First five Stephen Donald and fullback Mils Muliaina will carry Waikato's hopes on their shoulders against Manawatu on Thursday.

The icy southerly sweeping up the North Island has brought snow to the hills around Waikato and the Bay of Plenty and in some paddocks.

Waikato, with Stephen Donald and Mils Muliaina playing key roles, have overwhelmed a hapless Otago tonight.

Hamilton police are appealing for the mother of an 18-month-old girl to contact them after the child was allegedly abducted yesterday.

All Blacks fullback Mils Muliaina will return to action for Waikato against Otago in Hamilton on Friday night.

The furore over The Hobbit is the normal process of a union trying to talk to an employer who is refusing to talk back, says actor and director Ian Mune.

Fast boats, helicopter views and thundering water - the central plateau provides adrenalin galore, writes Beck Vass.

NIWA's latest seasonal outlook predicts temperatures in all regions are likely to be above average from October to December.

Weather for the school holidays has been fairly good across the country, despite the current rain warnings in the west.

Waikato is preparing for floods as heavy rain threatens to push already-swollen rivers past their limits.