Timaru police were on a serious mission when they squared off with a 100kg pig.

Caper, a commuting cat who became a local celebrity in Plymouth, England and made headlines around the world has died doing what he loved.

AAP correspondent Tamara McLean examines New Zealand's quirks and foibles in 2009.

It has been a bad year for the controversial Church of Scientology.

A US man who discovered that his biological father is murderer Charles Manson said it was like "finding out Adolf Hitler is your father".

Visitors to Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World were stunned to see one shark give another shark an impromptu caesarean section.

An old ship's lamp up for auction has been carrying a secret - $22,200 hidden inside by a former owner.

A pastor and his family are giving up their $1m home to help raise funds for their church and a community centre.

A pet cat escaped with only three broken teeth and a fractured jaw after falling six storeys from an apartment balcony.

The father of a man who died in the Mt Erebus disaster says a plan to fly victims' families back to the site is a publicity stunt.