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Northern Territory: The big dry
Greg Dixon reels under the magnificent scenery and cruel sun of Australia's Red Centre.

Good taste: The 'savalanche'
"Kiwi savvy" has commanded the highest per litre price of any wine sold in the UK for more than a decade.

Great Barrier Island: Breaking the adrenalin barrier
Leave your comfort zone at this outdoor pursuits centre, says Beck Vass.

All Blacks: Braid appears on radar as McCaw backup
Former All Black offered chance to return home as search for Richie McCaw’s backup intensifies.

$108m movie deal will see <i>Borat</i> star acting the goat
Sacha Baron Cohen is preparing to unveil a fourth alter ego...

Tui billboards headed for the axe
Irreverent Tui billboards will survive even if liquor laws are reviewed the way the Law Commission envisages: Yeah, Right.

Danish restaurant named best in the world
A Copenhagen restaurant has knocked Spain's elBulli from the top spot on the S.Pellegrino World's Best 50 Restaurants list.

Review: Apple iPad
Is it worth braving customs officials to get your hands on Apple's latest gadget?

NZ prepares for Bieber fever
Auckland Airport will put on extra security when teen pop sensation Justin Bieber arrives this week, after scenes of mass hysteria in Sydney yesterday.

Femme for real
Diane Kruger stretches her acting chops as a wife behind bars in the French thriller Anything For Her.

Wine: Playing his cards right
Sometimes referred to as the godfather of pinot noir in New Zealand, he strides the landscape like Goliath.

<i>The Grove</i>, Wyndham St, Auckland CBD
The hard part is deciding what to choose from the menu, writes John Gardner.

<i>Review:</i> Ebullient Goodman keeps concertgoers entertained
The ever-ebullient Roy Goodman explained the premise behind Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's Thursday concert in a running commentary as the stage was reset after the opening item.

How to speed-date
As a means of launching a new dating website, its creators staged a speed dating evening in Auckland. Alan Perrott went along to learn how to find a date under the stopwatch.

<i>Gregor Paul:</i> Rugby should clean up in Storm aftermath
Melbourne’s salary cap rort is confirmation that league is rotten to the core, writes Gregor Paul.

TV Eye: Harsh reality a welcome break
Fish out of water: The Circuit centres on an idealistic mixed-race lawyer on the court circuit around Broome.

Pregnant nude shot Kiwi first
A pregnant Bernice Mene wears nothing but a hibiscus and a smile on the cover of this week's New Zealand Woman's Weekly.

Sexist Hollywood under fire
Hollywood, aromatic with the scent of gorgeous and available young women, still remains a sexualised and sexist ecosystem.

Window frames of the soul
Rachel Hunter loves life, Alison Mau is easygoing and John Campbell is understanding - at least, that's what their eyebrows tell us.

Diary of a gourmet food hunter
It's a tough job but someone has to source out the artisan products that fill the shelves of boutique delicatessen Sabato.

<i>Review:</i> The 5 Star Comedy Preview
A comic genius is a guy who can skulk onto the stage and tell a joke about not being allowed to open his hotel window and have everyone giggling and writhing.

<i>Review:</i> <i>Rent</i> at the Civic Theatre
It was when the drag queen in the Santa coat started banging her drumsticks on the scaffolding, singing about sending a barking annoyance to "doggie hell" that Rent came to life.

Tears for Fears: Escaping the mad world
Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal of Tears For Fears don't shout at each other any more.

Double duty on <i>Home by Christmas</i>
The Anzac pairing playing director Gaylene Preston's father in her family wartime memoir Home by Christmas talk to Russell Baillie about their shared role.