Pirates operating off the coast of Somalia have begun to use aggressive new tactics including torture against captives.

Broken toilets, faulty latches on cabin doors and leaky ceilings are among new complaints by passengers on the liner Pacific Pearl.

The luxury Auckland-based cruise ship Pacific Pearl has run into more drama on the high seas.

Alison Shanks has stood on the dais to receive world championship and Commonwealth Games gold medals. But she remembers just as vividly standing at the helm of the Spirit of New Zealand.

A superyacht belonging to the manager U2 has joined some of the world's finest vessels in the Viaduct Harbour.

"It was cool. It turned on its side and just sat there looking at us just under the water."

Police have charged missing diver Colin Smithies with wasting police time after a $50,000 two-day search for him near Porirua turned out to be pointless - as he had hitchhiked to Hawkes Bay.

Police are expected to this afternoon reveal details of why a diver reported to a Hawkes Bay police station after an extensive two-day search for him near Porirua.

Four adult whales have died after beaching themselves at Port Waikato but Conservation Department staff have successfully refloated a fifth.