A major Dunedin tourism operator says it may be time to reconsider turning away public bookings in favour of cruise ship passengers.

A man who caused the armed offenders squad to swoop on a Queenstown property has been sentenced.

The super-rich are booking into this just-opened lakefront penthouse.

Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher has had enough of the "lowlife who has left their pathetic tags" around Oamaru, including on private and

Bill English's new Cabinet heard proposals on the earthquake-ravaged Christchurch Cathedral rebuild today.

The owner of a Christchurch home where a man posing as a delivery driver forced his way inside today and tied up a husband and wife for three hours has been "targeted" before, a source says.

There was a record downpour in Auckland, a tornado in Taranaki and "quake lights" above Wellington. Oh, and 2016 was likely also New Zealand's hottest year on record.

A bad weather forecast has scuppered the historic Dunedin visit of mega-cruise ship the Ovation of the Seas on Thursday.

Rescuers say it's fortunate there wasn't a double fatality after two climbers fell 200m at Mt Aspiring.

A man posing as a delivery driver burst into a Christchurch home this morning, tied up a husband and wife for three hours, before fleeing in their car.

The two trampers missing in Arthur's Pass National Park have been found.

Justine Tyerman and her husband warm to the deadline-free realities of life on the road.

Four people got into difficulty due to bad weather and windy conditions. Three capsized from their plastic yellow skiffs. One was not wearing a life-jacket.

If variety is the spice of life, this week is set to be a lively one.

It will be another good day for going to the beach for much of the north of the country.

"We had a lot of people both in New Zealand and overseas who couldn't get here before Christmas so we have extended the sale date."

A firefighter has drained an entire town's water supply after filling up a school swimming pool from a hydrant in a small South Island town.

Local runanga have halted slip-clearing operations on earthquake-damaged State Highway 1 and the rail link north of Kaikoura.

It's official - New Zealand no longer has some of the world's most offensive place names.

A Westport man who smashed at high speed into the car of an elderly couple after drinking home brew has "stuffed up their lives forever", says a district court judge.

A cannabis oil cook-up gone wrong caused three explosions at an Orowaiti Road property, the Westport District Court was told yesterday.

It's going to be a sunny one this weekend for most of the country.

A false alarm cleared the Dunedin Airport of staff and airline passengers this morning.

Fire crews are fighting a vegetation fire south of Dunedin this morning.

An Otago gully has been in flames since 10pm this evening.

A German tourist received nasty bites when he crossed paths with a "grumpy seal" at Abel Tasman National Park.

Beautiful Portobello has wildlife, great views and excellent coffee.

There is a severe weather warning in parts of the South Island today, where heavy rain is expected.

Convicted killer Colin Bouwer's bid to block his deportation from New Zealand has been quashed.

An immediate focus was being put on upgrading State Highway 63 near St Arnaud in the weeks leading up to the very busy Christmas-New Year travel period.