It's small but perfectly formed and too good for a flying visit, writes Eleanor Ainge Roy.

A severe weather warning has been issued for the South Island as heavy rain and strong winds bear down on the country.

There is no obvious indication on what caused two skydiving instructors to be seriously injured on Saturday, say investigators.

Police today urged West Coast motorists to be patient on the roads, with the earlier Chinese New Year expected to boost self-driving tourist numbers.

A "dangerous" manoeuvre led to two Queenstown skydivers being seriously injured on Saturday was probably unintentional, an industry safety expert says.

A light plane has crashed at Dunedin airport.

Two skydivers have been badly injured after they crash landed during a training jump.

Katie Burt's ex-partner was jailed for his chilling threats against her. Now her parents are haunted by her death. Rob Kidd reports.

Further mediation at Lyttelton Port Co's container terminal has failed to reach a settlement.

A man claiming to have been kidnapped by a judge kicked down his cell door before police pepper-sprayed him.

The Christchurch City council has nearly spent $1 million on land to create a new car park in Sumner.

New Zealand King Salmon has six farms in the Marlborough Sounds that the company wants to relocate.

The big slip that buried the South Island's Midland railway line near Otira last week has been cleared and the line repaired to allow trains to resume overnight.

COMMENT: After the news of a father and daughter having an incestuous relationship, it's clear the overwhelming issue is surely one of mental health.

The victim collapsed in a pool of his own blood and was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition where surgeons worked to save his limb.

Police have serious concerns for a missing 25-year-old Christchurch woman who has not been seen for more than a week. Lydia Grace

Scott K MacLeod spends three days shivering and hobbling his way along the Motatapu Track.

National MP for Rangitata Jo Goodhew will quit Parliament at the election after being dropped from Cabinet.

Police were delivering flyers about missing woman Shelly Crooks today in Punakaiki and nearby Fox River.

A collision between his mountain bike and a tree means West Coast-Tasman MP Damien O'Connor won't be clocking up airpoints anytime soon.

A West Coast woman was granted final name suppression after she was convicted yesterday on two counts of forging a document for financial gain, defrauding others of $30,000.

A 2am Tinder rendezvous has led to a Dunedin woman being jailed on harassment charges, a court has heard.

Kiwis have not been treated to the usual warm temperatures that January brings, with the mercury sitting lower than the same time last year.

Batten down the hatches, another southern storm bears down on the country.

Four pedestrians were robbed at gunpoint in the early hours of this morning.

A fish and chip shop owner's trip to the bank took a gruesome turn when he spotted an elderly man floating face down in the water near Rocks Rd in Nelson.

A small Southland town has been completely cut off after this weekend's wild weather.

Whatever happened to summer? Cardrona Alpine Resort woke up to its heaviest summer snowfall in living memory yesterday, 30cm covering the base.

Eleanor Ainge Roy swigs, slurps, munches and nibbles through a food safari.

Summer may still be on the cards - but expect the cool temperatures to linger for at least a few more weeks.