Susan Edmunds takes to the water with a surf school - and manages to do without Piha Rescue.

Firefighters are praising a west Auckland woman who rushed into her neighbour's burning house and woke the sleeping occupants.

Specialised search teams tunnel through the darkness to find survivors of the quake.

Gorgeous views and simply delicious Italian fare are getting tongues wagging in the Waitakeres.

Te Atatu MP Chris Carter has struck a deal with the Greens that will see them cast his proxy vote when he is not at Parliament.

For a day of fresh air and fun, golf can't be beat. Graham Hepburn visits Auckland's courses.

Aucklanders could be penalised for not recycling as part of a move to streamline how the city's waste is collected.

The Chinese company that sparked a fierce national debate last year about foreign investment in farming is ploughing ahead with plans to export millions of cartons of UHT milk from New Zealand to China.

Gill South gets her moles checked by an Auckland expert dedicated to the cause.

Exercise, fresh air and new perspectives await those who venture on to Auckland's off-road cycleways, writes Kirsten Warner.

The Rugby World Cup "party central" will be "a destination second to none" and will be ready in time for the event, Auckland Waterfront Development Agency chairman Bob Harvey says.

Awhitu Lighthouse, on a beautiful peninsula on the south-western shores of the Manukau Harbour, has remarkable views of the coast.