The man who has admitted murdering Christchurch community support worker Amy Farrall, then attacking two female hitch-hikers on the West Coast was on parole and had been out of prison only 6 months.

The 38-year-old man charged with murdering Christchurch woman Amy Farrall and attacking two tourists is due to appear in the High Court this morning.

Slain Christchurch community worker Amy Farrall was given an emotional farewell today.

Murder victim Amy Farrall will be laid to rest at a private funeral service in Christchurch, with guests asked to make donations to the SPCA in lieu of flowers.

Amy Farrall's caring, loving nature and tendency to try to help people in need may have led to her violent death, her friends and family fear.

A suspect in the homicide probe into the death of Amy Farrall has been quizzed this afternoon in hospital while he undergoes surgery for dog bite injuries sustained during his arrest.

The family of the woman whose body was found in the boot of her car at a supermarket yesterday morning say she was a kind and caring girl who loved animals.

A man has been arrested following a police pursuit and a five-hour armed stand-off after two foreign tourists were violently attacked on the West Coast yesterday.

Two female German tourists are in hospital after they were found near Franz Josef with serious injuries at around 4pm today.

A young Canadian couple were killed when their campervan was swept off the road by the second landslide to hit the road they were on, an inquest has ruled.

The spikes found driven into a highway near Greymouth last week have been described as "deadly" by a nearby tourist operator and "malicious" by Greymouth police.

A Greymouth family is in ruins following a road crash that claimed the lives of a mother and her teenage son.

The Wild Foods Festival attracts bold appetites to a great town, writes Anna Leask.

Elisabeth Easther discovers a small town in the heart of the West Coast.