Holiday traffic is set to build from 9am as Aucklanders make a break for the regions.

The man killed in a motorcycle crash north-east Taupo on Wednesday evening was Te Wanehi Wakefield from Taradale.

A motorcyclist has been killed tonight in a collision with a truck near Taupo.

A wife watched in horror as her husband's truck bounced off the road, flipped and then skidded about 30m on its side as smoked poured from it.

Chocolatefish Media owner Adele Thurlow shares the best things about her adopted home.

It might be the middle of summer but that hasn't stopped the snow from falling.

No one was seriously hurt in the crash.

The woman wasn't carrying any form of waterproof communication with her.

Most of those injured in yesterday's Tongariro National Park bus crash have been discharged from hospital, tour boss says.

Services will be held in Wellington and Auckland today to pay tribute to former Steel & Tube Holdings Ltd boss Nick Calavrias.

A scrub fire near Huka Falls is now under control.

The 67-year-old was a well known businessman and was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2011 for services to business.

A cyclist has been killed after a collision with a car on the Taupo Expressway.

The shocking state of tyres people are driving on has stunned Taupo police. Senior Sergeant Fane Troy of the Taupo Area Road Policing

A Wanganui woman found the greenstone necklace found on the shore of Lake Taupo

A series of earthquakes has rattled residents in Taupo and surrounding areas.

A spectacular fireworks display off Auckland's Sky Tower and parties around the country herald the start of a new year.

A family of four has been rescued after their boat sank in Lake Taupo this morning.

A weak cold front will bring cloud, drizzle and showers to the country over the next few days but should clear in time for New Year celebrations.

A Taupo toddler with an incurable tumour is beginning to show signs of increased mobility four weeks after starting on a medical marijuana spray.

One of four suspicious fires along a stretch of roadside west of Taupo this afternoon destroyed an area of native bush and came perilously close to a rural home.

Firefighters spent more than an hour battling five small blazes in Taupo which they suspect were deliberately lit.

A woman was playing in the hot pools at De Bretts Hot Springs near Taupo when she collapsed.

Don't let the morning cloud fool you - it is set to be a fine Boxing Day for New Zealanders, with Central Otago tipped as the best place to be.

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.

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

A cordon has been lifted near Huka Falls after police failed to locate a wanted man.

A man and woman who lost their way spent a chilly night on Mt Ruapehu before being rescued this morning "cold and hungry".

Kelly_Makiha_FEB16.epsRACING: Maori from around the country travel to Hawke's Bay each year to compete in IronMaori. PHOTO/HAWKE'S

The signs of summer are among us with pohutakawa trees flowering already and forecasters say the official first day of the season on Thursday will be calm and dry.