The Bay man accused of attempting to kill two police officers and also allegedly shot at four others is heading to trial.

One person has been killed in a crash near Whakatane this morning.

A toddler has been reunited with its caregiver after it was inside a car stolen in the Bay of Plenty.

The eruption on the volcanic island appears to have deposited material over north side of the crater floor.

An inquest into the forestry death of 19-year-old Eramiha Pairama has begun at Te Uru Taumatua in Taneatua.

Waikato police are investigating how the caravan 54-year-old Lydia Kiri was travelling in caught fire while driving along State Highway 24 near Te Poi.

A former Whakatane man has died in a motorcycle crash while in the middle of a High Court trial where he faced 49 sex offence charges relating to young girls.

Elisabeth Easther's doing her bit to save the kiwis.

Investigations are set to continue into the blaze on board a tourist vessel just off Whakatane.

The quick actions of the skipper on the tour vessel that caught fire off Whakatane this week ultimately helped to ensure those on board could be rescued quickly.

Terrified passengers on a White Island tour boat leaped from blazing vessel into rough waters.

Elisabeth Easther takes a trip back to a time when flight was an adventure.

A man has been arrested after crashing into a police car near Whakatane this morning.

An officer activated their patrol car's flashing lights and siren, but the motorcyclist did not stop and sped away.

Whakatane police pull over driver who was more than eight times the legal limit.

A fire at Whakatane Intermediate School last night caused serious damage to one classroom.

It is "highly unlikely" anyone would have felt a strong quake that rattled an offshore area east of the country this morning.

The school attended by a teenage boy who shot himself in a tragic hunting accident will close on Thursday as a mark of respect.

The father of a 15-year-old Whakatane boy who was killed while out duck shooting says his son accidentally shot himself.

A 25-year-old man is being worked on by paramedics after he was hit by a car in Whakatane this evening.

Justine McLeary and her young family enjoy an adventurous weekend in Whakatane.

A former Mr New Zealand and Whakatane gym owner jailed for sex offences is a threat to "little innocent souls", according to one of his eight victims.

A 12-seater pane with three people on board has made an emergency landing at Whakatane Airport after reports of smoke on board.

Three officers were attacked in two incidents over the weekend - one in Whakatane only ended because a member of the public came to his aid.

It seems the sun always shines on the East Coast, writes Elisabeth Easther.