Superyachts and their millionaire owners are in port - and they're sharing the Christmas spirit. The locally-built 50m Ohana and the palatial 58.5m Ulysses are the big attractions around Auckland's Viaduct Basin.

I love Christmas. It's my favourite holiday of the year. Having family and friends around the table, putting on a lavish spread, coming up with thoughtful gifts for people I care about - it's a wonderful celebration.

Christmas isn't just about grabbing at a huge pile of presents, it's also a great time for giving, or buying "good" gifts - the sort that make the world a better place.

Northland is in for a drenching this weekend, as the remnants of Cyclone Evan brush the country.

This Christmas, more alleged criminals will be in jail awaiting trial than in any previous year on records supplied by our prisons. The number has steadily increased since this Government came to power, to a estimated 1671 this week.

Festive lights, Christmas trees, a jolly Santa waving you in and carols can be the magic formula for retailers trying to lure shoppers in and seal a deal.

Cyclone Evan's going to put a bit of a dampener on Christmas - it's likely to be wet, hot and humid. The remnants of the tropical cyclone which hit Samoa and Fiji are set to reach New Zealand around Christmas Eve.

Kiwi Christmas get-togethers can often begin with big reunions outside Auckland Airport's arrivals gate. This week, the Herald captured some of those precious moments:

New Zealand soldiers overseas this Christmas have been sending their love to their families and friends back home in New Zealand.

Fuelled by the highest rate of unemployment in 13 years, the queues snaking along the pavements outside the Auckland City Mission have nothing festive about them.

If you haven't sorted your Xmas selections yet you may be starting to panic about finding the perfect present for each person on your list. Go easy on yourself by simply buying a gift set.

Two personal finance companies - one of which charges over 500 per cent interest a year if loans are not paid back in two weeks - are in a High Court stoush over a super hero logo.

Christmas can be one of the most dreaded times for women and children affected by domestic violence.

Doris and Jose Aponte arrived in Auckland on Monday with daughter Dorica, tired from their long flight but delighted to see Dorica's sister Alex.