North Shore commuters will face extra delays driving home from Auckland for three months from this afternoon.

The numbers of overseas visitors coming to New Zealand in July was up four per cent on last year bringing visitor arrivals to record levels.

Air New Zealand deals with nearly 4000 people in grief a year, some of whom have shared their tales with the Herald.

One lane of the southern link onto the Southern Motorway from the port has been closed after a truck struck an overhead gantry at 3pm today.

A grieving son says he was sickened when Air NZ said it needed to see a death certificate before it would change his flights.

In hindsight, airline passengers may well look back on the period between 2007 and 2010 as a golden age for travel in New Zealand.

Domestic airfares are likely to rise because of Pacific Blue's departure from NZ and despite Jetstar's expansion plans, Consumer NZ says.

Super City hopefuls aired their sport credentials in Albany, north of Auckland, tonight, with promises of free swimming pool access and a marine park in Hobson Bay.

Jetstar is planning to increase its NZ operations with a selection of new routes, taking advantage of Virgin Blue's departure.

One travel agency says there will be fewer cheap seats available now Pacific Blue is pulling out of the New Zealand domestic market.

Budget airline Pacific Blue is to stop flying New Zealand domestic routes.

New Zealand's services sector reported slower growth last month, reflecting weaker sales and deliveries.

Auckland's Southern Motorway has up to a dozen points too weak to support new, extra-heavy trucks already plying the roads.