Police have been inundated with phone calls from potential victims and people with information about a Northland lodge owner accused of sexually assaulting young men.

A Northland man who allegedly drugged male tourists before indecently assaulting them has appeared in court today.

A review of how Northland police responded to three 111 calls before a dairy was robbed could change the way police deal with emergency calls and dispatch officers.

The top of the North Island continues to cop wet weather as a band of heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms moves south from Northland towards Auckland.

A Northland man says he made three 111 calls to report suspicious characters in a car outside a dairy - but no police attended, and the dairy was robbed.

A specialist police squad negotiated with a man in a rural Far North home for about four hours before he was found dead in a house fire caused by an explosive device.

Northland has been warned that more flooding and slips could occur with heavy rain and severe gales forecasted over the weekend.

A motorcyclist had a lucky escape after crashing off his bike and skidding beneath a truck in Tairua.

The lovely Bay of Islands has something for all, writes Penny Lewis.

A 68-year-old woman died and three people were injured after a car crossed the centre line and collided into two vehicles, police say.

More heavy rain will sweep across Auckland and Northland today after downpours dumped up to 100mm of rainfall overnight.

A swamp kauri company fined for draining protected wetland in Northland's "black gold rush" has failed owing more than $5 million.

An egg farmer who admitted duping consumers by passing off 2.47 million eggs from caged hens as free-range has claimed the practice is widespread.

A woman who drove to Whangarei police station to report an attempted carjacking was told by the duty constable to ring 111 instead.

A chain stretched across an entrance to the Hole in the Rock scenic marine attraction in the Bay of Islands has been removed after being deemed a navigational hazard.

With the school holidays over, forecasters are warning to brace for another cold week as the main highway north of Auckland remains closed for repairs.

A man from the Czech Republic is dead after he went over a raging Whangarei waterfall in a kayak during torrential conditions yesterday.

Torrential rain last night caused slips which partially closed State Highway 1 as Northland was lashed by stormy weather for a second straight weekend.

A person has died after a motorbike crash north of Auckland.

The Civil Defence has warned Northland to prepare for further flooding as heavy rain and gale force winds lash the region again this weekend.

A 28-year-old mother swept to her death in a flood-swollen Bay of Islands river screamed for five minutes as she clung to a fence but the raging waters pulled her under.

The big cleanup has begun in Northland after wild weather over the weekend caused rivers to overflow, cut off roads, and threatened the region's water supply.