KEY POINTS:
He may be the first person in the world to own the new sought-after Apple iPhone, but all Jonny Gladwell wanted to do in the early hours of this morning was go to bed.
The 22-year-old AUT physiotherapy student had camped outside Vodafone's Queen St store for 55 hours so he could purchase the device. It appears that he was paid to be there though, with the help of various companies.
The iPhone, which went on sale at 12am in Auckland and a few minutes later in Wellington and Christchurch, caused so much hype that police had to stand outside the store to help with crowd control.
Despite Vodafone's steep pricing plans for the phone which outraged some consumers, hundreds of people lined Queen St hoping to buy one.
By early yesterday morning at least 10 people had lined up outside the store, some even bought along a couch. By 9pm about 100 had gathered.
Most of the queue members - many rugged up in gloves in scarves to brave the cold - could be seen on their lap tops while they waited.
One man, 24-year-old Luke Soules, came all the way from San Luis Obispo, California, to purchase the phone which went on sale in new Zealand before any other country.
Vodafone was handing out coffee, muffins, hamburgers and softdrinks. There was also an outdoor heater going and a television. ZM radio station created a club-like atmosphere playing loud techno music.
In Wellington, a party was held outside the Lambton Quay store with street entertainment, music, food and beverages from 8pm.
Scores of media - including various overseas agencies - attended the launch.
Mr Gladwell was met by a media scrum as he left the shop with his new toy and had to be escorted out by a security guard.
His friends bought him the phone after they bet him he couldn't last in first position for two and a half days. As part of the dare, his mates also had to bring him meals and stand in for him when he needed to use the toilet.
He set up a tent outside the store to sleep in and had a laptop and books to keep him occupied.
He told the Herald yesterday morning it still hadn't sunk in that he was the first in the world to own the second-generation iPhone.
"Right now, I just want to go home, sit down and play with it. But I want to sleep as well, I think I've only slept six and a half hours in the last three days."
The hardest part about his challenge was waking up at 5am on Wednesday and Thursday mornings freezing cold with no takeaway outlets open, Mr Gladwell said.
It was also hard trying to sleep with so many people interested in his story which has appeared on news websites from around the world.
"I've had everyone coming up to me, ranging from people who live on the street to corporates who walk up on the street for a chat."
He said he was unaware of how much media attention he had received.
"I haven't watched TV or anything for the last four days so I've got nothing to go by."
The phone bought talk of a protest and sparked the launch of two petitions when pricing plans were revealed this week.
The cheapest price for the phone is $199 but consumers must sign up to a two-year, $250-a-month call plan with Vodafone.
It can be bought outright for $1129 (16GB model) or $979 (8GB).
The phone will allow faster internet than its predecessor using Vodafone's 3G network, which the company says covers 63 per cent of New Zealanders.
Queues had also started two days before the phones release in the US, Britain and Asia.
