Police used a taser on a 46-year-old man who was inflicting injuries on himself at a Coromandel Peninsula settlement today.

MetService has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the top half of the North Island.

Heavy rain has caused widespread flooding in Auckland, Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty with one family trapped in their car having to be rescued by firefighters.

Plant business run by local identities and family home for sale.

Heavy rain and gales are expected to lash the main islands from tonight, with the MetService warning of one of the "bigger weather events" for some time.

Don't put the umbrellas away just yet. A storm bringing more heavy rain and winds is on its way to parts of the North Island.

Police have smashed a major methamphetamine ring on the Coromandel which they say will put a "serious dent" in the illegal drugs trade in the region.

Hundreds of students gathered to farewell their 16-year-old mate "Webby", who died after binge-drinking vodka at the weekend.

A dreadful feeling came over Penny Webster when she saw the police car pull up outside her Thames home.

A line of congestion 10km long north of Auckland and delays of up to 90 minutes elsewhere have hit NZ highways as traffic continues to build.

The Prime Minister believes most New Zealanders would support mining on conservation land if the Government can prove it will benefit the country.

John Roughan writes that the Coromandel peninsula's beauty is not exceptional and doesn't warrant particular protection.

Environmental concerns versus a shrinking job market have left Thames locals split on the Govt's plan to open more Coromandel land to mining.

There will be no open cast mining on Great Barrier Island or Coromandel, John Key assured Parliament today, while under attack over the Govt's mining plan.

Some Great Barrier locals say mining will destroy the island's "fragile" environment, while others say the jobs created will be a blessing.