Of course the Commonwealth Games went off without a hitch. What's that? You call those hitches? Obviously you have never been to India.

Our story on Auckland's Top 10 Playgrounds on October 10 drew a great response from readers, who have added to our suggestions.

The Fletcher family of Waiheke tell Donna McIntyre why they love living on an island in the Hauraki Gulf.

Auckland's farmers' markets are booming, but don't forget the city's traditional markets.

Wedding couples have been left scrambling for venues by the failure of a string of Auckland restaurant businesses.

The Associate Health Minister says he is confident it is safe for a schizophrenic man who beat a friend to death to be out unescorted in public, despite the victim's brother's pleas.

A beacon of Spanish cuisine is a welcome addition to Auckland city's dining choices.

Chef Stephanie Alexander is visiting our shores to promote an extension of her Aussie programme to help teach children about growing, harvesting and sharing food.

An Auckland pet shop manager is pleading for the return of three puppies snatched from under her nose and in full view of security cameras.

Auckland businessman Martyn Scott has been remanded in custody after today pleading guilty to stealing $1.4m from a family-owned company.

The mother of a man killed by a driver trying to escape a brawl says his death has left an unseen hole in her heart.

Richard Kavanagh is on a mission to better connect New Zealanders with global hair trends.

Poetry usually arrives in the form of the traditional "slim volume" - elegant packages of 40-80 pages, like smoked salmon slices. By contrast, 99 Ways into New Zealand Poetry, all 624 pages of it, landed on my desk with a thump.

Around half a dozen local bands have made the trip to New York for the CMJ Music Marathon, which kicks off this week. New Zealander Gemma Gracewood is there so you don't have to be.

Tired of having a ‘monkey mind’, and inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love, Rebecca Barry sets out to find inner peace on a meditation course and talks to a woman who turned on, tuned in and dropped out in Bali.