Trip of lifetime for pageant finalists

Miss Universe NZ Tauranga contestant Evelyn Dawe with Filipino villagers while on their "Finalists' Retreat".

Four young Tauranga women have had an experience of a lifetime in the Philippines as finalists in this year's Miss Universe New Zealand.

Evelyne Dawe, Monique Thomas-Long, Rachael Annear and Kaitlyn Wood were pampered on a 10-day experience in the "Finalists' Retreat" as part of their Miss Universe NZ journey.

The four Bay women were among 20 other finalists who forged friendships on their all-expenses paid trip on their quest for the Miss Universe crown.

The finalists met the New Zealand ambassador to the Philippines, David Strachan, the owner of one of the country's major clothing brands, Bench, visited local businesses and organisations and mingled with locals.

The trip was in conjunction with the swimwear campaign that is part of the competition.

For Evelyn Dawe, 19, and Kaitlyn Wood, 21, the visit to the Philippines was her first major overseas trip.

"The trip was amazing. Obviously there's going to be one winner but every single person was given an experience to take away, not just make it about the one person who is going to win," Ms Dawe said. Her most valued experience from the trip was being able to meet and chat with local villagers and share that with the rest of the group.

"The best part was being able to share that experience with everyone else.

"We're all just great friends and I think one of the coolest things was that we all got to do it together," she said.

"It's been a great journey so far and even if I don't win, I'm still going to have something to take away from it."

Ms Wood said it was a challenge at first to adjust to a different culture but was glad to have shared the experience with the other contestants.

"Sharing the experience with 19 other girls was probably the best part and it made the trip so much fun and the experience had its own little memories," Ms Wood said.

"Some of the best parts were meeting different people and really putting yourself out there, which is what it's all about."

Ms Thomas-Long said the trip was "amazing".

"The other 19 girls are really cool chicks, we're all Kiwi chicks and the kind of people you would hang out with on a Saturday."

Now home and looking forward to their final activity, the Tauranga contestants are keen to make a difference by fundraising for the children's charity group Variety.

Owner and organiser of Miss Universe NZ Nigel Godfry visited the four Tauranga ladies last Friday to discuss their fundraising ideas.

Ms Dawe will hold a fundraising film night at Tauranga's Rialto cinema on October 8 and Ms Wood will hold an Auckland event in a couple of weeks.

Fifty per cent of proceeds will go towards Variety, which was an opportunity for the girls to try their hand in the entrepreneurial field, Mr Godfry said.

The other fifty per cent will go towards "the girls' journey", he said.

"The way the girls contribute is they do this entrepreneurial challenge," Mr Godfry said.

"And in the last two years we've managed to donate $62,000 to Variety."

-Former Tauranga woman Nickie Slater is also among the 20 finalists in the 2015 Miss Universe New Zealand competition.

Miss Universe New Zealand

* Is the only Miss Universe pageant to banish the swimwear category from stage performance.

* More than 200 Kiwi women entered the competition this year.

* At 19 years of age, Evelyn Dawe is the youngest contestant in this year's pageant.

The winner of Miss Universe NZ 2015 will win the keys to a brand new Honda Jazz which will be hers for the year of her reign.

* Tickets are $79 with the VIP ticket priced at $99, which includes pre-show drinks with the celebrities and contestants. Tickets are available from www.iticket.co.nz

* Grand final will be televised on October 24 from Sky City Theatre in Auckland.