Auckland, New Zealand [Sat Mar 5th / Sun Mar 6th 2016]

[groovyguy 63,856]

Breathless, what Madonna era is your costume for the show?

[Breathless 5,286]

I'm not going overboard. I'm going to wear white lace gloves with two bracelets (LAV style) and a Madonna Tshirt

[groovyguy 63,856]

I'm not going overboard. I'm going to wear white lace gloves with two bracelets (LAV style) and a Madonna Tshirt

We're all hoping to see the UB wearing white lace gloves + Madonna Tee!

[Breathless 5,286]

[Breathless 5,286]

Lool, I'd love to be the UB but I'm not by the heart stage.....

[SimonVenekeo 1,893]

Lool, I'd love to be the UB but I'm not by the heart stage.....

Not sure where people got fhis idea from. I'm gonna burst your bubble and say that you can be anywhere in the arena. 😊😊😊My friend Stephanie who was chosen in Quebec City we were second row on the right side of the main stage. And it's not someone obvious like Guy picking people it's a girl named Sarah and I think Jason Young picking them.

[Breathless 5,286]

What, seriously? I thought it was only the ones right up by the stage! I'm going to get my hopes up now

[groovyguy 63,856]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCblu0tyxnr/

super_hero_tonySingapore to Auckland. Yesterday. Ready for the long flight with my Gift from La Perla. Black lace eye maskâ—ï¸Sweet Dreams.#laperla

[Breathless 5,286]

:lol:

[groovyguy 63,856]

What, seriously? I thought it was only the ones right up by the stage! I'm going to get my hopes up now

Here's Hamzah's account of how he was selected to be Singapore's UB!

 

[Gargamel 8,775]

madonna Getting my horses ready for the show.........Giddy Up . New Zealand. ⤠#rebelheartour

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCezVUSGEdFe3YDZJ3hTep1ik1EnVoc-uJZkGA0/

[groovyguy 63,856]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCeKzjZyxsy/

super_hero_tonyAuckland Hospitality - Stonyridge Vineyard Waiheke. R'Laura organized a trip to Stonyridge "it's the best day ever". Max our taxi driver went to school in Rhode Island. He taught me more about politics in 10 mins than I learned in school! He thinks Hillary's got itâ£no explanation needed hereâ£Kandi and Ramon (video couple) have a romantic momentâ£this is JUST a samplerâ£beautiful sunsetâ£Stoneyridge R'Lauras hangâ£I don't know what he's doing, but it looks coolâ£beautiful viewsâ£the owner, most of Video Will, Adam,Gene,me Scotty R'Laura,Noriko chan and Joshua hospitality manager. He is doing something right RLaura has been back on 3 different tours! I think we put a pretty good size dent in their inventory yesterday. "Best day Ever".#stoneyridge @lauraspratt83#thebestdayever

[groovyguy 63,856]

How Madonna and her staff have been enjoying Auckland

http://www.scout.co.nz/How-Madonna-and-her-staff-have-been-enjoying-Auckland/tabid/511/articleID/11751/Default.aspx

Yesterday, they took a horse ride with dancer Kupono Aweau and other members of the entourage along Pakiri beach / Instagram

 

She has been fighting a bitter custody battle from her palatial penthouse apartment in Auckland, appearing in a New York courthouse today via video link, but Madonna and her inner sanctum have found time to relax and unwind ahead of her first ever concerts in New Zealand this weekend.

The 57-year-old Queen of Pop jetted in on Tuesday – four days ahead of her first concerts at Vector Arena.

She has brought an entourage of nearly 50, including a four-man security detail, as well as a personal staff of 15, including two make-up artists, a chef, a nutritionist, physical therapist, two trainers and an esthetician.

A what? Someone to administer facials and Botox.

Her personal cook is on tour acting as her “backstage coordinatorâ€. Chicago celebrity chef Jaime Laurita, who, like Madonna is a Michigan native, is on the Rebel Heart tour to “create a level of consistency that feels the most like home,†he told Michigan Ave magazine.

In other words, he channels the home comforts.

“Whenyou’re on the road, the one thing you’re deprived of is that feeling of home base,†he said.

Home comforts, gathering by Laurita’s Instagram page, are seemingly every cocktail bar in Auckland – from Pilkington on Shortland St, to Bedford and Soda on Ponsonby Road, and Crew Club at the Viaduct. 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCc92T8lbKS/?taken-by=jaimelaurita

Team Madonna took to Waiheke Island yesterday.

