An investigation has begun after allegations a female prison officer at the Otago Corrections Facility had a relationship with a male prisoner.

Members of the Dunedin police force scaled the world's steepest street, Baldwin St, with the torch marking 75th anniversary of women in the police force

Nearly $60,000 was spent rescuing 38 people stranded after their 4WD vehicles became trapped in snow in Central Otago.

Nothing says Kiwi bloke more than a black singlet. We look at those characters in our culture that have helped ingrain that image

Study shows that Aucklanders are most likely to have experienced road rage than any other city.

A Canadian wept as he was sentenced today for careless driving causing the death of an 81-year-old woman near Owaka.

Investigators seek cause of overnight blazes.

Dredging of shipping canal leads to explosive discovery.

Police are investigating a serious assault which took place on the corner of the Octagon and Princes Street in Dunedin at 1.45am on Sunday, June 12.

Two men plucked from Lake Wakatipu after an ill-equipped attempt to go camping on an island are lucky to be alive, Queenstown's harbourmaster says.

A firefighter rescued a woman from a tree in a flooded Otago river after a boating accident.

Amisfield is one of Queenstown's best-known wineries, and its bistro was started as a way to showcase and support its unique wine in 2005.

Alarm after tuberculosis-positive cow discovered at his farm.

A week of planning and two days of hard graft using a bulldozer was what it took to free 13 4WD vehicles stuck in the snow for a fortnight up the Old Man Range.

Owners were reported to be attempting to retrieve their snow-buried cars today, but no progress has been made.

Driving past the orchards, wineries and small agricultural towns of Otago brought to mind trips through California's Central Valley.

Seven people have been injured, three seriously, in a crash north of Makarora this afternoon.

A group of four-wheel-drive enthusiasts trapped in snow in Central Otago planned on retrieving their vehicles with a bulldozer until authorities scuppered the scheme.

Police are hunting a driver who fled the scene after crashing through a give way sign in Otago early this morning.

A man who helped rescue stranded 4WD enthusiasts trapped in Central Otago after a snowstorm has criticised the police operation to rescue the group.

Uncertainty remains over whether the 4WD enthusiasts who were rescued from the Old Man Range on Monday will be able to claim insurance on their abandoned vehicles.

A party of off-road driving enthusiasts set out in 13 vehicles on Sunday to tackle a notorious high-country dirt track before it was closed for the winter.

A "playground" for four-wheel drive enthusiasts is how one roading manager described the Waikaia Bush road where a 4WD party was rescued yesterday.

Severe weather warnings for country - including snow in Otago region and large swells on the west coast of the South Island - mean mild autumnal days a thing of the past.

Leila George finds out what's new at Queenstown's skifields and down in town.

A proposed $26.3 million trail network spanning 536km will create a "Mecca" of cycle tourism, according to Prime Minister John Key.

A St John spokesman said an ambulance was called to the accident on Harington Point Rd, near Wellers Rock, just before 1pm.