The Local Germany

New Zealanders: 'Germans think we are crazy for moving here from paradise’

Fri, 21 Jun 2019 19:10:47 +0200

For decades, tens of thousands of Kiwis have walked the well-trodden path to the UK for their year abroad - but now Germany is becoming a hot choice.

New Zealanders in Germany: How many are there and where do they live?

Sat, 27 Apr 2019 01:12:37 +0200

Around 3,300 Kiwis call Germany home. We break down where they live – and find out their motivations for saying goodbye to the land of the long white cloud.

Fears mount for missing German climbers

Thu, 01 Jan 2015 17:35:37 +0100

Two Germans who went missing on New Zealand's notorious Mount Cook are feared dead, police said Thursday, after days of fruitless aerial sweeps of the mountain.

Two Germans missing on New Zealand peak

Wed, 31 Dec 2014 09:20:00 +0100

Two German climbers were missing Wednesday on New Zealand's Mount Cook with police saying foul weather was delaying any chance of beginning a search.

How I chose to learn the wrong language

Fri, 12 Sep 2014 14:07:00 +0200

In this week's Expat Dispatches, Tessa Sinclair Scott examines her Francophile grandmother's disappointment that she was moving to Germany. Did she choose the wrong language?

Police fear for three missing Germans

Wed, 30 Apr 2014 10:23:00 +0200

New Zealand police said on Wednesday they held "very real concerns" about the fate of three Germans who went missing on a sailing trip two weeks ago.

German Tolkien fan dies visiting 'Hobbit' mountain

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:54:00 +0100

A German amateur mountain climber and J.R.R. Tolkien fan was killed climbing a New Zealand mountain used as a set in Peter Jackson's new hit film The Hobbit, it was reported Thursday.

'Racy' song upsets Kiwis in national German exam

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:20:00 +0100

Students taking a German language exam were left giggling into their test papers after a song with sexual lyrics was used in a listening comprehension test. But teachers and some more sensitive students were outraged.

Megaupload boss 'records music album'

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:43:00 +0200

File-sharing site Megaupload boss Kim Schmitz, who was accused of massive online piracy which cost copyright owners more than $500 million, is recording a music album.

Megaupload boss asked for butler while on bail

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:04:00 +0100

A New Zealand court granted Megaupload boss Kim Dotcom NZ$60,000 (€36,800) a month in living expenses Thursday as he awaits a US bid to extradite him on online piracy charges. His request for a butler and nannies was rejected.

Megaupload founder had 'lavish' lifestyle

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:33:00 +0100

Megaupload.com's German detained founder Monday denied wrongdoing after US authorities shut down his file-sharing website, as new details emerged of a rock-star life featuring "fast cars" and "hot girls."

Three Germans held in global piracy raid

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:34:00 +0100

Three Germans, including a millionaire notorious for his hacking and embezzlement schemes have been arrested in New Zealand on American charges of running a massive global piracy website.

Celebrating a German Christmas down under

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:15:00 +0100

Germany is transformed into a winter wonderland during the holidays, but what happens when a German family has to celebrate the Yuletide during summer down under? Jeff Kavanagh reports on a very kiwi Christmas.

German overstays New Zealand visa by 20 years

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:02:00 +0100

An elderly German man who had overstayed his visa in New Zealand by 20 years was finally set to be deported on Monday, local media reported.

German tourist caught smuggling lizards in his underwear

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:02:00 +0100

A German tourist has been caught trying to leave New Zealand with 23 geckos and 20 skinks hidden in his underwear, a court heard on Monday.

German woman rescued from New Zealand 'horror house'

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:54:00 +0100

A Leipzig woman flew to New Zealand hoping to find love with a 33-year-old PhD student she had met online, but found an old man living in a “horror house” instead, New Zealand paper Otago Daily Times reported on Tuesday.