Two people have drowned at popular North Island coastal areas this afternoon and two others are missing.

Maritime New Zealand is praising the Bay of Plenty community for its support in the clean-up.

Katie Cox captured exclusive close-up images of the grounded Rena off the coast of Tauranga.

No oil will be pumped off Rena today, and salvors say the "grinding and groaning" ship is more unstable than originally thought.

Astrolabe Reef with its caves, valleys and deep drop-off was a magical place for all manner of ocean-dwelling species. But that was before Rena. A team of Herald reporters has charted the first 10 days of the disaster.

The latest news and reaction from the Bay of Plenty as leaking oil from the stricken container ship Rena washes up on beaches along the coast.

Filipino authorities are rushing to send home most of the crew of the stricken container ship Rena amid concerns for their safety and public anger towards the Filipino community. Yesterday, 11 crew members were put on flights to the Philippines...

About 500 oil spill responders have been on Bay of Plenty beaches today, removing patches of gluggy spillage from the stranded and breaking Rena, as the ships owner makes an apology to the nation,

The Rena is holding together well enough for salvage crews to get on board, but the entire front section of the stricken ship is flooded and the use of dispersant has failed.

The belongings of a family that moved to Brisbane to escape quake-battered Christchurch were on the stricken ship.

Large fractures in the hull of the stricken cargo ship Rena are getting worse, increasing the chances the ship will break up after aerial footage showed the hull of the vessel grounded on Astrolabe Reef off the coast of Tauranga has cracked open.

Face masks could be issued to those living near beach areas affected by oil leaking from the MV Rena, which has lost up to 70 containers overnight. The ship's captain has been charged over the incident and granted bail after a court appearance..