The answer is generally a distinct 'no!', but you might be surprised just how many people out there in Aotearoa who do not completely disregard the idea.In many ways, NZ and Australia are closer neighbours than many other nations, given their shared colonial past, ANZAC traditions and free interchangeable residency policies. Indeed, once upon a time, when the Australian commonwealth was formed, New Zealand had the option of joining it.This makes New Zealand and Australia a great deal more compatible than say Canada and the USA. Both Australia and NZ have the same kind of Parliamentary democracy   read more

Don't you just hate all those vans that you see driving around New Zealand covered in nasty graffiti and graphics which just scream 'hey! look at us, we're some cheap-ass backpackers coming to foul your beautiful South Pacific paradise!' I mean, yes, that may well be the case, but there is no need to advertise it! (jokes)Well, I just found out that my good mate Nick down in Sunny Nelson has gone and partnered up with his mate Andy to create what is surely the best thing to happen to the backpacker van rental industry in NZ. A no nosnense, well designed affordable and reliable camper van   read more

Nova Scotian Sidney Crosby has just slammed the puck into the American net during sudden death in the Gold Medal Hockey Game of the Winter Olympics!Wooooo!: Because my other half is from Nova Scotia, I have gotten completely sucked into this game!Go Canada!   read more

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Another alert and this time it seems to be a bit more serious following the 8.8 Magnitude quake over in Chile.Having been listening to the marine scanner this morning a few interesting reports of 1.0m waves and 0.2m waves (20 cm) have been reported all along the coastline.We headed on up to North Head where dozens of people and a ONE News team were standing by to witness the onslaught. Of course, nothing really happened. We did see some small waves coming into shore but very noticeable.No time to be complacent though, we never know when the real one will hit and when it does, I can guarantee 100   read more

I have been messing around with a new video camera for work. A Flip Video Mino HD and over the last week or so I have been filming in and around where I live, which is of course, Auckland New Zealand.Here is a video in High Definition, 720p for you to have a gander at. I filmed this over 2 days while Cycling from Devonport in the North Shore of Auckland, over to the city and then along Tamaki drive.Featuring, Auckland harbour, the Kea Ferry, The Ferry Building, Auckland Skytower, Mount Victoria, Okahu Bay, MAXX Commuter Train, Westpac Rescue Helicopter, Viaduct Harbour, Tamaki Drive, North Head   read more

I was extremely surprised to read about this. It seems that some tensions have heightened in the South Pacific between the UK and Argentina over the Falkland Islands.It has been reported that Royal Navy warships are on stand by to defend commercial vessels heading to the British territory over a dispute with Argentina over oil drilling in the area.Argentina has declared that any oil drilling would be illegal and good old Scot, Gordon Brown is not taking any crap by stating "We maintain the security of the Falklands and there are routine patrols continuing," Mr Brown said. "I think you will find   read more

After the NZ Herald yesterday that Steve Job's has just unveiled Apple's new creation the iPAD, I decided to watch the unveiling video and see what its all about!Ok, people who know me are well aware, although I recognise the very good MAC interface, overall I am not a MAC fan.What I found interesting about the video below, is that the people are clapping before they have any idea what it even does! (Cringe)Steve Jobs says 'this is what it looks like!' and the audience are like 'Woooooooo!, Clap Clap Clap!'.Cringe.It certainly does look like an oversized iPod Touch or iPhone.Will it do everything   read more

Got this one in my mailbox today and I had to post it!"I'll never be able to swim in the sea again with out this image in my head"A Blue Whale produces over 400 gallons of sperm when it ejaculates;*but only 10% of that makes it into his mate*so 360 Gallons are spilled into the ocean every time one unloads.You wonder why the ocean is so saltyDon't swallow the water!!!keywords, whale, cock, penis, gallons, sperm, salty, water   read more

According to Wikipedia, 'Blog scraping' is the process of scanning through a large number of blogs, usually daily, searching for and copying content. This process is conducted through automated software. The software and the individuals who run the software are sometimes referred to as blog scrapers. Scraping is copying a blog that is not owned by the individual initiating the scraping process. If the material is copyrighted it is considered copyright infringement, unless there is a license relaxing the copyright. The scraped content is often used on spam blogs or splogs.I admit to using sources   read more