Wanting to record your travel experiences whether exploring New Zealand or travelling further afield? Join experienced travel writer Yvonne Van Dongen and learn how to put these experiences into words for a blog, an email, a journal or for publication.

Rome: the very name conjures up excitement and romance. The intending traveller to Italy will be introduced to some little known places and local favourites as well as major tourist attractions.

Always wanted to write a picture book? This course will teach you tips and techniques for developing your ideas, organising them into a story, polishing them into a finished manuscript and submitting them to publishers and competitions.

Great for gifts. Less packaging. Kind on your pocket. Learn to make solid shampoo and conditioner bars.

Come along and learn the amazing benefits of essential oils and gain ideas for removing nasty chemicals from your home. Course fee includes all materials ($30)

Join polymer clay sculptor Anna Piskun and make a stunning glass lid adornment for a pantry jar. View the photo below to see one of Anna's creations.

Learn the art of twining fibre into rope, then create your own funky mat or basket using what potentially would have been waste products.

Collect some lovely old doilies from Op Shops and make a lovely display for your wall.

Having style is the ability to know how to create a fantastic look that is uniquely you. Come and learn tips and tricks to work with your own figure, personality and lifestyle to create a look that flatters you, and is uniquely you!

Learn how to write short stories for the young adult or children's fiction genres.

Great for gifts. Less packaging. Kind on your pocket. Learn to make solid shampoo and conditioner bars.

Join Richard Holtz for these four hour-long sessions for an overview of four periods of Roman History.

For many of us, all we know about Islam is what we hear in the media. Here is your chance to learn more about this rich and old religion. Learn about the prophets of God, the holy book The Qur'an, women in Islam, the concept of life in Islam, the prohibited, science and Islam today.

Following on from the Excel for Beginners course, this intermediate level course takes your Excel skills to the next level. You will learn more formulae, some awesome tips for working with multiple worksheets, advanced printing, sorting, filtering and more. These topics will really improve your productivity and save you lots of time.

Feel you don't know the basics? Need the confidence and skills to cook for yourself and others? This course will give you all the basic skills you need to get started with cooking. Course fee includes $50.00 for ingredients.

For many, being able to communicate effectively is a learned skill rather than an innate ability. This course teaches you how to establish rapport and connect with others, skills that will improve relationships as well as provide you with confidence in both your working and personal lives.

Have you read about the Cinque Terre? "The Five Lands" is composed of five villages on a rugged portion of coast along the Italian Riveria. It is a region close to June's heart and in this course she will share with you recipes collected both from her travels and from her Italian friends. Among the local specialties covered in this course are focaccia, farinata, pesto, pansotti, torta della nonna.

Join historian David hill on this fascinating one day coach trip to the Waikato following the path of the British Army during the Land Wars. We will stop to visit a number of military redoubts - Pokeno, Whangamarino, and Pirongia and survey battle sites including Rangiriri and Oraakau, and we will visit the church at Rangiaowhia. During the journey we will discuss the use of boats by the British and cannon by Maaori, compare policies and consider outcomes.

Are you a fan of Grand Designs? Interested in contemporary architecture? Learn more about this fascinating subject with architecture teacher Peetu.

Follow-on from the beginners course. Take the next step and pick up more functions and shortcuts and become a Word whiz.

Bring your own cake base and come and learn the basics of decorating.

Join experienced candy maker Oscar and she will give you all the tricks of the trade to make your own yummy creations including pate de fruit, pulled sugar candies, marshmallows and lots more. You will go home with a box of delightful treats.

Learn to utilise Pivot Tables to summarise data and streamline the process of formatting and displaying the results. Who should enrol: the experienced Excel user who wants to go beyond the basics with a special focus on analysing large tables of data or databases using Excel's Pivot Tables. You will already be confidently preparing charts and tables and using a range of formulae and functions. More details below course dates.

Use stress as a fuel and not a foe! This course will provide you with very practical tools to learn how to transform your relationship with stress and turn it into an advantage. You’ll walk away with ground-breaking knowledge and tools which you can apply in your life straight away in order to transform stress and boost wellbeing.

A follow-on course for those who have attended Children's Book Illustration Character Development or those who have a picture story (original or borrowed) to work with. Please telephone the office for registrations within a two days of the course.

Learn this 19th century photographic printing process, also known as shadowgraphs or blue-prints, which can be used to create fine art prints, cards or bespoke books.

Come and decorate a stone using waxed thread and beads. Learn a variety of looping stitches to create an absolutely unique piece that can be hung on the wall, used as a paperweight or given as a gift. You can bring your own stone (from the beach, river or garden) and embellishments or use those provided.

Gain the skills and confidence to prepare simple yet impressive, professional presentations and on-screen slide shows. Basic computer skills essential!

This course is designed as an introduction to the DSLR and mirrorless camera. Bring your own camera.

Make your next trip more enjoyable by learning some French before you go. This course is designed for those new, or relatively new, to French language.

Learn to create closed terrariums and take home your own miniature indoor garden at the end of this workshop.

This course is for those new to sewing and will teach fundamental sewing skills. You will leave with your own kimono-style robe.

Learn some woodworking skills and make your own bird feeder.

Learn to mosaic and create your own mosaicked rock garden ornament or mosaic a paver stone for your garden. All materials are supplied. Available as an evening or weekend workshop.

Join us for a central city walk of art which will embrace sculpture, murals and commissioned art and the influence it has on public spaces. 10am - 12pm

Sourdough breads are well known and have been loved in Europe for many centuries. Come and learn the secrets of making delicious loaves and rolls using rye and wholemeal flour and take home a sourdough starter at the end of the course. Course fee includes $10.00 for ingredients.

Sauerkraut? Learn about the background of this nourishing food – where it comes from, how it is made and its health benefits. Course fee includes $6.00 for ingredients.

Join resin artist Andrea Waterhouse and make your own personalised piece of resin art to hang on your wall. Artworks need to dry overnight and will be available to collect during the following week. Full courses with long waitling lists may not be visible on the website.

Through a combination of online learning and hands-on practice, learn about espresso and learn to make popular espresso coffees. A course fee subsidy applies for permanent residents of NZ (conditions apply).

Join Cecilia Kim to learn some recipes for an authentic Korean meal. Then sit to enjoy lunch. All ingredients included within the course feee=.

From dropping your first dot on the canvas, you’ll discover how easy it is to create your own patterns and designs. You will learn about the different tools and be guided through the techniques and you’ll leave with the skills to create more of your own designs at home. Includes materials $14.00.

Weave a traditional hanging garlic basket from cane. Cane is a flexible, versatile material that needs little or no storage or preparation. Learn traditional weaving skills of twining, joining, coiling and whipping cane. These are intricate, traditional skills - once learned, you can make larger baskets for shallots, onions and chillies.

Come and create your own beautiful fabric pouch using natural fibres. For sewists with intermediate level sewing skills. Course fee includes pattern to take home.

Learn how to make soap using a variety of techniques and materials. Course runs from 10.00am to 4.00pm and fee includes materials of $25.

Join textile artist Lesley on this fun workshop and learn how to create your own wooden printing blocks and explore ways to transfer your creativity onto a surface of either paper or fabric.