A 15-year-old girl has drowned after her paddleboard was swept under a boat by a strong current and wind at Whangamata this afternoon.

Matt Boggs' carefully laid plan to propose to his girlfriend at one of her favourite places in Whangamata nearly sank when his old wave ski started taking on water.

Danielle Wright discovers clubs happy to welcome you in out of the cold.

Donna McIntyre escapes the city on a campervan holiday.

A fully equipped motorhome has replaced a canvas tent in Sarah Lawrence's holiday affections

Waikato police are investigating an incident in which a bolt was fired through a glass ranch slider at an elderly woman's Whangamata home early today.

Two quick-thinking bystanders barricaded a rampaging, axe-wielding man inside a Whangamata bank until police arrived.

A staff member was trapped inside Whangamata BNZ as an axe-wielding man smashed its windows and counter this morning, police say.

Don't let the cold weather keep you from the royal waves.

It may be renowned for its waves, but Whangamata has other temptations.

A coastguard veteran suffered serious burns and a broken jaw in an explosion on his boat at the weekend.

Police are hoping the good behaviour at this weekend's Beach Hop in Whangamata continues as people head home.

A runabout reported missing off the Coromandel coast may not have logged its return and was probably never in trouble, say police.

In the 1950s, high-profile American surfers and their camera crews broadened their search for the perfect wave beyond their home beaches.