Opinion - Paul Hickey: Love story, Squid Game experience, 'Live Free'

Amelia and William's love story won the ultimate romantic dining experience at Peppers on the Point. Photo / Supplied

With all the negative stuff going on in the world right now, it has been nice to hear some of the positive stories around the place, and many of them revolve around the romance and love that was part of Valentine's Day earlier this week!

And even here in Rotorua, and on my radio show, we were able to be part of a really nice story.

In the weeks leading up to the big day, we teamed up with Peppers on the Point, looking for 'the greatest love story NEVER told'.

Amelia and William met by chance when their two parties happened to end up at the same pub in town, and they ended up being drawn as our winners.

So they won the ultimate romantic dining experience at Peppers on the Point on Monday night. And then we found out the morning afterwards that William used the opportunity to propose, and Amelia said yes!

So congratulations to both of them, and we are stroked to have played our little role in helping to make it extra special for this couple.

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Last week I wrote about the new Game of Thrones Studio Tour that has just opened in Northern Ireland, and this week I've got some similar news; this time featuring one of last year's most-watched TV shows Squid Game.

It is more than a set tour; the chance to play the game with a real-life experience has been created in Saudi Arabia.

But don't stress too much, you may be playing in real life, but it's not life or death.

The city of Riyadh is home to the giant Squid Game experience, the first of its kind in the world, where players are able to take part in all six trials from the series - Red Light, Green Light; the tug of war; the marbles game; the glass hopping challenge; the honeycomb game; and the final showdown – the "Squid Game" itself.

Seventy players take part at a time, with each of them receiving invite cards and wearing costumes identical to the TV series.

So this version of Squid Game is much safer. For example, on the stepping stone game, instead of glass panels that shatter, causing the player to plummet to their death, they have sensors, and the tug of war set is just 3m high.

Fake deaths or not, the Squid Game is, of course, very popular, and said to be sold out most days.

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You know how it goes right?

Pay comes in one day, and then most of it disappears the next day to cover the mortgage or rent. Sound familiar?

It is a common feature within our news cycle as well, regarding the increasing costs around housing.

But what would be even better is having someone else pay your rent or mortgage for you, right?

Well right now at The Hits, we are giving you the chance to 'Live Free' where we will pay your mortgage or rent for the next 12 months.

It is a massive amount of money that you could save (or let's face it, splurge!) so to be in to win one of the five keys that could give you a year of financial freedom, make sure you are listening to The Hits Rotorua 97.5 every weekday for our key songs, and visit our website for all the information.

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Paul Hickey is your local host on The Hits Rotorua weekdays between 9am and 3pm. Featuring Rotorua news, information, and giveaways, plus trending stories from around the world. Listen on 97.5FM or download the iHeartRadio app. PLUS follow The Hits Rotorua and Paul on Facebook and Instagram.