Watch: Radio Hauraki hosts transform into iconic rockstars to celebrate the return of Rocktober

The team at Radio Hauraki have channelled their inner rock stars to mark the return of Rocktober after a 20-year hiatus.

Each day over the next month - starting today with Irish rock band U2 – Radio Hauraki will celebrate the most influential and iconic rock artists of all time, including the likes of heavy rock legends AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Guns n' Roses, through to The Smashing Pumpkins, Queens of the Stone Age, The Foo Fighters, Oasis and more.

"Rocktober was a bit of a Hauraki staple for quite a number of years all through the 70s and 80s, so we thought it was about time we bring it back," explained Radio Hauraki's content director Mike Lane.

The shoot required four make-up artists and a hell of a lot of lycra. Photo / Radio Hauraki.

To mark the occasion, the station hosts transformed themselves for a hilarious video, with afternoon host Greg Prebble taking on Freddie Mercury, night host Chris Key appearing as Slash, and day host Angelina Grey featuring as Stevie Nicks, while the Drive show team of Manaia Stewart, Leigh Hart and Matt Ward were almost unrecognisable as members of Kiss.

"It required four make-up artists all running in tandem," says Lane. "And a hell of a lot of lycra was commissioned, particularly for the Drive team's Kiss outfits.

"It was pretty funny because they all got dressed separately and then once they all saw what each other were wearing, it was all highly amusing.

"And it was actually most surprising for everyone to see Leigh Hart with hair - and also in a high bun. That was probably the most shocking. It was quite something."

Matt Heath makes a grand entrace as Elton John while Jeremy Wells steals the show as David Bowie. Photo / Radio Hauraki.

Matt Heath also makes a grand entrance and is unmissable as a flamboyant and young Elton John, but it's Jeremy Wells who steals the show as a shirtless Aladdin Sane-era David Bowie.

"Everybody slipped into their roles pretty well," says Lane.

"I think Wells was more Bowie than Bowie. Matt Heath seemed to slip into the skin of Elton John quite comfortably - especially for a man from south Dunedin."

Check out the schedule for the daily 'Rocktober Royalty' artist and tune in to hear their best tracks every hour throughout the day.

Listeners can also win the daily feature album on vinyl, thanks to Radio Hauraki's good mates at Real Groovy.