At Waihi Beach, Elisabeth Easther discovered that it is possible for the busy minded to unwind, if placed in the right hands.

As mining makes a political comeback Catherine Masters finds strong local opposition to the prospect of a Northland gold rush

Wayne Thompson cycles the Karangahake Gorge section of Nga Haerenga and finds marvels of a bygone era.

If modern life is a battlefield, then everyday etiquettes are the mines hidden across it, many laid where you least expect them. So why, asks Greg Dixon, do people not tread more carefully?

Two young brothers found in open water yesterday had no VHF, no GPS, didn't say where they were going and didn't know how to use the old flares they had on board.