A 24-year-old tourist from the United States has has gone missing on the West Coast, police say.

Fired-up West Coast-Tasman MP Damien O'Connor says he would probably have crossed the floor in Parliament last night with or without the blessing of the Labour Party.

A large rockfall near Mount Aspiring has closed State Highway 6 south of Makarora until at least midday tomorrow.

Elisabeth Easther is introduced to the beers that are in the market for perfect suitors.

A brief tornado blew through the West Coast township of Rutherglen on Saturday, lifting a shed off the ground and throwing it into a fence.

Elisabeth Easther explores the striking natural beauty of this West Coast gem.

Greymouth police have identified a suspect they believe is responsible for burning a cat last week and say they are confident of making an arrest.

Impatient motorists have been ignoring overnight road closures at the Haast Pass, some forcing the gates open to travel through the damaged highway.

The Greymouth Volunteer Fire Bridge had to be called in to rescue Coire the black labrador from an abandoned mine shaft in bush at the top of Power Road on Saturday morning.

Patrice Gaffaney enjoys the pleasures of a day-long TranzAlpine rail trip through the scenic wonders of the Southern Alps.

Pellets laced with 1080 poison will be fed to trout to assess potential risks from the planned massive dump of the pesticide in native forests.

Fergusons Bush scenic reserve has lost a bit of its majesty after scores of trees were toppled in the Easter storm.

Parts of the West Coast landscape has been drastically altered, with whole forests flattened and the main tramping tracks rendered impassable by last week's huge storm.

A mad scramble is underway on the West Coast after the unprecedented windstorm that cut a trail of damage over 400km from Karamea to Fox Glacier.

A review into the supervision of the parolee who murdered Christchurch caregiver Amy Farrall is ongoing, Corrections confirmed today.