Women from Te Puke and Tauranga vie for heart of 'stud muffin' bachelor

Former Te Puke woman Kate Cameron meets Jordan Mauger on The Bachelor New Zealand.

Former Bay woman Kate Cameron hopes to win the heart of "total stud-muffin" Jordan Mauger, the star of this year's season of The Bachelor New Zealand. But the down-to-earth country girl has said it's too early to know if the pair would be compatible in real life.

The reality TV show premiered on Monday night with Ms Cameron getting the second rose of the season, sending her through to the next episode, which aired on TV3 last night.

The 28-year-old, who grew up in Otamarakau, 15km out of Te Puke, is one of two Bay of Plenty women to feature on the show.

The other Bay woman vying to capture the bachelor's heart is Lara Christie. Ms Christie, a marketing manager, said her aim was to "be kind, be gracious and think smart" to get through the show. A lover of cooking and the outdoors, the 27-year-old said her ultimate date was a fun activity followed by drinks and nibbles in the sun.

Ms Christie was not available for further comment last night.

Miss Cameron attended St Cuthbert's College in Auckland before studying to gain a Bachelor of Business, majoring in advertising.

She has worked for Foley Family Wines, Mediaworks and currently works for Bauer Media Group New Zealand as a direct account manager.

Lara Christie is also starring in the show.

Ms Cameron said she has had a couple of serious relationships over her dating years and had enjoyed a number of dates but none had been overly successful.

She was on the show "for the opportunity to fall in love with someone," she said.

The tall blonde said her first impressions of 32-year-old Mr Mauger were positive.

"He was really handsome and striking - a total stud-muffin.

"When I met him, I immediately resorted to my Bridget Jones quirks, and I probably came across quite uncool. I am definitely curious to get to know him, but it's way too early days to know if I can see a future together."

Ms Cameron would not reveal who would be her biggest competition on the show.

"We are all different personalities. My focus for this journey is more about Jordan. It's not a competition with others. I have made friends with a lot of the girls, but Gabs and I have a lot in common."

To win Mr Mauger's heart Ms Cameron said she would be herself 100 per cent.

In the first episode of The Bachelor New Zealand Ms Cameron was seen interrupting "alone time" with another contestant of the show. Ms Cameron thought the move worked in her favour. "It's about making a good first impression — it's not in my nature to sit back."

The show is on TV3, at 7.30pm Monday and Tuesday.

Heeeey ladies. The Bachelor 2016 Jordan Mauger . Photo/file