The Turners have been camping at Cosy Corner Holiday Park since 1970.

Melanoma drug campaigner Leisa Renwick looks back on an eventful year, in which she fought for life-saving drug Keytruda for melanoma sufferers such as herself - and won. The mother of three is now clear of the cancer and has been nominated for the New Zealand Herald's People's Choice Award for New Zealander of the Year.

As the domestic and international visitors roll in to town, accommodation in Tauranga is full to the brim this summer.

The Knights produced their best performance of the summer so far with a nine-wicket win over the Auckland Aces at Bay Oval Tuesday.

Bay petrol heads were in seventh heaven as they checked out the huge array of hundreds of cars during the annual Mount Hard Park event.

Bats and balls took over Mt Drury at the Backyard Cricket Fun event, where fans mingled and brushed shoulders with members from the Black Caps and Northern Knights cricket stars.

Whakatane's Daniel Jones, 26, won his third consecutive King of the Mountain title - and fifth overall - on the Mount Main Beach.

Shoppers packed the streets of Mount Maunganui for Boxing Day sales.

Take a tour of the mega-cruise ship Ovation of the Seas in this archive footage from 2016.

Watch NZH Local Focus: Tauranga theatre celebrates 80th anniversary - no easy task in today's digital entertainment age.

Thousands of Tauranga residents are checking out the spectacular Christmas light display put on by the residents of Plova Pl in Maungatapu this year.

Three cruise ships have arrived in Tauranga Harbour today, offering the port a sight not yet seen this season. All three ships arrived this morning and are scheduled to depart between 8.30pm and 11.15pm tonight, with the largest one alone carrying 4000 passengers and crew.

A budding family of oystercatchers which have taken over a prime spot on Mount Maunganui's main beach haven't moved as they look after their two eggs, laid smack in the middle of the beach, just in time for the peak holiday period.

The Tauranga Women's Refuge says it received almost 1600 crisis calls in just two months - a number it would usually receive in a year.

Over 20kg of chicken, 19 half hams, 15 litres of gravy and 20l of ice cream is ready for Tauranga locals in need of a Christmas dinner and a bit of Christmas cheer.

A budding family of oystercatchers took over prime real estate on Mount Maunganui main beach to look after two eggs. The was cordoned off by the Department of Conservation, prompting curious looks and questions from beach goers.

Taupo hosted the Future ChampioNZ Talent Festival last weekend with 120 of New Zealand's best young triathletes competing over three days in four testing races. Tauranga's Olivia Cummings, 14, easily took out the Youth girls' division by winning all four races. The video shows her winning the final event of the Triathlon.

A festive meal of roast lamb, chicken, stuffing, veges and all the trimmings is being laid on at Huria Marae, which has been opening its doors to homeless Bay residents since July offering them kai, showers and laundry facilities twice a week in an initiative called He Rourou Aroha, supported by the marae's social services arm the Huria Trust. We caught up with organisers.

A plane was forced to make an emergency landing on Papamoa Beach when the engine cut out mid flight.

Apata managing director Stuart Weston says drop in Green kiwifruit yields will create problems for Zespri's export marketing strategy.

Western Bay cricket fans meet up with Blackcaps Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Mitch Santner at Mount Maunganui McDonald's.

Fifteen hundred pairs of little gloved hands picked up the trash dumped carelessly by people around the city as part of a council programme involving 12 schools over 10 clean-up events.

Two Tauranga football clubs with a shared history have merged to form a stronger unit for the future. Blue Rovers Junior Football Club and Tauranga Old Blues signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the clubs. We caught up with them to find out why.

Luxury items like chocolates, Christmas puddings, soft toys and shortbreaad will be added to Tauranga Community Foodbank clients' Christmas parcels thanks to local businesses.

An impassioned plea by almost 100 Te Puke residents and retailers to save their main road from being single-laned has not succeeded - yet. Several residents and retailers spoke to councillors during the public forum section of the meeting, including Te Puke Jewellers co-owner Rod Pearce.

Alan Taikato needs a new bike, after his was stolen. He is a crash victim and ACC beneficiary and has been hitch-hiking to Waihi to pay his bills and do his weekly shopping.

Needy Bay families will receive a foodbank windfall from generous locals who returned their TECT cheque for charity.

What started as an appeal to help others over Christmas may become a year-round drive. We talk to Papamoa Progressive chairman Wayne George about their plans to help the Tauranga Community Foodbank.

The Queen's cousin, Prince Richard the Duke of Gloucester, has expressed delight at the handing back of a waka paddle that belonged to renowned Maori chief Hori Ngatai of Tauranga.