Great actors thrive under great teachers. Alan Perrott talks with the “great” of Britain’s theatrical tutors — Kiwi Ken Rea.

Realising her bookshelves were a bit on the parochial side, Ann Morgan embarked on a quest to read a book from every country over the course of a year, and blog about it. The response from bibliophiles around the globe was a story in itself.

My best friend had her stomach stapled and is really slim now, but tells everyone it was done through dieting and exercise and that is just not true. Shall I squeal?

The look is definitely set at 33RPM. Kaos is a homage to music and vinyl — there are LP album covers on the walls — and to 70s style, with the decor leaning heavily on retro furniture and fixtures.

She has record-breaking sales and secure friendships - not to mention a steely grip on her digital copyright - what on earth does Taylor Swift have to worry about? Plenty, she tells Mark Sutherland in an exclusive interview.

As he rides his steel dragon across the roads and byways of The North Lands, the Dark Lord, leader of House First, is happy.

Something wild, something wonderful and the much-anticipated release of a national treasure — March seems to be the month that keeps on giving ...

As a documentary-maker, Leanne Pooley had seen what serious illnesses can do. Now she is the patient. Here, she tells what happened when she was diagnosed with cancer and what it has taught her.

For John Simpson, gritty, sunny Johannesburg is South Africa's golden city.

A Welcoming cafe in Mt Wellington offers a menu and coffee worth a trek across Auckland.

I really want to get bum implants as mine is flat, and people have always made jokes about it. But my fiance says we cannot afford it.

Mention the storyline from one of the current batch of great TV shows to Alan Perrott and you’ll likely get a blank stare. Since his telly went on the blink at the start of this year, he and his family have tuned out. Does he miss it?

More than 50 years ago an artist from Auckland changed his name to Billy Apple and became a living brand. On the eve of a major retrospective of his life’s work, he talked to Greg Dixon about his past, his present and his future.

Dear citizens of the Free World, I bring you further missives from The Zone, the suburb formerly known as Grey Lynn.

Plenty of new wine producers are vying for our attention. Meanwhile, the established “old guard” keep on doing what they know best — and getting even better.

Fashion designer Denise L’Estrange-Corbet and her daughter Pebbles answer your agonising questions.

Howick has a good number of eateries on the main strip but we liked the open space of Basalt, and the modern menu.

Never mind the name, Kazuo Ishiguro is one of the best British writers in the business, and his dazzling latest novel, The Buried Giant, may just be his best yet.

Sometimes, as a reviewer, it pays to wait a few days after finishing a book before beginning the review.

Almost 30 years ago, Dunedin band Sneaky Feelings released one the finest local singles of the 1980s. Greg Dixon sings its praises still.

I have this version of hell, in my head, where it is like this giant faceless corporation, where the souls of the damned serve out eternity in mindless bureaucratic servitude.

Tired of summer whites and rosé wines? Longing for a robust red even if you have to match it with fish and salad? Help is at hand ...

This season’s power clash throws all the rules out the window.

The Otago restaurant and its host are world famous — the seafood for its freshness and the host for her good humour.

My friend has a nailbar in her house, and I got a really bad toenail infection after going there but she says it has nothing to do with her.

Were the pushy parents of Brooke Shields, Judy Garland, Shirley Temple and other Hollywood stars really as bad as all that, asks Geoffrey Macnab.

The look is the big drawcard for The Garden Shed. As the name suggests there's a botanical, rustic theme throughout the establishment.