David Wilson, with a Thermos flask, was first in line outside the doors of the Oamaru Opera House. As the morning wore on, he was joined by about 15 other people, competing with internet and telephone sales for just over 150 tickets left out of 500 seats for "An Evening With Dame Kiri" in the Opera House on March 27.
He scored two of the $130 tickets for his mother and sister, and another eight people in the queue got tickets, limited to a maximum of four each, before tickets sold out soon after sales opened at 10am.
Opera House director Megan Peacock-Coyle said the speed at which tickets sold was "very exciting".
"It was a really great atmosphere, like a rock concert for older people," she said.
Those who missed out were accepting, and the Opera House took their names in case ticket-holders later found they could not attend.
"It's some time before the concert, so tickets could become available," she said.
Internet bookings were from all over New Zealand, including the Hawkes Bay. Inquiries had come from as far away as the United States and Canada.
On October 19, about 200 preferential tickets went on sale solely for people living in the Waitaki district. They were snapped up in less than a day.
Another 150 tickets were allocated to concert sponsor Network Waitaki and Opera House sponsors and supporters.
The Oamaru concert is Dame Kiri's only appearance in New Zealand between a tour of Australia and returning to Europe for performances there.
It was a result of her having expressed an interest in performing at the Opera House after its $10.3 million refurbishment.
