A young woman who has accused a former Hastings jockey of repeated rape, sexual and physical abuse from the age of six, told a court today he began plying her with alcohol when she was about eight.

A woman clung to the side of a cliff face for eight hours after becoming stranded in rising tides.

A new year, a new romance: Actress Meg Ryan and veteran rocker John Mellencamp are reportedly dating on the quiet.

While you're slumming it this summer, others are living it up.

When American advertising guru Fred Mann and his wife Kitty decided to build a Kiwi bach in the Bay of Islands, they picked an Australian architect.

Brand Oprah gives Australia plenty of good publicity but tourists who don't share her philosophy might be put off.

Hobbiton has put Matamata on the map, but with production of The Hobbit shifting overseas, the town's future as a tourist hub is in jeopardy.

Among the 24 state sector CEOs whose performance over the year had been reviewed, six were paid more, five were paid less and 13 stayed the same.

'Somewhere between seven stars and heaven' Eagles Nest in Russell has scooped a top global award.

A New Zealand retreat billed as "somewhere between seven stars and heaven" has been named the world's top luxury coastal hotel.

Police dive squad members continue to search for a Northland man presumed drowned after he tried to row across a bay in rough weather.