to 12 nights with all meals, port taxes, fees and tipping, and $5000 towards airfares booked via the travel agency.
The Mediterranean cruise explores the coastlines of Italy, Croatia, France, Spain and Portugal.
The Scandinavia/Iceland cruise offers a blend of Viking history and fjords and explores Stockholm, Oslo and Helsinki. Within that option, the winner could take a cruise around Iceland, seeing waterfalls and ancient glaciers.
The Alaska option cruises the protected waters of the state’s Inside Passage from Vancouver and includes impressive scenery, glaciers and wildlife.
Kay said the cruise offerings were at a perfect time of year, and she hoped the flexibility this year attracted plenty of bidders.
She said there was flexibility to travel in 2027 if needed, but that was subject to conditions. She said bookings for the Oceania cruise and flights might not be able to be made until four months before sailing, and all cruises would be subject to certain destinations and availability at the time of booking.
Those interested could look for more details on the Rotorua Supper Club Facebook page or get in touch with her at helloworld.
Zhen Christiansen, who owns McDonald’s Fairy Springs and McDonald’s Te Ngae alongside husband Reuel and is a member of the Supper Club organising committee, said they were “incredibly excited” about the travel prize.
She said they hoped it would generate strong public interest to help raise a good amount of funds for the retreats.
She reminded those wanting to support the event that they could still buy a raffle ticket.
The raffle offers donated prizes packaged into bundles valued at hundreds of dollars. The raffle is being offered this year instead of the silent auction.
The tickets can be bought using a QR code or order form link on the Supper Club Facebook page or by going into any of the three McDonald’s restaurants in Rotorua.
There are 1000 raffle tickets to be sold in advance of the event. They are priced at $25 each, $100 for four or $250 for a book of 10 with 12 chances to win.
The raffle will be drawn on March 12, and winners will be advised on March 13.
There will still be a live auction of more than a dozen prizes, which will take place at the Novotel Rotorua before the punters head off to dinner.
Another of the live auction prizes is a tanzanite and diamond cluster ring valued at more than $10,000.
There were also plenty of live auction prizes for sports buffs, including a signed rugby jersey and group outings for Auckland Football Club matches.
This year’s auction is being led by Tremains sales manager Murray Piesse.
Piesse told the Rotorua Daily Post that he’d been to the event before, but this would be the first time as auctioneer.
“It’s a great cause, and I’m happy to support it.”
The Hits announcer Paul Hickey will once again gel together the Supper Club evening at the Novotel Rotorua Lakeside.
“I have MC’d this event for over 12 years now. This is just a great night that truly shows the community spirit we have.”
Hickey said Supper Club was a bit different from other charity events that directly benefited locals.
“This is about showing families across Aotearoa how much Rotorua cares about them. It’s pretty special to be part of.”
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.