Two blacked out Ranger Rovers were seen outside Oyster Inn, the same hotspot Richie McCaw frequented days earlier. Wine tasting followed at Te Motu Vineyard and Cable Bay Vineyard. 

Tiffany Saxby, one of the make-up artists for the back-up dancers, and Marlyn Ortiz one of Madonna’s two personal trainers, were snapped on a boat in the Hauraki Gulf. 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCbi4OHr4dL/?taken-by=marlynortiz

And taking selfie videos at Te Motu. 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCbtKHJtCXz/?taken-by=tiffanysaxby

Madonna’s personal make-up artist Aaron Henrikson has been snapping pics around Auckland’s Viaduct and Wynyard Quarter. 

Yesterday, he took a horse ride with dancer Kupono Aweau and other members of the entourage along Pakiri beach. 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCapkQ5tOr6/?taken-by=visionaaron

[groovyguy 63,856]

Madonna, these two are crazy for you

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11599002

After years idolising Madonna from other side of world, pair about to see singer perform.

Watch video @ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11599002

Lifelong best friends Lynn Douglas and Tracy Maritz will make a 30-year-old dream come true this Saturday when they see Madonna perform at Vector Arena as part of her Rebel Heart tour.

 

Mrs Maritz was due in Auckland last night from the pair's hometown of Johannesburg for a surprise holiday organised by Mrs Douglas.

 

Making the trip even more special is the fact Mrs Maritz has spent the past five years battling melanoma and has only recently been told she is in the clear.

 

Mrs Douglas, a graphic designer, moved to Auckland from her home city four years ago and thought she would never get to see the Queen of Pop with Mrs Maritz, who she has known since she was 3.

Tracy Maritz and Lynn Douglas spent their teens as diehard fans of Madonna.

The pair, now in their early 40s, spent their teens idolising the singer, plastering their walls with her pictures and copying her outfits.

"We've been diehard fans of Madonna ever since she popped on to the scene.

 

It's been our lifelong dream to see her live," Mrs Douglas told the Herald.

 

"If I had all my Madonna pictures from my youth I'd fill a crate."

 

Mrs Maritz once even bought a Madonna ticket stub off eBay to have as a memento - even though she hadn't been to the concert.

 

When it was announced Madonna was performing in New Zealand, Mrs Douglas knew what she had to do.

 

Secretly, she arranged for Mrs Maritz to fly from South Africa to Auckland for the show, plotting the surprise with Mrs Maritz's husband through social media. When Mrs Maritz found out she would finally see her idol in the flesh, she was completely overwhelmed.

 

"She was hysterical," Mrs Douglas said. "She just cried and cried and cried, I couldn't get two words out of her. She couldn't believe it was really happening."

 

The close-knit pair used to compete with one another to see who had the most Madonna pictures up on their walls, Mrs Douglas said, and the singer was their fashion icon.

A Kiwi Roman Catholic bishop says Madonna's Rebel Heart tour is offensive. Photo / Getty

"We had every single album, we dressed like her, whatever she wore whether it was the bangles, the little headbands, we wore it, we did it. We were just absolutely crazy.'

 

The friends didn't plan to dress as wildly as they used to for the concert, but they will be cutting loose beforehand at the official pre-show VIP party.

 

"We're just beside ourselves," Mrs Douglas said.

 

"We don't know what to do, we don't even know if we're going to see the concert because we'll probably faint."

 

After the show the friends will spend nearly two weeks together as Mrs Douglas shows Mrs Maritz around her new home country on a road trip from Auckland to Christchurch. "I just want to make it a really special trip for her."

Madonna's stage is shaped like a crucifix, with a heart-shaped Rebel Heart logo at the end. Photo / Getty

The whole experience would be something the pair would treasure for the rest of their lives, Mrs Douglas said. "I never ever thought dreams could come true, and now I believe that they can."

 

Madonna is at Vector Arena on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are still available.

- NZ Herald

[groovyguy 63,856]

Is Madonna in the building? 'Yes'

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11598824

A doorman at The Pullman has confirmed her Madgesty is in the building.

When asked if there was any truth to the rumour international pop star Madonna was staying there, he simply said "yes", though denied having seen her in the flesh.

 

The band is reportedly at Sky City, while crew members are also believed to be at the Pullman, where Madonna is most likely occupying a penthouse suite.

