New Zealanders

LONDON — Let the Games begin. For the U.S. women's soccer team there was little drama in the first week of the Olympic tournament, which concluded Tuesday with a methodical 1-0 win over North Korea at historic Old Trafford in Manchester. The Americans scored a tournament-high eight goals in their three wins, did not allow a score after the 14th minute of their opener and won their group going away. PHOTOS: U.S. women's soccer vs. North Korea Now the real work begins, starting with Friday's quarterfinal against New Zealand, which finished third in its group.

Singer Glen Campbell has called off August performances he was scheduled to play in Australia and New Zealand on what's being billed as his Goodbye Tour because of health issues, a spokesman for the musician said Wednesday. Campbell, who is 76 and has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, said the long flight to that part of the world would be more than he could handle. A source close to Campbell told The Times last year that the Goodbye Tour would go on only as long as Campbell felt able to continue performing.

Two of Hollywood's most anticipated -- and most expensive -- forthcoming movies have wrapped production in New Zealand. Shot together, a pair of films based on J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy book "The Hobbit" have completed principal photography following a 266-day shoot in New Zealand, director Peter Jackson announced on his Facebook page Friday. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," the first of the two movies, hits theaters on Dec. 14 of this year, followed by "The Hobbit: There and Back Again" on Dec. 13, 2013.

A New Zealand judge has ruled that investigators obtained evidence unlawfully in a search of Megaupload.com founder Kim Dotcom's home, dealing a huge blow to the U.S. case against the online file-sharing company.  High Court Chief Justice Helen Winkelmann said in the ruling Thursday that warrants used by New Zealand authorities to conduct the search at the FBI's behest were too broadly defined and “did not adequately describe the offenses...

If you are planning a trip to New Zealand or Australia , Air Tahiti Nui will fly you there and throw in a free three-night visit to Tahiti. Choose a Sofitel, Le Meridien or Radisson resort for your stay and take the time to explore the French Polynesian island. The deal: There's a lot of moving parts to reserve with this deal. Prices start at $1,298 per person from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand, and $1,666 per person to Sydney, Australia. Each package includes a three-day stopover in Tahiti either outbound or on the return flight.

The first of the two-day New Zealand in L.A. festival at REDCAT on Wednesday night featured eight chamber and solo works by Kiwi composers, none with much of an international reputation, and a renowned performer on Maori instruments, Richard Nunns. The audience was quite small. Despite the wonderful “Whale Rider” and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy (Nunns performs on the soundtracks), New Zealand remains musically remote. I'm intentionally ignoring Hayley Westenra. But that could change overnight.

Air New Zealand has launched a fall sale on airfares from L.A. to London in its roomier, premium economy seats. The British capital likely will be packed this summer with travelers lured by the 2012 Olympic Games , which begin in late July, and Queen Elizabeth 's Diamond Jubilee in early June, to say nothing of the ever-popular Wimbledon. So fall may be a better time to go -- and save on premium economy class when prices start at $1,698 round-trip per person.  The deal: The airline's Premium Economy Special Offer features the Spaceseat, as the airline calls it. Its notch-above-coach class features that seats with a 41-inch seat pitch (the distance from the spot on one seat to the same spot on the other)

THE BEST WAY TO NAPIER, NEW ZEALAND From LAX, connecting service (change of plane) to Napier is offered on Air New Zealand. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $1,118, excluding taxes and fees. TELEPHONES To call the numbers below from the U.S., dial 011 (the international dialing code), 64 (the country code for New Zealand) and the local number. WHERE TO GO Art Deco Shop & Visitor Centre, 163 Tennyson St., Napier; 6-835-0022, http://www.artdeconapier.com . Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.

At 10:47 a.m. on Feb. 3, 1931, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale shook the town of Napier, onNew Zealand'sNorth Island, killing 161 people. The fires that followed consumed all but a few reinforced concrete buildings. In 21/2 minutes, Napier ceased to exist. In a bold move two years later, the residents of Napier broke with their colonial tradition and rebuilt the town in Art Deco style, made popular in Europe of the '20s. This transformation made Napier a leading-edge architectural city and one of the most modern of its day. I had been obsessed with the 1920s since my stint playing Vera in a community theater production of "Mame.

Megaupload.com founder Kim Dotcom must remain in a New Zealand jail until a judge determines whether the alleged leader of a $175-million criminal conspiracy to pirate copyrighted material is eligible for bail. The German-born Dotcom, who legally changed his name from Schmitz, is scheduled to return to court Wednesday to learn whether the judge will set bail and allow him to return to his mansion, where police seized luxury cars, guns and art in a raid Friday. Dotcom and three other men appeared in court Monday in Albany, a suburb of Auckland, on U.S. criminal charges of copyright infringement and money laundering.