Dave Cade is pushing hard to keep didymo - or rock snot - out of Taupo waterways.

Olaf the friendly troll, missing from the Tararua town of Norsewood, is back - battered, beheaded and splattered with bits of spaghetti.

Telecom XT customers needing to contact emergency services are being told to use landlines instead of their cellphones while the network remains down.

Olympic rowing champion and golden twin Caroline Evers-Swindell formed a new partnership yesterday - this one for life.

Parts of the North Island are set for a soaking today, with up to 140mms of rain expected to fall in some areas.

A hunter is fighting for his life in Waikato Hospital after being shot by another hunter south of Taupo last night.