The Dunedin student, originally from Queenstown, will head to Ireland tomorrow, after winning the New Zealand Rose of Tralee competition in June.
The competition is a pageant for women of Irish descent, and is one of the most widely viewed televised events in Ireland, with 1.6 million viewers last year.
Ms Fea (21) said once she got to Ireland, she and 31 other contestants would launch into a 10-day bus trip round the country, meeting crowds as they went.
''It's a really big deal over there,'' she said, with people taking time off work for the festival.
At the end of the tour there was a four-day festival in Tralee.
Ms Fea said while the trip was paid for by the organisers, a ''massive shopping spree'' to buy the 21 outfits she would need had not been.
She would need a different outfit for each day, as well as cocktail dresses and ball gowns.
''I've done a lot of borrowing as well.''
Ms Fea, who is undertaking postgraduate studies at the University of Otago, said she had every intention of winning the competition.
Contestants were not judged on their appearances, but on their personality and suitability to serve as ambassadors for the festival.
''I think all the girls are going to be awesome,'' she said.
''It's going to be stiff competition.
''But if you're not going there trying to win, why are you going?''
