New Zealand

I've heard that anyone with an old felony conviction - even for a white-collar or nonviolent crime - is barred from visiting New Zealand. Is that true? There are no hard and fast rules regarding entry into New Zealand by convicted felons, according to a spokesman for Immigration New Zealand. Most U.S. citizens can visit the country for up to 90 days with a passport, but anyone with a criminal conviction must also obtain a visa. As part of the application process, you will need to provide details of the conviction and information regarding the arrest and release from prison.

It's the end of the world as we know and New Zealand feels fine. Yup, it's official the Mayan Apocalypse has snubbed Oceanian and the rest of the world will likely make it through Dec. 21 in one piece. (Shocking I know). The Mayan Calendar has run out so it's probably time to break down and get that  2013 Pooped Puppies  calendar. There is one person who is probably pretty pleased right now and that's the newly crowned  Miss Universe Olivia Culpo . Imagine having the universe end on the first day of your super-sexy reign that would be so not cool.

There's never been a major league baseball player to come out of New Zealand. And despite reports from the country that 17-year-old first baseman Pita Rona has signed a seven-year "major league" contract with the Orioles, it's actually far from that. The Orioles have signed the 6-foot-5, 175-pound Rona to a minor-league deal and he will report to Major League Baseball's developmental academy in Australia. Rona, who has played for the New Zealand men's national softball team (commonly referred to as the Black Sox)

Robert Tomkies raced yachts in his native New Zealand, with a reputation respectable enough to be hired to work for a fellow named Ted Turner. But as Tomkies' dreams grew, so did his family, until he figured that he had to do something else to take care of his wife and four kids. Tomkies opened a shop in Wellington selling lighting and electrical parts, and bought a small farm off Moonshine Road. Tomkies never got rid of the racing bug, designed and built a 30-foot yacht he named the "Moonshine Express" and tried to pass his passion for fast boats and the open sea on to his brood.

It's the end of the world as we know and New Zealand feels fine. Yup, it's official the Mayan Apocalypse has snubbed Oceanian and the rest of the world will likely make it through Dec. 21 in one piece. (Shocking I know). The Mayan Calendar has run out so it's probably time to break down and get that  2013 Pooped Puppies  calendar. There is one person who is probably pretty pleased right now and that's the newly crowned  Miss Universe Olivia Culpo . Imagine having the universe end on the first day of your super-sexy reign that would be so not cool.

Q: My family is considering a trip to New Zealand, during which we hope to rent a motor home. Where can I get hold of a list of companies that rent them and do we have to rent a different one for the North and South Islands?A: Motor homes, or camper vans as they are called in New Zealand, are available for rent on both islands and there are no restrictions on taking them from one island to the other. There is no drop-off fee for a van rented in Auckland, on the North Island, and left in Christchurch, on the South Island, although some companies will charge for a drop off outside those two cities.

SAN DIEGO -- Whatever else was learned yesterday on Race Day 1 for the eight foreign challengers to the America's Cup, the pre-race fears that the new class of boat would be uncompetitive now seem unfounded.As four races began in light to moderate northerlies shortly after noon, each became a tightly knotted match until, after around 10 miles or so of racing, the leaders began to take control.Both heavy pre-regatta favorites, Italy and New Zealand, began by trailing their competitors -- Spirit of Australia and France, respectively.

Team New Zealand won the championship of the Cadilla Columbus Cup yesterday with two convincing victories over Team Denmark in the final series sailed at the mouth of the Patapsco River.lTC New Zealand skipper Russell Coutts and Denmark's Valdemar Bandolowski entered the best-of-three series with 5-1 records. Denmark's loss had come against top-seeded New Zealand on Friday.Before the 11 a.m. start, the spectator fleet numbered fewer than the boats fishing for striped bass off the south shore of the Patapsco.

SAN DIEGO -- Team New Zealand extended its winning streak to four races in the Louis Vuitton Cup here yesterday by defeating oneAustralia and America's Cup veteran John Bertand."

NEW ZEALAND is a dream destination for many American travelers, but 23-year-old Jessica Shank, daughter of Sam and Maggie Shank of Arnold, can check that trip off her list.A 1993 graduate of Severna Park High School and a senior in elementary education at Salisbury State University, Shank just returned home after 12 weeks teaching elementary school in Auckland.As envoys to the South Pacific nation, Shank and fellow student Cristina Merritt from Princess Anne are among more than 34 students sent to New Zealand in the past six years by the education department at Salisbury.

