Bieber fever is heating up Auckland today with the arrival of the teen pop sensation only hours away. Yesterday the 18-year-old singer met Sydney Morning Herald's Giles Hardie who says interviewing Justin Bieber is like an exercise in suspended disbelief.

Bieber is conducting a global promotional tour featuring no concerts but scattered with "secret" gigs spruiked on Twitter and radio, ticketed and cordoned off by security.

Last time no one really expected it and I think now they're overly compensating for the Bieber-mania.

We are to discuss "secret" questions that were submitted ahead of time. We meet at a ''secret'' hotel, so unknown it is surrounded by a gaggle of screaming Beliebers. The secret is well and truly out.

"That's funny," Justin laughs. "There's a couple of thousand girls downstairs waiting. It's pretty cool."

Bieber is no long surprised at his fans' ability to find him.

"I would definitely hire them to be private investigators over the police because they find stuff out. It's crazy," he says.

Surprisingly, the 18-year-old mega-star is fully aware his music isn't for everyone. Sometimes it is too much even for him.

"When I first record my album that's when I listen to it all the time. I get sick of it. So when it comes out I don't want to listen to it any more."

Yet he is bringing more people around. "I've been seeing a lot more older people at my concerts. And a lot of guys. I'm definitely seeing the transition that I'm more accepted.

''Now that my voice is changing, I'm growing, I'm becoming a man. I think that it's only a matter of time before people can see that I'm not a manufactured pop star. I've worked hard for this."

Not that the teenage girls are losing interest. If anything, Bieber-mania has grown since his infamous performance for Seven's Sunrise program in 2010 that descended into riotous anarchy. Undeterred, he will deliver breakfast Bieber once more this morning and, if anything, he thinks the security is overzealous.

''Last time no one really expected it and I think now they're overly compensating for the Bieber-mania," he said.

There have been other small, secret gigs on this promotional tour, which is an intimacy he treasures. "Right now it's cool to have those moments with the fans that they can really remember. I'm just playing my guitar and talking to them. I think those are really special moments."

Our secret chat concluded, Justin heads off to a secret performance for the media (apparently not a contradiction in terms).

Today the 18-year-old singer is set to arrive in Auckland to continue his secretive promotion tour. His record company, Universal, won't say when he will arrive following chaotic scenes at Auckland Airport when he was here two years ago.

Last time, hundreds of teenage girls gathered to catch a glimpse of the singer. One quick fan even stole his baseball hat, later holding it to ransom.

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