Model planes sold at a fundraising event for Fiji (post Cyclone Winston). They were auctioned for $5300. Photo / Winston Aldworth
The Kiwi travel industry rallied around to help Fiji last week, with a "Bula Travel Industry" event raising $53,000 to go towards disaster relief following Cyclone Winston. Wednesday night's auction - which featured resort stays, gym memberships and a media-buying package in NZME products - was hosted by Kerre McIvor.
Flying high for Fiji
The star performer in the auction was a collection of display planes (pictured below) that singlehandedly brought in a fantastic $5300 following heated bidding by two men. To the uninitiated, these beauties might look like toys, but to plane nerds and those in the know, the collection - which included a LAN Chile A340, an Air New Zealand Dreamliner and a mint old Air Pacific 737 - was rare gold.
Funny for Fiji
Best line of the night came from MC and auctioneer Kerre McIvor who, after winning the bidding for dinner with a couple of prominent rugby personalities, quipped thus: "It used to be that rugby players paid money to have dinner with me."
