Australasia's biggest lake offers plenty to see and do, writes Elisabeth Easther.

A girl who broke her jaw and needed more than 100 stitches after a horse kicked her in the face didn't even cry when she came to after the accident.

Traffic came to a halt on State Highway 1 this morning as Waikato police pursued a fleeing driver.

Waikato police have released the name of a motorcyclist killed on State Highway 1 south of Hamilton on Monday.

Next time you pass through Karangahake, trek the Hauraki Rail Trail or visit a farm.

Police say the motorcyclist died after a crash in Rotokauri, Hamilton.

Two crashes - one fatal - have closed Waikato roads overnight. A 30-year-old motorcyclist died on Baverstock Rd in Rotokauri in a crash in the early hours of the morning.

The man, in his early 50s, was airlifted to Waikato Hospital on Saturday in a critical condition, and is now in a serious condition in the hospital’s High Dependency Unit.

A Waikato rural policing review has had to consider how to deal with the influx of Aucklanders moving to the region.

Elisabeth Easther finds this town has much to boast besides its famed giant L&P bottle.

Skiers and other holiday makers planning to use a popular Waikato backroad between Auckland and the Central Plateau's mountains are being warned to expect delays.

Waikato police are urging motorists to slow down after attending 10 crashes overnight.

A woman lost on a Waikato mountain was rescued after contacting her family by Facebook on her phone.

Two investigations are being carried out as to how an email revealing alleged family violence was accidentally sent to students.

A nurse who used a district health board's fuel card to buy $1860 of petrol for her own car has been fined by a tribunal.

Heavily-subsidised transport will next year see South Waikato students bussed up to study each day at the University of Waikato.

A teenager has been flown for specialist treatment after being injured in a crash in the Bay of Plenty yesterday.

Pull on your gumboots for four days of exhibitions, contests, entertainment, food and even art and fashion at Hamilton's Fieldays, says Sarah Ell.

A woman was left with a broken collarbone and head injuries following a late night assault in the Hamilton last night.

A man who beat a police officer to death has been denied parole in his first hearing since he was jailed in 1999.

A Japanese tourist who missed her bus outside a rural New Zealand cave attraction is overwhelmed by the kindness of local people who came to her aid.

More details have emerged about a boating tragedy on the Waikato River that left one man dead and his three mates clinging to trees after their runabout capsized yesterday.

A duck-shooting trip turned to tragedy yesterday after a group of mates were flung from their boat as it capsized on the Waikato River.

Police have confirmed that one person has died and three others have been taken to hospital after a boat overturned on the Waikato River.

One person has been seriously injured after a truck rolled in the Waikato this afternoon. Emergency services were called to the scene at the junction of Waverly Rd and Seddon Rd about 2pm.

A driver has died after crashing a vehicle into a tree, just south of Hamilton, police say.

There were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the man's disappearance and the matter had been referred to the coroner.

Waikato Police are appealing to the public for help locating a 42-year-old man named Jonathan Kinvig, last seen at a holiday park on May 14.

Police were analysing reported offences to look for both investigative and prevention opportunities and encouraged rural communities to keep their property secure.