The house has about 10 rooms and residents were told by police to come down to the front yard.

Queenstown novice Dan Ahwa experiences the resort town's extreme, adrenaline-fuelled activities for the first time.

The mother of missing South Island teen Yuri Santana says her heart is "bleeding" for the 17-year-old.

A man who died while docking a container ship at Lyttelton last year was not wearing a life jacket and was harnessed to a faulty wire, a report has found.

The police have called off searches for Yuri Santana, eight days after he was last seen, but his parents haven't given up hope.

Cell-tower data presented to a Dunedin court has raised questions over the location of a 21-year-old cleaner accused at the time of an alleged murder.

Heavy snow has fallen across parts of the South Island cutting power and bringing down trees.

A new Queenstown house has become a local curiosity.

Police executing a search warrant this morning discovered more than 40 cannabis plants and a large amount of methamphetamine items.

A woman is believed to be in a serious condition after a crash near St Leonards this afternoon.

Samples taken from clippings of victim's fingernails detected DNA 430 times more likely to have come from the accused, court hears.

There are concerns for 17-year-old Yuri Santana, who hasn't been seen for a week.

Two homes in remote areas of Canterbury have been destroyed by fire overnight.

Sales on the first charter flight from Dunedin to see the aurora australis are taking off and the trip's organiser is considering making the flight an annual event.

Canterbury police are looking for two people allegedly involved in the burglary of Rakaia Four Square early this morning.

A car has collided with a tree in Wanaka. A police spokeswoman said St John paramedics were at the scene and had called police

Alexander James William Merritt, 21, is on trial accused of beating to death his boss, 51-year-old Karin Ann Ross, with a hammer.

A man charged with arson after a house fire in the Dunedin suburb of Concord will apply for bail tomorrow.

Sunday brunch has been a shaky affair for those in the East Cape who've been rocked by a "severe" 5.8 magnitude quake this morning.

Police say that no one had been reported missing and no one was overdue to return from sea.

A motorcyclist is in a serious condition after a crash in the Christchurch suburb of Cashmere.

A North American dishwashing liquid claims to smell like 'New Zealand springs' - let's hope they don't mean Rotorua.

Police say they have arrested a 55-year-old man and charged him with arson after a house fire last night.

• North Island: Local election results AUCKLAND COUNCIL - RUAPEHU DISTRICT COUNCIL • North Island: Local election results

Search continues in Bluff Harbour for two divers feared to have been swept out in the strong current.

Elisabeth Easther explores a Central Otago hamlet, population 300, where newcomers are welcomed with a community dinner.

A man has been rescued by helicopter after his float plane crashed in the Marlborough Sounds this evening. The Nelson Marlborough

A disability advocate is dismayed that a prominent rugby player would treat disabled toilets with such little respect.

A man received moderate burns after a pot of oil overheated causing a fire in a Cromwell Indian restaurant.

Police are hunting for two men who fled on foot after the car they were in crashed into a power pole in the Dunedin suburb of Concord this evening.