When Albie the cat didn't come home for tea, his owners assumed the two-year-old tabby was busy exploring.

The outsized rodent, which has been named the Bosavi woolly rat, is almost a metre long and weighs in at 1.5kg.

Thousands of children turn out to farewell Kashin the elephant, with the zoo keen to replace Kashin within the next 12 months.

The Auckland Regional Health Service warns poisoning is still possible at Auckland beaches, but lifts its warning on people going to the beach.

Much-loved Kashin buried on hillside where she and Burma used to forage.