Greetings from Auckland!  Today many of the 111 folks who flew on Air New Zealand’s Matchmaking Flight from Los Angeles will spend the day prepping and primping for tonight’s gala party.

Not just a party, but a get-all-dressed-up Matchmaking Ball, where folks who took the 13 hour flight over from the U.S. will get to meet and mingle with 100 or so locals – Kiwis – who have been following the “find the one” festivities from afar.

One person who won’t be at the party is 87 year-old Irma Adams. She was one of the 100 or so “regular” passengers who showed up for her Tuesday night LAX – Auckland flight who didn’t know that the back cabin of the airplane was going to be party central. Rather than get irritated, as some other passengers did, she got busy.  Delighted at the prospect of a party and tickled at the idea that there was matchmaking going on, she crashed the pre-flight party and the on-board festivities.

I couldn’t keep my eye on Irma throughout the entire flight. But on touch-down, Irma told me she’d had the time of her life. And she coquettishly denied that she was the one who’d made a date with one of the pilots.

But I did notice one of the flight attendants slip Irma a bottle of champagne – with a wink – as she got off the plane.