Latest fromAuckland Central

Workers back at Hotchin house
Contractors move in to clear mould and pave driveway of $37m Paritai Drive mansion.

Trams return to Auckland
The return of trams running in the Auckland CBD is one step closer, with the arrival of two trams from Victoria this morning.

Work to continue at blast site
Work will today continue at the site of Saturday's gas explosion in Auckland which claimed the life of a 48-year-old woman.

Terms and Conditions: <i>Two Wings of a Nightingale</i> competition
Win one of three copies of Jill Worrall's new book Two Wings of a Nightingale: Persian Soul, Islamic Heart.

Strength of blast blew staff into second pipe
Workers will be kept away from the site of a watermain explosion if monitoring finds any gas.

Fatal explosion still a mystery
The cause of a gas explosion in south Auckland which claimed the life of a 48-year-old woman on Saturday is still unknown, despite police completing their forensic examination at the scene.

Eden Park's big revamp - here's the report card
Michael Dickison and Nicholas Jones attended Saturday night's Blues versus Chiefs game to give the recently revamped stadium a test drive.

Music store trumpets 30 year milestone
Auckland's famed music store Real Groovy is celebrating its 30th birthday over the long weekend, after weathering financial troubles three years ago and the continued threat of digital downloads.

Five of the best: Birdwatching spots
The last of the migrations are heading out of town, so hurry to catch our feathered friends.

My Auckland: Newton
Ian Hughes tells Cate Foster why he has lived in and around Newton since he was 19 and can't imagine living anywhere else.

Networks under pressure at World Cup
Influx of Rugby World Cup fans will test Auckland's mobile and internet networks.

Sleep in saves life - off to buy Lotto
Ramon Milner slept through his alarm yesterday morning - and the lie-in could have saved his life.

Smell of gas before explosion
A woman was killed and six men left with injuries similar to those sustained by "landmine" victims while inspecting work on a water pipe in Auckland's Onehunga yesterday.