CityBeat - Te Waha Nui Online

by André Hueber

Did you know the Hokianga Harbour is where Maori first set foot in New Zealand?

They called it Te Hokianga-nui-a-kupe or “the place of Kupe’s great return”.

Legend has it that Kupe crossed the Pacific from Hawaiki before landing there. Read more

by Melanie Smith

Marty has always suffered from FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).

He wants to be at everything and take every opportunity, just in case something monumental occurs and he misses out on the time of his life.

Parties and events have always been all Marty ever thinks about, which is what inspired him to start up Marty’s Guide just over a year ago. Read more

by Aroha Treacher

‘Teenage driver killed in weekend smash during police chase’… ‘Police pursuits leave teenagers in hospital’.

These are just a couple of the recent media headlines regarding police car chase related deaths.

You never hear of police chases that go right, only the ones that go horribly wrong. Read more

by Sam Mickell

In a world first, a giant inflatable rugby ball will take centre stage next to the Eiffel Tower for the Rugby World Cup.

The ball will be branded with the slogan ‘100% pure NZ’ and will accompany the magnificent French icon for the duration of the cup.

The rugby ball’s presence is part of a Tourism New Zealand initiative to promote New Zealand for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Read more

by Michel Sam Mathew

It was a field trip that I had been dreading, but five stories and four days later, Thames and the Hauraki Herald won me over.

The slow rhythm of this former gold mining town with its neat cafes, wide roads and old churches was a big surprise for me.

Thames, located between the calm waters of the Firth of Thames and the majestic ranges of the Coromandel, couldn’t have been more different to how I thought it would be. Read more

by Angela Norton

Fighting obesity with video games? Sure, why not?

Starting in the late 90s, the dance mat craze had gamers using a floor input pad and busting moves to match on-screen instructions.

In 2003, Sony went a step further with the motion/colour/sound-detecting EyeToy which paved the way for their Kinetic games - collaborations with Nike providing real fitness routines and virtual personal trainers. Read more

by Carmen Stella

To pee or not to pee, this is the question.

Picture it: you’ve decided to treat yourself to a nice meal out at an ‘A’ grade restaurant, you’ve just finished your first drink, then nature calls.

As yet, nothing seems wrong with this story until you leave the calm, happy ambiance of the beautifully decorated dinning area and head into the hazily lit, dingy toilet. Read more

by Charlotte Coyle

Although the cameras have stopped rolling on TV3’s Downsize Me, Aucklanders who missed the chance to slim down on the show now have an alternative.

Downsize Me’s diet guru Damian Kristof has decided to carry on the show – minus the cameras. Read more

by Michel Sam Mathew

Patriotism swells up across the Indian subcontinent when Independence Day looms into view every year.

On August 15, thousands of tricolours, with its saffron, white and green hues, flutter from rooftops and office buildings across the country.

Hundreds of miles away from home and with nothing around to rekindle my patriotic zeal, Read more

by Amy Williams

A young Auckland woman is making a name for herself with her quirky range of handmade stationery.

Nut and Bee, designed and produced by Annette Lauder, sells lettersets, notepads, badges, magnets, bookplates, stickers, limited edition prints and t-shirts.

The appeal of the products is their cute animal designs, with angora rabbits, pufferfish, bears, monkeys and unicorns all making appearances. Read more