THE INTERNAL - NEWSLETTER 29/04

Well, we had two sets of trips this weekend. The girls went on a days tour north of Auckland and the boys went to the far north, Bay of Islands, for 2 days. I heard it was simply lovely!

And Katja actually swam in the Pacific! Are you crazy girl? It definitely was not warm.

I hope to be able to write more about the trips that were made in the next newsletter.

WELCOME TO MIDDLE EARTH

Annick is coming to join us in wonderful New Zealand on Thursday, and is going into the field of graphic design. Though arriving now, her internship begins in November, so she must be planning quite a long trip round, eh? J

WEEKEND TRIP

Rotorua? Sounds good. But this is not something that one can do in a days trip, so better pack some clothes, this will take the whole weekend. I have been told by several people that there is a lot to see in Rotorua, but it is all pretty much the same, so it might be a good idea to spend a day in Rotorua and then move onto somewhere else. How does this sound?

To warn you beforehand, it stinks like rotten eggs in Rotorua, you smell it before you see it. However, this vibrant centre of Maori culture is famous for its thermal activity, including spouting geysers, boiling mud pools and hot springs.

Leaving very early on Saturday (say about 6am? J), we can set out for Rotorua, making a stop at Matamata to see the Hobbiton movie set from the Lord of the Rings movie.  We should be in Rotorua then hopefully before 12pm, so that we have enough time to explore Rotorua. There is a hell of a lot to do there and see, so we have to pick out carefully what we want to do together.

On Sunday we leave Rotorua early enough (6am again?), and head for Mount Maunganui and Tauranga. The town of Mt Maunganui (the name means ‘large mountain’) stands at the foot of the 232m hill of the same name. It’s just across the inlet from Tauranga and its fine beaches make it a popular holiday resort for Kiwis. Walking trails go around Mt Maunganui and to its top, where there are magnificent views. The Walk around gives you a great view of the stony coast around the mountain and the awesome water

with sailors. It takes about 45 minutes. Climbing the mountain is steep but almost worth a great view and takes about 90minutes.

Tauranga is the principal city of the Bay of Plenty and one of the largest export ports in NZ, shipping out the produce of the rich surrounding region. The area is still thriving economically and draws increasing numbers of retirees, attracted by the temperate climate and a city well endowed with facilities. Because of the port and its business, it is not as nice as Mt Maunganui, the tourist attractions are limited to the beaches and headland scenery of Mt Maunganui.

We will not have any time to see the Coromandel, so we will have to shift that to a later date. It is a pity that we only have two days to spend, but somehow we will make it and love every minute of it.

We could also just spend the two days in Rotorua, but that is something we cannot plan ahead. We just have to flow with the tide. I just hope the weather gets better.

We can discuss everything today when we meet, and I think it is better if we look for a lodge there so we can see what we will be getting. It would be great if you could just all send me a short email if you would like to come along. See you guys later!

WHAT’S ON IN AUCKLAND

Just in case our trip to Rotorua does not work out, here’s some stuff going down in Auckland.

Theatre

11 September – 2 October, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

The Howick Little Theatre presents the light-hearted drama based on the novel by Muriel Spark about an enlightened teacher and her female pupils in 1930s Edinburgh.

Venue: Howick Little Theatre, Sir Lloyd Drive, Pakuranga.

Tickets: $18 for Students 

Phone: 5341406

14 – 25 September: This is what we call the Justine Smith show

One of New Zealand’s leading comedians, Justine Smith, presents a show that has been billed ‘Think Dame Edna, Bette Midler and a touch of Miss Piggy’.

Born as a love child of the sixties Justine finds herself in Christchurch dreaming of glamour, glitz and Hollywood Starlets. While watching The Muppets, The Osmonds and The Sonny & Cher Show, Justine’s suspicions that she is the illegitimate child of Bette Midler and a NZ roadie grow… and grow…and grow! It’s more than a big nose and red hair - Justine feels Bette is a secret and spiritual guide throughout the trials and tribulations of growing up in a conservative suburban nightmare.

Venue: Aotea Centre, The Edge

Tickets: $18 for Students

16 September – 2 October, Tag Team

Tag Team is a battle of wits, strategy and brawn. And it's downright hilarious! Improvisers pair up in teams of two and go head to head against other teams live on stage. Round after round the improvisers will be challenged to different scenes to perform for your entertainment pleasure. They'll be sweating and bleeding trying to make it through the knockout competition. Who will take out the improv heavyweight title?

Venue: Covert Theatre, 84 K’Road

Tickets: $12/$14/$16

Phone:366 6637

18 September, Queen of the Whole Pacific

A beauty pageant of drag queens, each representing a different country from the Pacific Rim area. This colourful show will raise money for the New Zealand AIDS Foundation.

Venue: Skycity Theatre.

