The NSW town of Lennox Head will appeal to the state government to declare the area a natural disaster.

A wife took a block of her husband's favourite Lancashire cheese on an epic 24,000km, 10-country journey after being grounded by the Icelandic volcanic eruption.

Air New Zealand flights to and from London are operating as normal again, after restrictions due to volcanic ash were lifted overnight.

Evacuated families have begun returning to their homes after flooding in the Nelson region during the weekend.

Heavy rainfall has left families isolated in the Tapawera area, south-west of Nelson, with 20 households evacuated so far.

Two children are among the people missing after the land beneath their house gave way, causing it to partially collapse.

The ash cloud from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokul volcano is still causing havoc for flights across the Atlantic.

Tsunami-wrecked houses in Samoa are being rebuilt on higher ground - but without protection against cyclones or earthquakes, engineers say.

Forecast rain today is expected to raise the Lake Wakatipu level, but not beyond its peak, reassures Queenstown Lakes District Council.