Glass and hot embers blasted out of an enclosed fireplace at a Hokitika home last night after a can was accidentally thrown on the fire and exploded.

A rental car driven by a tourist smashed through the plate glass window of a Hokitika automotive workshop, giving workers a fright and causing $40,000 of damage.

A Hokitika woman caught drink-driving at four times the limit had a baby in the car with her, police said today.

A desperate plea by 15 bystanders for passing jetboats to rescue a 30-year-old struggling in the chilly waters of the Hokitika Gorge were ignored by the boaties.

Specialist equipment from around the world has started arriving in Hokitika for the fitout on Westland Milk Products' $102 million nutritions drier project.

The details of an "appalling" incident of a child riding on the roof of a Dunedin vehicle on a West Coast road will be sent to Dunedin police today for further investigation.

An elderly NZ Post rural mail contractor in Hokitika was seriously injured after being run over by her own vehicle last night.

The body of a deer hunter missing on the West Coast for more than a week has been found, police say.

Strange lights seen hovering over Hokitika this week are likely to have been a natural and common phenomenon, not extraterrestrial activity. A number of people witnessed the "dancing" sky lights on Tuesday night.

This West Coast gem is wild at heart, finds Elisabeth Easther.

Three Lotto players probably thought they hit the jackpot when they won first division on Saturday night - only to find they had won $76,923 each.