Tickets: $45 Adults; $40 Groups 10+

Gig Guide

World jazz Series @ the London Bar Thursdays Sept 16 - Oct 7

Free admision. 8.30pm start. Gahu perform their original compositions in a series of four Thursday evenings at the London Bar. A combination of African and jazz musicians graft new forms onto traditional roots, hypnotic cross rhythms provide a foundation for improvisation. This is the basis of the polyrhythmic sound that is Gahu.

Thursday, 16th in the Khuja Lounge
The Royal Loop is the third video to be released from Onelung's Nu Scientist album and features amazing puppetry by Oliver Smart. Directed by Richard Hobbs who has also worked with Fang, Cloudboy and Tadpole, this video stars Stuie, a bright red suave, debonair singer on his way to a gig with his band The Lost Socks. As well as the screening of the video, there will be a live performance by Onelung plus support from Shinya and DJ Monkey and a special guest appearance by Stuie himself. Additional visuals by Wired Visual. $5 from 10pm

Saturday 18. September, Galatos

Lounge, main room and plume.

Heineken Green room sessions featuring UK hip hop sensation Ty w/ DJ Bizznizz plus Trinity Roots, Manuel Bundy, Stinky Jim, Roger Perry, Nick D, Cian, Timmy Schumacher, Jason Howson and Logikal. Tickets from just $35 from Ticketek, Real Groovy and Conch Records.

Soul

If you’re looking for a quiet place to drink, a romantic interlude, a table for 2 where you can whisper sweet nothings then dial for a pizza and stay home. Soul Bar is more like an on going New Year’s Eve Party where the idea is to flirt, be seen, look gorgeous and spend money. The crowd is a mixture of young students and older, sexy women. On a Friday night expect Soul Bar to stack, rack, and pack ‘em in. The wine list is extensive and highly priced and the staff a little dour and sometimes slow. Open daily 12-3am 204 Customs ST East, Viaduct Basin

Play golf at Golf Today!

You get a choice of a 18 hole minigolf for just $4.

Or, if you want to let out some aggression, try the driving range – so you don’t have to go through that annoying putting procedure – for just $6 for 45 balls. No bookings required. Situated at the infield Ellerslie race course, gate 1.

Pool, Sauna, Steam and Spa.

Enjoy central Auckland's only indoor 50 metre heated pool, for lane swimming, aqua jogging, or just relax in our sun drenched spa conservatory. Also offering 2 saunas and a steam room, the Olympic is a great place to sit back and unwind. Supervised and maintained by qualified lifeguards, the Olympic Pool is the total fitness centre complex featuring the best in equipment and service. Students $4.

Extreme Karting

This is an indoor kart track with sweeping banked curves, steep downhill and underpass with a wide track for plenty of racing room. 15 minutes cost $22. A great fun when you go in a group. Phone: 09 273 5 552 www.extremekarts.co.nz

Megazone – Lasertag

Slip into a hi-tech vest and let yourself into a dark and eerie sci-fi maze room. You are blasted by red lasers, returning fire, taking cover, moving stealthily forward as the game progresses and then you search for more opposition. The game ends after 15min with a printed score sheet evaluating their performance. Then you’ll want to do it all over again! It costs $8 for a game. Phone: 360 2 900 www.megazone.co.nz

Rocknasium

This indoor rock-climbing centre really rocks. This is a great rainy day facility. Beginner’s courses are taught covering basic technique with additional instruction on lead climbing and industrial abseiling. There are supervised courses each weekend morning. Bookings are essential. Regular costs: $20. Phone: 630 5 741 www.rocknasium.co.nz

Quad Biking

Imaging blasting through a playground that covers 36.000 acres of towering forest and wild west coast surf beaches. You can have a 300cc quad bike for the 1, 2 or 3 hour safari adventures. All bike safaris are guided. Costs: 1h $95, 2h $155, 3h $195.

Phone 0800 487 225 www.4trackadventures.co.nz

MESSAGE FROM JONATHAN

Hey guys! Hope you are enjoying Auckland, especially now that it is getting a bit lighter during the evenings and mornings.

If anyone is into golf, there are many nice courses in NZ to play.  Compared to the equivalent in other less spacious countries, golf is a very cheap hobby to take up in NZ. 

Courses range from short pitch and putt courses on the back of peoples farm paddocks, to world class links with beautiful ocean views.  Special deals can be done as well – for instance, the course that looks out onto Muriwai beach (hopefully you’ve had a chance to check it out) used to have a deal where 4 could play (and have use of a cart) for $100 NZ.  Not sure if they still have this, but gives you an idea.  And the course itself was stunning!   (But stay out of the sand dunes!)

If full length golf isn’t your thing, there are also a few mini-putt courses in Auckland.  While it’s not as popular as in other places, there is enough variety that you could go out a couple of times and still have options of where to play.  One of the cooler wee courses is near Auckland Airport – two 18 hole courses side by side, with pirate themes.  All good, and a great social game if you are a non-athletic type.

THAT’S IT FOR TODAY!

Mud pool in Rotorua