Fred Ferreira learned back in the mid-80s to never leave any corner of the baseball world unscouted. Talent is everywhere, and when Ferreira was a scout for the Yankees in 1985, it was on the tiny untapped island of Curacao. He heard of a hitter named Hensley Meulens, and upon seeing him play for the first time, Ferreira signed him to a free-agent deal. It wasn't unlike his first trip to Panama, where he plucked an outfielder named Roberto Kelly out of 150 players at an impromptu workout and signed him on the spot.

There's never been a major league baseball player to come out of New Zealand. And despite reports from the country that 17-year-old first baseman Pita Rona has signed a seven-year "major league" contract with the Orioles, it's actually far from that. The Orioles have signed the 6-foot-5, 175-pound Rona to a minor-league deal and he will report to Major League Baseball's developmental academy in Australia. Rona, who has played for the New Zealand men's national softball team (commonly referred to as the Black Sox)

Dr. John Butler MacGibbon, an internal medicine specialist who treated port of Baltimore mariners, died Dec. 24 at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson of complications of a stroke and a fall. He was 90 and lived in Original Northwood. Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, he was the oldest of four siblings. His late brother, Tony, was a well-known New Zealand cricketer, and his late sister, Jean, was a New Zealand tennis champion. He attended Christ's College in Christchurch, New Zealand, and then graduated from the University of Otago Medical School in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1948.

Did you know that more wine is sold in November than in December? It's true! I doubt that people consider the Thanksgiving feast anymore wine-worthy than the Christmas feast, but rather that the holidays are upon us and we start drinking more wine at table as a rule. There are parties. We stock up. And we start stocking up for all of our festive events in November. Here are a few of my personal picks for 2011 in case you need some suggestions. Gobble, gobble The Drouhin Beaujolais-Villages 2009 ($12)

I touched down in Gisbourne, New Zealand, on a flying "cigar tube with wings. " The placards to that town read "First to see the light" and "First to see the New Millennium. " Having crossed the international dateline while in a more sizable bird and "lost a day" while flying, the signage seemed even more disorienting. This was the locale to which international observers flocked on Dec. 31, 1999, to see how the Y2K bug would strike because Gisbourne is the first place to see the dawn in the world every year.

Watching every match of the Rugby World Cup, is it on your bucket list? Well, get ready to scratch it off. Slainte, which has become a destination for English Premier League fans, is showing every RWC match from New Zealand including with the Oct. 23 final. Well, you may have missed a few already, but who's counting. All matches played between 6 a.m. and 2 a.m. ET will be shown live and replays will be shown on weekends at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. and on weekdays at 6 p.m. Slainte serves breakfast every day beginning at 7 a.m. And you never need to wonder what sporting event Slainte is showing at any given time.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- Prime Minister Mike Moore conceded defeat yesterday as the conservative National Party appeared headed for a landslide victory in parliamentary elections, ending six years of Labor rule.National Party leader Jim Bolger, who seeks better relations with the United States, was expected to assume a three-year term as the country's new prime minister.Mr. Moore, whose center-left party suffered from a faltering economy, phoned Mr. Bolger less than 2 1/2 hours after the polls closed.

Most murders are committed from rage, or even hate; still, rare, but not unheard of, is the true crime of the heart, the murder of love.Such a deed is at the center of the brilliant New Zealand film "Heavenly Creatures," opening today at the Rotunda. It's an elaborate representation of, as its own subtitle decrees, "a Crime That Shocked a Nation."In 1954, in Christchurch, New Zealand, two passionately entwined schoolgirls floated so far off into their own private realms that reality became first an intrusion and then a threat.

Lexington, Ohio - Scott Dixon has not started from the pole for an IZOD IndyCar race in nearly two years, but that's where he'll be Sunday after turning the fastest lap in qualifying for the Honda Indy 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. "I thought we'd have a good battle among the six of us [for the pole]," said Penske driver Brian Briscoe, who will start on the outside of the front row. "But Dixon just blew us all away. " In IndyCar racing, the pole is determined by a series of three 15-minute qualifying sessions that eventually reduce the field to the fastest sixth.

New Zealand has long been known for its tangy Sauvignon Blancs that explode on the palate in a riot of pink grapefruit, but some new brands have entered the market that offer a true cornucopia of summer fruit, and vegetables. Mohua Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Marlborough New Zealand ($14), is pure passion fruit. Its flavors are lush, ripe and exotic, wrapped around such a core of vibrant acidity that each sip makes the mouth water. Positively stunning. It's flavors are so pure that it would be a pity to pair this wine with food; simply serve it up with friends and family.