The fire that claimed Christchurch-raised actor Eitan Djiji's life was described as "black, black ... it was pure black" by one firefighter whose helmet melted from the heat.

Many of the skiers enjoyed their night on Mt Hutt, including a quiz, hot food, and "spooning" - while at least two now have a coffee date.

About 1200 skiers - including several hundred schoolchildren - remain trapped on Mt Hutt this morning after gales of over 200km/h closed the only road off the mountain.

Lying upside down with her scalp gashed open and an arm pinned under her friend's car, 15-year-old Zoe Hendriks came within minutes of not getting the help she so seriously needed.

Around 1200 mountaingoers are still trapped at Mt Hutt skifield, with conditions still too dangerous to leave.

The son of a Hells Angels gang leader is to stand for Wanganui District Council - with the backing of Michael Laws.

An aspiring NZ actor and singer is fighting for his life in LA County-USC Medical Centre, where his condition was listed late yesterday as grave.

After three deaths in three months and yesterday's avalanche on Mt Hutt, a snowboarder is now in Christchurch Hospital with serious head injuries after another accident today.

A police car and a truck collided in one of several serious incidents on North Island roads yesterday that left one person dead.

Two police officers were last night in hospital after their patrol car and a truck collided in one of several serious incidents on North Island roads yesterday that left one person dead.

A policewoman is in hospital with serious chest and abdominal injuries after a police car was involved in a head-on crash in Pukekoke, south of Auckland, just before 5pm this evening.

A man found dead after his car crashed into a house in suburban Auckland today may have had a heart attack, police say.

The scene of a car crash that ended in fatality on Sandringham Road in Auckland.

An avalanche closed Mt Hutt today but the mountain has now reopened and though some skiers were partially buried, no one was hurt.

A woman who died after rolling her quad-bike was an experienced rider who appeared to have been doing everything right, police say.

A North Shore 18-year-old is lucky to be alive after falling multiple storeys from a carpark building during a night of drinking and taking Ecstasy.

A 63-year-old council contractor survived a 40m plunge down a sheer rock face from the peak of Mt Maunganui.