Between bites of Kawhia kai, pause to appreciate the small-town vibe of this coastal gem.

A 10-year-old girl who was critically injured when she crashed into a car had been riding her bike up and down a friend's driveway.

Tairua represents unspoilt Coromandel beauty, writes Elisabeth Easther.

By this time next year, the first buildings could be going up in Wanaka's single-biggest commercial and residential development.

An elderly man who rolled a motorised bike while working on a Waikato farm was flown to hospital with moderate-to-serious injuries yesterday afternoon.

A weed-spraying truck has crashed in Waikato, dumping up to 3000 litres of weed killer into a stream.

A man who died when his motorcycle and a car collided in Waikato at the weekend was part of a larger group returning to Auckland from a tour of the South Island.

A man is dead after the motorcycle he was riding collided with a car in Waikato last night.

Over 100 people in Auckland, Waikato and the Lake Taupo area have been assessed for measles risk.

A gang member wanted on several charges has been arrested after spending eight months on the run, police say.

Police are urging holiday motorists to slow down following the second serious speed-related crash in Waikato in as many days.

Live power lines and a large number of agitated bees are posing problems for motorists and emergency services following a fatal crash in Waikato this morning.

A group of friends have started an epic journey down the Waikato river this morning to raise money for a Bay of Plenty boy with a rare form of bone cancer.

Parts of Waikato will be without power today as urgent repairs are carried out on the Transpower network.

Elisabeth Easther goes in search of animal encounters in the untamed central North Island.

Our national bird may be shy and retiring, but here's a handful of places where you might be able to get close to them.

Elisabeth Easther visits luxury wilderness lodge Poronui and discovers heaven on earth.

Forty minutes from Taupo along SH5, Poronui (Maori for 'part of something bigger') is miles from mobile reception and smack bang in the centre of heaven.

For further information see poronui.com.

Police have named a man who died after an alcohol-fuelled brawl at a Waikato property last weekend.

A man is dead after being involved in an alcohol-fuelled brawl at a Waikato property yesterday.

A teenager who stole a car, got involved in a police chase before smashing head-on into another car caused the accident that killed him, an independent watchdog finds.

On a rail trip from the capital, Pamela Wade is enraptured by the North Island's emerald green beauty and looming mountains.