An American tourist who crashed onto railway lines causing $40,000 in damage while allegedly driving drunk has fled the country as he was due to appear in court.

Doctors' strike at 18 DHBs to disrupt care for thousands of patients

What happens when a town triples in size overnight? Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Whitianga quadruples its population, and makes 30-40% of the years income in the the summer season. - Made with funding from NZ On Air.

District health boards are making their final preparations for the three-day strike by unionised resident doctors that starts tomorrow morning.

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

A car and a freight train have collided at Matamata in Waikato.

They gathered at remote town hall to watch the Chiefs' semifinal hopes being dashed. Hours later, mother-of-three Kim Richmond was gone.

DHB says its offered rates of up to $200 an hour for extra duties during strike are not to induce strike-breaking.

Parked car no problem for this Hamilton contracting crew who found a simple solution to their road block.

Getting closer than 50m to a killer whale could set you back a couple hundred thousand or land you behind bars.

Kiwi yachtie Alan Langdon says Australia was the "best target" after a broken rudder sent his catamaran off course.

WATCH: An extreme water daredevil has gone over the Huka Falls on a bodyboard, an act that has been described as "reckless and irresponsible".

Police are investigating how an 18-month-old girl suffered "non-accidental injuries" after an incident near her Hamilton home.

Two Huntly officers stopped an car that had a passenger in the boot at the same spot as a previous fatal crash.

On average locals in this district won $1526 per capita with Lotto tickets in 2016, more than $500 more than any other area.

But at least they managed to escape thanks to smoke alarms.

The medical condition was described as being something that "just happens sometimes".

Six people have been arrested after a riotous party spilled into the street in Waikato.

Three houses are no longer under threat from a spreading gorse fire in Mangatangi, Waikato.

A Morrinsville family remain homeless after fire ripped through their home just after Christmas. The McRaes are now having to look

Alan Langdon was open about his quest to flee Kawhia so that he couldn't be found - but he didn't mention 6-year-old daughter, Que, in his plans.

The mother of missing Que Langdon believes her former partner is fully capable of deliberately disappearing with their little girl.

A jab for a pregnant woman can protect her baby

The search for missing yachtie Alan Langdon and his daughter, Que, has been completed by police.

A 48-year-old man has been arrested in relation to the death of Hamilton man Tama Retimana.

A Waikato couple are "gutted" over the loss of their twins' placentas, stolen from their meat freezer.

WATCH: A beach-goer says he was amazed to watch a group of young fishers haul in and release a "bloody great" bronze whaler shark.

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

A child recovery specialist arrives in New Zealand today to start sniffing around for clues as to the whereabouts of missing 6-year-old Que Langdon.