The reason a box of firearms "stumbled over" by a child was partly hidden on the Roxburgh Gorge cycle and walking trail remains a mystery to Alexandra police.

A leading family violence expert is welcoming a move to encourage more transparency between agencies dealing with domestic abuse cases.

A driver had to escape from a submerged car after it went off the road and into the Otago Harbour this morning.

Police are looking for the owner of a box of firearms found in a military ammunitions box on a Central Otago cycle trail.

The winter storm that brought snow and heavy rain to many parts of the South is moving north, but many roads in the region remain affected in its wake this morning.

Snow is falling in the South Island this afternoon as temperatures plunge to freezing in some areas.

State-owned weather bureau the MetService is looking for a site near Dunedin where it can build a $3 million weather radar.

Owner's of terrier swept out to sea near St Clair says she'd "never seen waves like this before" as climate experts warn that NZ coast at is at risk to extreme weather.

Passers-by watched in horror as a ''rogue wave'' surged up to engulf a woman and her dog walking on a Dunedin beach yesterday.

Elisabeth Easther scopes out the many attractions of the tiny community nestled at the end of Lake Wakatipu.

The decades-long battle for Otago's cycle route was worth it, finds Cassandra Mason.

A civil defence response has been activated in Dunedin after torrential rain caused widespread flooding.

Panic set in for the woman living closest to the epicentre of the quake which shook Otago on Monday night.

A person has died following a crash involving a car and truck outside of Hampden, North Otago.

A Dunedin professor who invented the first drainage device for glaucoma has been honoured at a function at the Otago Museum.

The blaze that gutted two Queenstown homes was yet another caused by the poor disposal of hot ashes, a fire safety officer says.

Danielle Wright snowshoes cross-country in Wanaka.

The Otago Rugby Football Union says it is up to rugby to take a stand in the wake of recent abusive and racist behaviour at some matches.

Two of Dunedin's biggest student bars have shut suddenly, and their owner has pointed to Dunedin's ''utterly conservative'' councillors as the cause.

University of Otago PhD researcher Hazem Zohny has warned about myths and "hype" involving so-called "smart" drugs.

Emergency services assess the scene of a Delta truck, which came off McMeeking Rd, on the Otago Peninsula, and rolled yesterday.

An Octagon bar owner insists his late-night venue will not become the latest to close, despite police opposition to a renewed on-licence after a string of assaults linked to the premises.

One-hundred and sixty-five students; 165 nicknames - Alec Campbell, Maniototo Area School's Deputy Principal, remembers them all.

South Islanders will have some reprieve from the cold winds, rain and snow that lashed regions yesterday but are warned to expect more days like that this winter.

Police have called off the search for a vessel believed to be missing on Lake Wakatipu, in the Otago region.

A 16-year-old boy was seriously injured in what police have described as a “cowardly unprovoked group attack” outside a party in Dunedin.

A big scrub fire broke out in the Scroggs Hill near Mosgiel, Otago, this afternoon.

Two men arrested following a serious assault in Wanaka have had charges against them upgraded to attempted murder.

Any hopes of a nude Pirates rugby team have been dashed with the return of most of the senior team’s jerseys.

Fergus Blakiston finds time between lattes for snowboarding on a trip to Queenstown.