I went to AUT and studied Communication Studies. It was such an awesome time in my life and I…read morethoroughly recommend it. The best thing about the university is that it focuses on both theory and practical learning. The lecturers have really good contacts within the industry they're teaching and this is how I got my first job. AUT is mostly known for its Communication Studies, Graphic Design, Fashion Design, an Sports related degrees. It's the perfect place to study if your desired career needs a lot of practical experience rather than just theory. I also met many great people who I am still in touch with today and have become valuable contacts.

AUT is the worst university ever. Your lecturers play favourites and I swear we don't get treated…read moreequally. Kissing ass is a must when you split up into your smaller specialized classes. I first went to Auckland University where I was failing. So I went to AUT where I got all A's for my generic first year classes. This is not because the lecturers were better or anything, but because the work was easier. So yes AUT has a great reputation for being the EASIER university. 2 stars because I did have fun and made friends and all that BS. I also graduated and made good money. But overall the quality of lecturers we got were bad. I remember all my professors at Auckland Uni all being Doctors. We had professors that had diplomas or just bachelors. Shouldn't they all have at least a masters or something to teach us?

Even though the Stardome is now named after a benefactor (can't be helped I guess), it is still as…read morecool as it ever was. The staff don't mind if you just wander in and have a look around and the foyer alone has enough to amuse the kiddies for at least half an hour, probably longer. During the school holidays they run all kinds of fun stuff and if you haven't been before, it's unlike anything else you can do around the town. You absolutely have to be organised and book in advance and maybe the movie is a bit dated, but it's fascinating and presented in a way that makes astronomy accessible to everyone - even 3 year olds. There's an arty crafty session where the kids get to make their own (artistically questionable) souvenir but the highlight is that the film is shown Cinema 180 style on the ceiling. A bit hard on the neck but SO worth it. You can hire the Stardome for functions but when I looked into booking it for an event, I ran in to the problem of how to keep kids from playing unsupervised in the lobby so that's something to consider. I'm ashamed to say I have never been here in the evening and actually looked through that giant telescope at the night sky. I intend to do it every Winter but late nights out in Winter just don't seem to happen. This is the year.

We were thinking about what show we should pick and have chosen "The winter sky". It was just…read moreamazing, to see what stats and planets we can see with our naked eye from Auckland. At least in good weather. After the show we went outside to see the Saturn through telescopes. Not the Zeiss one, but smaller. I saw the Saturn through the telescope for the first time and it was the biggest happy moment I have had in years! You can actually see the planet and the rings! Super cool! We haven't had a chance to use the Zeiss telescope because of the weather, but we are definitely going to do this next time.