For 80 minutes last night, Crusaders fans tried to put the agony and tragedy to the back of their minds.

The Crusaders put aside 10 days of destruction and despair to mark their Super 15 rugby return by beating the Waratahs 33-18.

If this was any old round three Super 15 match there would be no need for the Crusaders to bring in a mental skills coach.

Mike Brown was meant to be working on the ninth floor of the Copthorne Hotel at the time of the earthquake but had decided to take a long lunch.

Canterbury DHB chief executive David Meates has invoked memories of Hurricane Katrina to justify evacuating hundreds of elderly out of the Christchurch in the wake of last week's earthquake.

More than 300 elderly people have been moved from quake-damaged residential care centres in Christchurch, some without the knowledge of their families, Canterbury District Health Board (DHB) has admitted.

Sonny Bill Williams will make his debut for the Crusaders against the Waratahs in Nelson on Friday night.

The lost English tourist spotted by a helicopter last night in the Kahurangi National Park says he can't describe the relief he felt when he was found.

The English tourist found last night in the Kahurangi National Park had become disoriented and confused the route he was on for another.

A large search is underway for a missing 30-year-old English tourist, tramping in Kahurangi National Park west of Nelson.

Responsible for making events look cool, Michael Hodgson's favourite things are geared toward innovative design.

A plane carrying 44 people has safely made an emergency landing at Blenheim Airport, despite a nose wheel failure.

It used to be deeply naff, drunk only by teens and maybe your nana; so how did cider get its fizz back to be the drink of the summer, asks Nicky Pellegrino.

The New Zealand pinot noir movement is gathering pace and the great and good of the wine world jetted in from Singapore, Stockholm and San Francisco last week to experience Central Otago's take on the grape.

A group of pilot whales appears to have beached once more on Farewell Spit, at the top of the South Island.

A pod of 66 pilot whales beached west of Nelson yesterday swam off on the high tide overnight, DOC says.

Getting experimental in our vineyards is a risky business, but one that has paid off in the past for our winemakers.