The parents of the two overseas students who died when kayaking on Lake Tekapo are still waiting for their sons' bodies to return home.

Firefighters have responded to about 50 jobs as winds of up to 170 km/h batter the lower South Island, with at least one car being overturned.

New Zealand Post is pulling out of six-day rural delivery in parts of Otago and Southland.

Isobel Marriner gets a maritime history lesson amid the spectacular scenery of Fiordland.

Nature displays its art in ever-evolving form. To see it, head south, says Elisabeth Easther.

Police are today still searching for a man who is on the run after cutting off his electronic monitoring bracelet.

In the deep south Elisabeth Easther learns about possibly the most hospitable town in this country, where a new butcher could restore its reputation.

NZ's self-declared "sausage capital" is in danger of losing its claim to fame after its renowned high street butcher shut its doors.

Taxi company Uber says it has no plans to launch its services in Otago and Southland just yet - but that hasn't stopped them offering sweeteners to the public today.

Police and safety investigators are looking into a fatal farm accident in Southland.

A slip near the Otago-Southland boundary in the Catlins has closed the Southern Scenic Route between Papatowai and the Niagara-Tokanui Highway.

Justine Tyerman has a few problems with her conscience on the Hollyford Track.

One person is in serious condition and another has moderate injuries after the car they were in smashed into a power pole in Southland tonight.

Cathedral caves and ringing birdsong - the Catlins astound Jane Jeffries.

Police say they still do not know whether bodies have been found in the car linked to missing Invercargill boy Michael Zhao-Beckenridge.

The vehicle linked to missing Invercargill boy Mike Zhao-Beckenridge has been extracted from the sea and loaded on to a waiting boat, where police can examine it.

A truck driver is in serious condition after his truck collided with a utility vehicle in Southland this afternoon.

A German tourist thought to be missing has come forward after spotting a photograph of herself on Facebook and contacting police.

Search teams have been deployed into Eastern Fiordland as the search continues for a missing German tourist.

The body of a kayaker has been found on a beach near the mouth of the Waiau River, Tuatapere.

A search is under way for a missing German woman in the Manapouri Hope Arm area in Southland.

Most of the 25 cats owned by Invercargill woman Averil Gardiner have been rehomed to meet a court's deadline.

'The time has come for reality to sink in,' said a judge as he ordered an Invercargill woman to dispose of 22 of cats.

A novice boatie died in a cold Southland lake after the boat's powerful outboard motor broke free, leaving a hole in the hull.

An Invercargill woman went to great lengths to hide her face yesterday during a court hearing over the 25 cats she keeps on her property.

Northland Police have launched a homicide investigation following a violent incident which left a young man dead north of Whangarei last night.