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.

Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull has rubbished claims a state of emergency should have been declared after this week's one-in-100-year flood.

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.

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.

Residents are weighing up their next move after consent was given for a child-care centre which they fear will ruin their quiet Dunedin street.

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.

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.

A woman who was supplying an underground cannabis culture was a valued member of the community who gave any proceeds of her drug-dealing to charity.

Pirates' senior rugby team is facing the prospect of a nude alternative strip after its playing kit was stolen at the weekend.

A 19-year-old woman driving a ute which skidded off the road and rolled into a paddock has told of the panicked minutes before she was rescued.

The investigation into missing boy Mike Zhao-Beckenridge and his stepfather John Beckenridge will not be closed, despite police referring the case to the coroner.

Ski fields around the country are experiencing their first rounds of snowfall for the year and some could be in for a snowier season than last year.

A driver was allegedly almost five times the new drink-drive limit when stopped by Queenstown police on Sunday.

Queenstown Airport has topped a list of the world's most stunning airport approaches.