Have you ever heard of the saying, "All study and no play makes Jack stressed?" Me neither. But it might as well be a saying for postgraduate studies. Anyway, one of the ways we de-stress here is to sing at a karaoke (or videoke) bar. They have a number of them here in the CBD. I frequent two. One is Rock Bar located somewhere near the bottom of Queen Street. And the other is Every Sing located along Commerce Street. Both are owned and operated by Koreans and so their major market is their own. But don't worry. They stock on a lot of Filipino songs.
I like Every Sing over Rock Bar because the former has a cheap weekend promo. Only NZ$30 for 3 hours for 4 people. I don't know of a similar promo at Rock Bar--their standard rate is around NZ$35 per 1 hour. Also, between the two, Every Sing has a wider selection of Filipino music.
The karaoke bars serve alcohol, but they are very expensive. The style is to drink at home. Then when you're tipsy, that's when you go to the karaoke bars. Don't forget to bring your passport or NZ 18+ card. You may be asked to present proof of age.
Happy Singing!
Watching movies here is not cheap compared to Manila, but it can be cheap for NZ standards if you buy the ticket as a student. Regular ticket price is around NZ$17.00 (PhP PhP 550.00). But if you get the Student concession the ticket price will go down to NZ$10.00 (PhP340.00). All you have to do is apply at the counter, show your school ID and pay the NZ$10.00 application fee (it's worth it). The movies are up to date here in New Zealand. Since we're at the eastern edge of the international date line, meaning we're a day advanced than the US, we get movies ahead of schedule (to combat movie piracy).
I watch at Events Cinemas in Metro Centre on Queen Street. It's located between Aotea Square and the Civic Centre. You can't miss the big Events Cinemas/IMAX sign on the roof. The food court here is one of the places with free WIFI internet. FYI.
