A young man spent hours in near freezing conditions after leaving a hunting group in bush near Oamaru, early this morning, drunk and with no shoes.

Wayne Stevens got involved in Land Search and Rescue in 1984, while a student in the tramping club at Wellington's Victoria University.

The body of a 21-year-old climber who slipped and fell to his death on Mt Aspiring last night has been recovered by a search team.

A Christchurch man who was killed by an avalanche may have ignored the risks of an avalanche on the day he died, a coroner's finding says.

An Italian exchange student who was lost in the Wainuiomata bush for almost 24 hours has been found.

A frightened woman who watched her climbing companion slip on ice and fall 300m was helped to safety in a dramatic mountain rescue on Whakapapa skifield.

A woman who was swept to her death in a flood-swollen Bay of Islands river was a 28-year-old mother from Wellington.

Rescuers trying to save people at a house party deluged by floodwaters were abused by those they were trying to help.

To three rescued yachties he's an absolute hero. But Navy Lieutenant Simon Wasley feels 'fairly uncomfortable' about the label, despite his dive into treacherous seas.

Shane Andrews was riding to work across a bridge when a driver distracted by the swollen Waimakariri River crossed the centre line and knocked him into the river.

Three people were plucked to safety from a liferaft after abandoning their stricken yacht north of New Zealand in a dramatic rescue today.

Strong winds off the coast of Taranaki have pushed trans-Tasman kayaker Scott Donaldson even further from shore.

A man who fell 40 metres down a cliff while chasing a wild goat says he's lucky to be alive.

An urgent aid mission will get underway today to drop vital supplies to a kayaker attempting a solo trip across the Tasman Sea.

Five men had a lucky escape when the dinghy they were in capsized on the Waikato river.

A kayaker who capsized in wild Northland weather last night was embarking on his usual 10-minute commute home from work.

The search for missing Gisborne man Duncan Munro ended tragically yesterday for his family when his body was found in a remote area on the Mahia Peninsula.

The body of a missing Queenstown woman has been found by searchers in Lake Wakatipu.

A Blenheim man has been rescued in California, thanks to his New Zealand-registered personal locator beacon.

A tramper has been swept away while trying to cross a stream on the Milford Track.

The parents of the German teenagers presumed drowned in Foveaux Strait are returning home and say they know they are leaving their daughters behind.