Andrew Alderson stays at a classic Kiwi cottage on the Coromandel Peninsula.

Susan Buckland gets in some bird-watching at Miranda's sanctuary.

The owners and operators of Pacific Harbour Lodge on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula at Tairua want to sell the land and buildings as a tourism investment asset and negotiate a 30-year lease with the new owners so they can continue running it.

Next time you're in the region, be sure to explore these spots ...

Sure, there's gold in 'them thar hills' but there's far more to do in the mining town than a weekend is time for, find Donna McIntyre and her family.

A 70-year-old man died and two people received moderate injuries after a crash between a motorbike and a car near Thames.

Two abandoned Christchurch houses have been seriously damaged in suspicious fires early today.

A dispute between the Pauanui land owner and a golf club about a covenant on the property has gone to the Court of Appeal.

Clear skies are about to surrender to a soggy weekend - with rain starting to fall tonight in Northland before spreading tomorrow to Auckland and the Coromandel.

Cold nights are lit up with fire breathers, tin lanterns and fluorescent faces, finds Catherine Smith.

Head to some of these local gems next time you're visiting the peninsula.

Climb aboard a carriage to appreciate a potter's decades-long labour of love.

This hand-laid, three-kilometre-long railway snakes its way through rugged Coromandel bush terrain to a tower that affords wonderful views out to the Hauraki Gulf.

For further information see: drivingcreekrailway.co.nz

A man was in a serious condition in Thames Hospital last night after his car burst into flames following a crash in Coromandel.

A judge ordered an American man who caused a fatal crash on the Coromandel Peninsula to pay $5500 for emotional harm and told him "this will remain with you forever".

An American man was due to fly home with his wife the day after the vehicle he was driving crossed the centre line, hitting and killing an Auckland woman.

Danielle Wright discovers clubs happy to welcome you in out of the cold.

A man was trapped in his crushed vehicle about 200m down a steep bank for about three hours before he was spotted, emergency services say.

An alleged kidnapper who escaped police custody in Auckland has appeared in court this morning handcuffed and flanked by two police officers.

Police hunting a suspected kidnapper who escaped custody are door-knocking his known associates.

A 23-year-old man arrested over the violent kidnapping of an Auckland woman has escaped custody.

A woman was kidnapped and driven from Auckland to the Coromandel last night, with the offender assaulting her several times during the ordeal before she escaped.

Ease into tramping with an overnighter at the Pinnacles Hut in the Coromandel, writes Andrew Laxon.

For a fantastic surf or swim, Waihi Beach is the place to be, says Elisabeth Easther.