A couple were sitting in the warmth of their lounge when their brightly burning fire started spewing smoke and embers into the room.

A Martinborough man who sparked a day-long police manhunt has pleaded guilty to pointing a gun in public. Robert James Atkinson

Wellington tradies are being warned to lock up their tools and equipment following a number of thieves targeting construction sites and work vehicles.

A Carterton hairdressers had a close shave yesterday morning when a vehicle careered into the shop's window, leaving staff "pretty

Passengers travelling across the Cook Strait will have much easier journey tomorrow as rolling waves subside.

The identities of three foreign nationals killed in an icy crash on the Desert Road are expected to be revealed today.

WATCH: Aerial footage. Three people have been killed after a car collided with a truck on the Desert Rd this morning.

The youngster suffered burns to 35 per cent of his body on Friday night when his shirt was set alight by a gas heater.

Two kayakers have been rescued after getting into trouble off the Whangaparoa Peninsula north of Auckland this morning. Emergency

Thunderstorms which hammered some parts of the North Island will be easing today but strong winds and rain will linger.

The teenager whose dangerous driving killed two of his Featherston friends will have to live with the "heart-breaking" effects of

The North Island is bearing the brunt of stormy weather as heavy rain falls across the island.

Desert Rd down to one lane after crash.

A 22-metre long blue whale washed up on a private Far North beach has excited a marine mammal expert but also sparked a health warning as the giant sea creature decomposes.

A man bleeding from the head after being bashed with a skateboard had to wait outside Napier Police Station after going for help and finding the station closed.

Up to $25,000 worth of jewellery has been stolen from a house in Carterton - one of seven burglaries in the region over the weekend. The

Behaviour that a member of the public regarded as suspicious led to the seizure of tens of thousands of dollars worth of cannabis in Kaitaia last week.

Suspicious behaviour at a coastal holiday home has led to the discovery of a methamphetamine lab in Northland.

At an age when most children spend all year anticipating their birthday presents, a Masterton boy has selflessly asked for foodbank

Hastings builder Cody Knox is reeling after thieves stole his car and the tools inside it, leaving him without even a hammer for his first week on the job.

Sheep, hills, remoteness and rockets. New Zealand is about to blast off from distant Mahia and into the world's $350 billion space economy.

A magnitude 4.1 quake has shaken the central North Island this afternoon.

A Featherston teenager who turned his life around after trying to set fire to the town's petrol station has escaped a prison sentence.

Charges of receiving kauri gum worth $25,000 have been withdrawn against a Whangarei man.

A Bay of Plenty liquor store owner is fed up after thieves targeted his store for the sixth time in as many months - and says more police are needed to handle crime in Tauranga.

One in three motorists will drive further to buy cheaper fuel, according to a nationwide survey of our service station habits.

The smell of burning food has led to the discovery of a body at a Masterton property. Police were called to Miriam St after being

More than 100 domestic flights leaving and arriving into Auckland Airport have been cancelled due to heavy fog.

A bearded man has tried to bundle an 8-year-old child into his car in Nga, Wellington.

Heavy rain and gale force winds are expected across New Zealand this week.