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.

Armed police discovered live booby traps, an underground bunker and weapons, including an AK47, during a raid of a property near Timaru today.

Has the mystery of a 100m-long object that washed up on Te Waewae Bay in western Southland this week been solved?

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.

A pregnant woman who stole from her dying mother, burst into tears when she was told she would give birth behind bars.

A judge yesterday castigated a flood of drink-drivers who appeared in the Queenstown District Court.

A string of light earthquakes have hit several parts of the country since Seddon was rattled by a 4.7 magnitude quake last night.

Families of the 29 men killed in the Pike River mining tragedy are standing their ground as they protest against a bid to seal off the mine permanently.

We may be 12 days into summer but the rain falling over the last week isn't going anywhere fast.

A man who saved a young girl from drowning yesterday then went home to get his dive gear to recover the body of a young man.

More wet weather is on the way this weekend.

Police have confirmed a 19-year-old man has died while swimming in Kawarau River on Saturday.

Repairs to South Island stopbanks damaged in the Kaikōura earthquake is expected to cost nearly $700,000.

A Christchurch man who committed a series of sexual offences, including rapes, at ''raves'' in several parts of the South Island has had his sentence reduced.

A major expedition to the submarine Kaikoura Canyon is assessing whether the November 14 quake elevated tsunami risks to coastal settlements.

New Zealand's new Prime Minister is a former farmer and literature student from smalltown Southland who once described himself as "specialising in being boring".