 

The singer is understood to have touched down in Auckland on Tuesday afternoon by private jet.

 

She's in town for her Rebel Heart tour at Auckland's Vector Arena on Saturday and Sunday.

 

Recent and unconfirmed fan sightings placed her in Ponsonby at Ben and Jerry's ice cream shop and St Pierre's Sushi.

When contacted about their supposed celebrity guest a St Pierre's employee said they had not noticed anything out of the ordinary, "we didn't realise she was even here," the woman said.

 

Chris Watts was one fan eagerly awaiting Madonna's arrival at Auckland Airport on Tuesday.

 

He was told by a staff member at Air Centre One she had arrived at a private facility at the main terminal.

 

As he was leaving, Mr Watts said he spotted two Range Rovers with blacked-out windows head towards the main airport terminal.

The same two vehicles were then spotted leaving the Pullman hotel later that day, Mr Watts claimed.

 

He said they were part of a convoy of seven cars with tinted windows he had seen at the Pullman - "no sightings of Madonna tho [sic]."

 

An Australian guest, who had been at the five star hotel for about a week, said on Wednesday there there had been an "infux of American tourists" overnight.

 

He had not noticed if there was extra security in the area, nor had he laid eyes on the entourage of vehicles.

 

There was no sign of anything unusual as a Herald reporter staked out the Hotel for about an hour today - aside from two ladies with interesting outfits and American accents, and a man in a full tracksuit - resembling a backup dancer.

 

When questioned, staff at nearby apartment complexes, businesses, and eateries the area shook their heads, saying they had not seen a thing.

[groovyguy 63,856]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BChGVWfyxli/

super_hero_tonyAuckland- Oh Yesâ—It's happening % . Wardrobe loads inâ¤.

[groovyguy 63,856]

https://www.facebook.com/CelciusCoffee/posts/1072824459441208

 

Celcius Coffee

4 hrs Â· 

OMG OMG OMG.... Madonna, yes Madonna has just been in to our coffee shop here in Motueka and had a soy flat white. Arrived in a tinted window, flash 4 wheel drive. She came in, with 4 men with her. 1 ordered her coffee for her...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wowsers.... Celcius Coffee Motueka!!!! World Famous!!!!!!

[Enrico 15,823]

The show should start at around 10 am European time, right?

 

What a good way to start the weekend

 

I have school papers to correct but if Periscope is active well then...

[Frank 42,521]

The show should start at around 10 am European time, right?

 

What a good way to start the weekend

 

So true!!!! <3

[groovyguy 63,856]

Madonna Now â€@MadonnaNowCom

"Canvas Magazine" cover for New Zealand, March 2016

[SimonVenekeo 1,893]

The show should start at around 10 am European time, right?What a good way to start the weekend :Madonna003:I have school papers to correct but if Periscope is active well then...

Selfishly I'm hoping she'll be late. New Zealand is about 18 hours ahead of Canada so when I get up at 5 am I might be able to catch the third act.

[groovyguy 63,856]

http://kworb.net/itunes/artist/madonna.html

 

New Zealand (iTunes)

Albums:

3. Celebration
11. Rebel Heart
19. The Immaculate Collection
32. Rebel Heart
95. Erotica

[madbella 596]

The show should start at around 10 am European time, right?

 

What a good way to start the weekend

 

I have school papers to correct but if Periscope is active well then...

 

Here on Spain is 12 hours less than in Auckland.

 

Here on Spain now is 00:25 AM and there time is 12:25 PM

[Breathless 5,286]

She's definitely at the Pullman!! We walked past there yesterday and there were a bunch of blacked out large cars outside and drivers standing outside. We waited for a while to see if we would get lucky, but didn't see her. But she's definitely there!! Very exciting. We walked to Vector Arena where the concerts are held, hardly anyone around. There was a van there and a couple of guys had a whole bunch of boxes outside that they were unpacking. I thought I saw a t-shirt inside and I just had to know so I walked up to one of the guys and asked him if this was Madonna merchandise and he said yes! I was jumping up and down lool! We walked to the entrance of the arena and inside there's a table and they had heaps of boxes on it as well. I can't wait to buy some stuff!! We're going there when they open later this afternoon, around 16.00 so I can get all my stuff. Don't want to have to carry it around at the arena, so will go back to the hotel with it and dress up and then go back! My God, I can't wait - it was difficult to sleep last night!!

[Breathless 5,286]

My nerves!!! :hyper: