Playboy model turned activist loves Otago visit

Dutch model/presenter Ancilla Tilia looks out over Lake Wakatipu. Photo supplied.
Dutch model/presenter Ancilla Tilia looks out over Lake Wakatipu. Photo supplied.
A Playboy model turned privacy activist has been holidaying incognito around Otago.

Dutch model/presenter Ancilla Tilia (27), who has modelled for magazines around the world including Playboy and FHM Germany, has finally realised her dream of visiting New Zealand.

''I have had a New Zealand guidebook for 10 years now, but not much modelling work for me here, unfortunately, so I had to make it a holiday.''

After arriving in Auckland she went straight to Dunedin, and ''everything so far has been a highlight for me''.

During her southern sojourn she saw sea lions, fur seals, albatrosses and penguins.

''I was pleasantly surprised with the children waving at the train in Dunedin''.

In Queenstown she rode a horse with a backdrop of snow-capped mountains - a far cry from the ''flatness'' of her home country.

''Being able to gallop through the mountains was just an incredibly free and happy feeling.

''I also spontaneously went quadbiking in a skirt, which was an adrenaline-fuelled way of exploring the gorgeous countryside.''

Asked if anyone recognised her during her travels, Ms Tilia said ''I don't think so''.

''I must say I looked quite different from my model pictures, with my hiking boots and winter hat on, instead of latex lingerie and stiletto heels.''

Following an incident where a major magazine published her real name, which was later posted online, she became a high-profile advocate for internet privacy.

She told the Otago Daily Times that recent reports concerning the National Security Agency's surveillance programme Prism, shows ''how important it is to protect your privacy and right to a free, uncensored and open internet''.

She also had a message of support for Kim Dotcom, of MegaUpload.

''You happen to have one very famous internet company right here in New Zealand that makes a strong statement in protecting the privacy and online freedoms of their users and civilians alike, so you should definitely cherish that and give them some support, as a country.''

Ms Tilia has now returned to Auckland to explore the North Island, and confirmed she had also been scheduled for a photoshoot in the country.

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