The elderly man who died in a crash in Manawatu on Friday has been identified.

Motorists can take the alternative route on Saddle Rd or Pahiatua Track.

One person died and two others suffered serious injuries after a fiery two-vehicle crash in Manawatu yesterday.

After careering through a safety barrier, the driver of a truck chock full of animal blood remained moored in his cab for up to an hour as it dangled over a cliff.

An oil spill from a truck caused a crash on the Manawatu Gorge road this evening, injuring the occupants of a vehicle and closing the road.

As the fifth anniversary of his death approaches, Scott Guy's parents remember their son with as much positivity as they can muster.

Flooding caused road and bridge closures, cut power to homes and forced people to spend night in emergency accommodation or with friends and family.

Roads closed by extensive flooding and slips in the lower North Island are reopening tonight, but transport authorities are warning motorists to take care.

A Palmerston North woman is reluctant to label herself a hero despite saving two young children from a burning car in a supermarket carpark.

A mysterious oil spill has caused black blobs and oil to appear along a 10km stretch of coastline.

Several sheep were killed in a fire that destroyed a woolshed in Manawatu this morning.

Over 250 people were trapped on a plane at a military airbase for hours, after wild weather and thunderstorms forced a landing.

The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) said the gorge could be opened to one lane of traffic from tomorrow morning if conditions allow.

Air New Zealand has confirmed it will operate its next $29 Night Rider service between Palmerston North and Auckland.

Hundreds of firefighters are battling large scrub blazes as dry weather has created tinderbox conditions across the country, the Fire Service says. Blazes in Canterbury, Marlborough and Manawatu are keeping about 330 firefighters busy.

"Can't think of a better way to spend a Thursday," says Jono Lester as I'm folded into the passenger seat of his Ferrari 458 GT3.

A grieving mother has been left devastated after discovering items from her son's grave have been stolen from Kelvin Grove Cemetery in Palmerston North.

A young woman suffered numerous injuries when she was pinned by a vehicle that crashed in Manawatu yesterday.

Two elderly women who were killed when a car lost control and crashed into a ditch in Manawatu early this morning have been named by police.

Two people are dead and four are injured after their vehicle lost control and ended up in a ditch in Manawatu overnight.

A 15-year-old boy led police on a 50km chase through Manawatu in a stolen vehicle yesterday, police say.

An 18-year-old woman who was thrown 15 metres in a crash in Apiti on Friday died in hospital.

A young woman was thrown 15 metres from a vehicle following a crash in the Manawatu region early today.

A woman is in hospital on life support following a crash in the Manawatu region in the early hours of this morning.

A gold ingot, seven Harley Davidsons, nine muscle cars and a stack of cash were among the assets seized by police in a coordinated raid.