I have been driving around the North Island for three weeks in a Prius which is a Japanese import…read moreand seems to lack access to all the FM stations available on the van. The result is that I have been listening to the same obnoxious and Miley Cyrus song for some stupid song about riding shotgun for almost 3 weeks. I arrived in Auckland today and landed on George FM - I'm not even a fan of electron a dance music but what they've been playing all day makes me want to move and seems to be extracting earworms - and - I feel like dancing!

The station for music lovers, George FM started as a small station playing thoe tunes that, well,…read morejust weren't suitable for daytime radio. And thank goodness they did. Growing quickly into a source for the latest beats, George's selection of shows, including Nick D's Morning Show, and Tim and Tali on Saturday's will provide a soundtrack to life a little less repetetive than that found on more mainstream stations.

Radio Bosom is an institution, a pillar of Auckland's culture that has been around for decades. And…read moreI shit you not, that's what the B stands for. This is officially the student radio station, but it's good enough and has been around long enough that their audience is far wider than that. I regularly hear a friend's dad call up to win prizes. Because of their alternative, student status, bFM makes an effort to play things that you wouldn't hear on the mainstream stations. This is a double-edged sword, as not everything they play will be to everyone's taste. But this gamble pays off when you hear new songs and new artists that you simply wouldn't get exposed to otherwise. Another bonus of their rejection of mainstream radio is that they do their own ads in-house rather than play the same crap everyone else does. This is good because a: mainstream radio ads are everything that is wrong with society, and b: bFM ads are really pretty good. Some of them are very, very funny, and half the time you remember the ad without even remembering what it was for. Not so great for the advertiser, but pretty great for you.

I am a definite fan of any music remotely reggae, dub, and funky. Known to me there is only one…read moreRadio station in Auckland that mixes up the beats and proves that they rule in these genres. K Fm pride themselves on playing music that is socially conscious and not alike that of other over commercialised stations. They cut out the crap so to speak and play honest music to get you hip hopping along. The base of the stations foundations are the many DJ's that volunteer their time and talents on air. I enjoy personally DJ Lanz show at 10-12 on a Thursday morning, and the Reggae Rewind Show with DJ Ska Rob from 10-12 midnight on a Friday night .. boo yah! Tune in and feel that rhythm

I'd never really listened to Newstalk ZB until earthquakes started hitting my hometown of…read moreChristchurch. Either FM stations would automatically transfer to ZB or I began to flick to that station in my car / at home, as they had the most current information and excellent broadcasting. Newstalk ZB would go on to get a gold radio award in New York for their coverage of the Christchurch Earthquake. Now I still occasionally will listen to their station using my iphone, for the news in the morning (so I don't get totally out of date with what is going on)! So I might catch a bit of the award winning Mike Hosking breakfast show. I particularly enjoy when I am able to tune in on a Friday morning around 8:15 and Mike Hosking, Wendyll Nissen and Jeremy Wells discuss the week in a (often) humorous way.

TVNZ is one of those places everyone knows about. (for obvious reasons) To my delight, I got to go…read moreinside their building and hang out for an award's show called TVNZ7's Outlook for Someday Awards. They have some awesome facilities, and everyone is really, really friendly. It's probably the closest you'll get to stardom in a normal lifetime. Aside from that, they basically run the TV industry here, so if you like what's played on TV1 & TV2, then chances are you'll be giving these guys a big hand as well. I wouldn't know what their admin is like, but their receptionist was one of the most helpful people I have ever met.

This is the best station to tune into for a variety of cultures, languages and topics…read more Not only does this non profit organisation provide you with the facilities to make radio yourself, they also mentor and help mold your perfect genre and unique program. The majority of the substance of this station reflects the diverse cultures that make up our beautiful city; perhaps tune in for Russian hour at 8 am on a Monday, or the Kiribati voice at 11:35 am? I enjoy listening in to Green Planet, a show which airs live at 9:05 am every Monday, questioning all aspects of green living and how we can better care for and greenly prepare our future in the world.

UP FM have been Auckland's provider of a wide range of electronic music for many years…read more Starting off with a reception range that hardly stretched past Newton Gully, UPFM can now be tuned into as far away as Manukau, and with their online streaming site and mobile apps, anywhere you're connected, you can listen in. With genres ranging across drum and bass, trance, house, techno, and anywhere in between, UPFM has a little something for everyone. They also host summer parties most years, and they are ALWAYS epic!

Let me preface this review by saying I used to edit Express Magazine. Used to! Don't any more…read more Promise. With that out of the way, I can talk about the present state of New Zealand's only gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender-focused magazine, and its sister site www.gayexpress.co.nz. For more than 20 years, Express has chronicled the GLBT community and all its ups and downs - from the human rights reform of the early 1990s to the current fight for marriage equality in New Zealand, Express has been there recording in print (and now on the web) the stories that want and need to be told; this is true community press by and for the community. Current editor Leif Wauters is doing a stellar job of bringing together a range of different contributors to talk about a vast array of different topics - food, motoring, travel, politics, arts and entertainment; you name it, Express is covering it. If you're new to New Zealand, freshly 'out' (Hi! Welcome!) or just interested in what's going on in this colourful community, pick up a copy of Express from around town or read them on the web.