A Trade Me bidding war has started over an orange capsicum with a green stalk shaped like the head of a dragon - with bids already topping $200.

Sara Thomson's first trip to the hairdresser was for a good cause - the salon is donating its day's takings to the victims of the Philippines typhoon.

An Auckland family waiting to hear news of their elderly mother - who was missing after the deadly typhoon in the Philippines - is overjoyed to hear she has been found alive.

Since the typhoon hit, Danny Estember has been hiking for three hours on the round-trip into the mountains each day to obtain what he can only hope is clean water for his five daughters and two sons.

People swept dirt from the pews and wiped clean the mud-covered, ornate tile floors of a church. The sound of hammers hitting nails and the buzzing of chain saws reverberated in the streets. Debris was piled on corners and set ablaze.

International effort picked up pace yesterday, with helicopters buzzing back and forth between Tacloban and the USS George Washington's carrier group, delivering crates of food.

Scores of unidentified bodies were interred together in a hillside cemetery without any ritual - the first mass burial in this city shattered by last week's Typhoon Haiyan.

Close your eyes and hold your breath, and you could imagine you are in a normal sports stadium. You hear a ball bouncing and the children's cheers echoing under the cavernous dome.

A street appeal and an open air concert are planned for next week in a bid to raise money for the typhoon stricken Philippines.

The rusting white truck began its grim journey shortly after 10.30am under the growing heat of a tropical sun.

A combination of unlucky geography, poverty, poor government and widespread gun use have exacerbated the effects of Typhoon Haiyan.

NZ will send an air force Hercules to help in the storm-hit Philippines, but Prime Minister John Key's official visit to Manila next week has been postponed.

Food, water and medical aid has been sent to the Philippines - but few in the worst-hit areas are receiving any help.

A relief worker on the ground in the Philippines has described nightmarish scenes, but says the Filipino people are being resilient through the crisis.

Misery united Parliament yesterday - until politics intervened, writes Audrey Young on Greens co-leader Russel Norman's climate change speech.

From a music marathon to food and garage sales, local Filipino community groups are rallying to raise funds for victims affected by Typhoon Haiyan.

Kiwis are being asked to help with efforts to get food and water to thousands of people in the Philippines, following the deadly typhoon that has devastated the region.

The Government has given a further $2 million to help the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.

The United Nations was "expecting the worst'' over the final body count from Typhoon Haiyan, which ripped through the Philippines killing tens of thousands.