My Hometown
'Porirua has ram-raided me and stolen my heart'
Relaxing at Titahi Bay, catching up with old friends and family, playing Housie or spotting supermarket trolleys in the harbour - going back home to Porirua is always a good time for RNZ's Corey…
My Hometown: Gisborne
Coping with extreme, often traumatic, weather events is nothing new for the people of Tairāwhiti, says RNZ's chief executive and former resident Paul Thompson. Just don't call them resilient.
Motueka: 'Who needed snow when you had hops?'
Tranquil Motueka now has traffic lights and a cinema, but still retains a certain charm, says proud former resident Simon Wraight.
'The only good thing about Hamilton is that it’s close to somewhere else'
Jessica Keane has already heard every negative thing you've got to say about Hamilton. To tell the truth, she might even agree with some of them. But that doesn't mean she's not fond of her hometown.
…'My hometown is my mother's arms'
Home is where her heart is, writes Samantha Mythen, even if that has taken many different forms over the years.
'I tell people Napier has the best weather in New Zealand'
Mataruahou, Napier Hill, is a beautiful place – sunny, warm and usually calm. A naïve visitor would never know how natural disaster has shaped it. What impact will future events have on her hometown…
The duchess and her Stubbies-wearing hubby
In the 1980s, Carters Beach, south of Westport, had a dairy, a playing field, a kids’ fort and miles of beach. As far as Glen Scanlon was concerned, it was a small slice of heaven.
Paekākāriki: 'It feels good not to cross the tracks'
Paekākāriki has long been a staging post along the coast, a place of refuge for dreamers, poets, artists, environmentalists and RNZ's own Mark Amery.
'Where the hell is Dannevirke?'
When Pokere Paewai was a teenager, he thought Dannevirke was the most boring place on earth. Now he realises how lucky he was to grow up on his own whenua.
My Hometown: Timaru
Timaru, once described as 'the world centre of the early night', is not without its problems. But Chris Cessford says there's a lot to love about the south Canterbury town where she was born.
'When this place is destroyed, my bones ache'
After 27 years, living on Waiheke Island feels like both a blessing and a curse for RNZ digital journalist Rose Davis.
Growing up as a 'third culture kid' in Bolivia
Libby Kirkby-McLeod's claims to being a 'Cochabambina' are flimsy, but the dusty streets of this small town high in the Andes feel like her spiritual home.
Coming up
'Nothing compares to the hum of the night here'
Ellie Franco makes a pilgrimage back to her parents' home in Matapōuri, Northland, where 'people say what they think and do what feels right'.