Thousands of fans who took the train to last week's 'family friendly' Rugby World Cup opening celebrations had a horrifying night they would rather forget.

As Auckland Art Gallery reopens its doors today, Linda Herrick walks through its marvellous collection of New Zealand art.

The parents of two-year-old Aisling Symes hugged and exclaimed "it's over" after coroner Garry Evans today completed the inquest into her death.

An 11-year-old boy impaled at an Auckland school this morning asked his rescuers not to amputate his leg as they cut him off a school fence. He slipped while climbing the fence but is unlikely to suffer permanent damage.

One person was treated for smoke inhalation after firefighters put out a blaze at a west Auckland house this morning.

As a frontline cop lay on the ground taking blow after blow to his head, unable to fight back during a vicious attack by a burglary suspect, he didn't think he would survive.

It was a happy homecoming for US-based Lauren Boyle at the New Zealand swimming championships in Auckland last night.

Police say there does not appear to be any foul play involved in a death of a woman in west Auckland earlier today.

Constable wondered whether alleged assault was just 'the way things are done in west Auckland'.

A young constable has described seeing her sergeant throttle a prisoner half a metre from her face.