Cheapskate backpackers have forced a Queenstown supermarket to introduce a ticketing system for buying Bluff oysters.

Bad weather has put a damper on the start of the Bluff oyster season but it has not stopped Auckland's restaurants and retailers getting them on to plates in the thousands.

The Bluff oyster season opened yesterday with a healthy catch, though supply to northern regions this week may be restricted because of bad weather.

The official warning over a tsunami that threatened the entire east coast of New Zealand today has been downgraded to an advisory, but there is still a threat from ocean surges.

Civil Defence authorities have downgraded the tsunami warning for New Zealand. However, New Zealand authorities are warning that there could be surges for up to 24 hours.

New Zealand east coastal areas aren't out of the woods yet, with Civil Defence authorities and scientists electing keep the tsunami warning in place.

The first wave has reached the Chatham Islands, after a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit Chile overnight. An official tsunami alert remains in place for New Zealand's entire east coast.

Many chefs are turning to diver-caught scallops as a sustainable alternative to dredging.

When 5-year-old Max Christie slipped out of sight 90 metres down a rocky Whakapapa cliff his parents feared they wouldn't find him alive.

Bluff's unique and hard-won oyster festival keeps it real, says Eveline Jenkin.