Naked, with two lifejackets pinned under each arm, Iripa Iripa crawled up Muriwai Beach.

A survivor of the Kaipara Harbour disaster was too big for the lifejackets, and desperately clung to the flotation devices while he swam to shore badly injured.

Bill McNatty, 68, was familiar with the water, worked hard to pay off his boat and spent a good chunk of the past three years taking people out fishing.

The search for the last victim of the Kaipara charter boat tragedy is under way this morning.

Tongan cousins Alipate "Pate" Manumu'a and Sunia "Junior" Ungo'unga died in the charter boat tragedy.

Investigators will head to the Kaipara Harbour today in a bid to find out what caused yesterday's fishing charter tragedy.

A man who drove like a "complete idiot" was arrested after a five-hour manhunt during which he tried to ram a police car, and hurled a pie out his window.

More preliminary elections results are trickling in from the regions this morning - Kaipara District has a new mayor and the Chatham Islands have re-elected its current mayor.

Truckies were among members of the public who provided information on the movements of a man who allegedly broke into seven businesses

Councils around the North Island are assuring residents of the safety of their water supplies following a gastro outbreak in Hawke's Bay.

Northland is getting its first fixed speed camera. This month, a camera will be installed on State Highway 1, just south of Kaiwaka

A woman's house was burgled and a few days later she saw a teenage stranger wearing her clothes.

Suspicious behaviour at a coastal holiday home has led to the discovery of a methamphetamine lab in Northland.

Four plumes of smoke at South Head in Kaipara Harbour signalled the Royal New Zealand Air Force's six-monthly live bomb drop.

The Northland ringleader of the operation that produced the largest amount of methamphetamine ever cooked in New Zealand has pleaded guilty to a raft of charges.

When Lee Rata was severely beaten last year, Seddon Beazley took the opportunity to further his standing with the Mongrel Mob. However, his mother knew different.

From Pahi to Shelly Beach, cruising by boat was a perfect family day-trip, writes Sarah Ell.

Chase the sun north to a proud town where Elisabeth Easther finds a warm welcome and a fascinating history.

Maungaturoto, Paparoa, Pahi, Tinopai, Matakohe, Ruawai and Tokatoka are a hop, skip and a jump from each other, and Elisabeth Easther found plenty in these tiny towns to delight.

Eleven great white sharks have been spotted at a single site in the Kaipara Harbour - the largest concentration of the species yet seen in the upper North Island.

They call it Magical Mangawhai, and with its beautiful beach, great food and proximity to Auckland we can see why.

It's a marine ecological gem on the doorstep of our biggest city and it's not the Hauraki Gulf.

A home invasion in Tinopai, on the Kaipara Harbour, on Saturday evening is being investigated by police.

Several gruesome dead cats have been found this week draped over the rail guard and fences near the main road leading to Tapora, east of Kaipara Harbour.