Tauranga's Amazing Race duo set for TV debut

Two Tauranga mothers will be glued to their television sets tonight as they relive the trip of a lifetime in the first episode of The Amazing Race Australia vs New Zealand.

Carla Beazley, 38, and Hereni Fulton, 44, make up one of the five New Zealand teams that went head-to-head with their Australian counterparts through six continents and 10 countries, across almost 90,000km.

The first episode of the series screens in New Zealand tonight.

Mrs Beazley had planned to host a big party to celebrate the start of the season but decided to enjoy the first show at home with her immediate family.

"I just want it quite intimate. Just my kids, my husband and my mum. They were such a big part of it," she said.

Watching the show would bring all the memories flooding back, Mrs Beazley said.

"It's just going to be such and interesting experience watching. When were were there we weren't allowed cameras or phones. It will be, 'did I really say that?'," she said.

Having both signed strict confidentiality agreements, the pair were looking forward to being able to talk more about their adventures as they were played out on TVs around the country.

Mrs Beazley said she had thought about how the team would be portrayed on the show but was not worried by how they might come across.

"I stand by what I said and did. I might come across a bit ditzy at times but that's how I am in real life," she said.

The pair entered the contest late last year and were surprised when they were contacted by the show - the next day.

After an intensive screening process, including different interviews and medical checks, the women went into overdrive training for the show.

Ms Beazley started running every day while Ms Fulton did three to four hours' daily exercise. The also did a sky dive a week before they left for filming so Ms Fulton could cure her fear of heights if similar challenges arose on the show.

As a team, they said one of their biggest weaknesses would have been not knowing each other for a longer period.

Ms Beazley, who was born and raised in Tauranga, said their game plan was not to stand out too much during the show.