Drivers travelling along a rural Wairarapa road could be forgiven for imagining the worst when they came across a cottage perched on the side of a bridge.

Wairarapa farmer Bill Hallett is taking a World War I commemorative march so seriously he's shaved off his distinctive, 35-year-old beard.

A whitebaiter who died when he was swept out to sea at a river mouth in Wairarapa yesterday was wearing a lifejacket.

A yacht which came into trouble in seas outside Wellington this morning is being towed into Wellington Harbour.

Shandelle Battersby checks in to a charming hotel in the Wairarapa's wine district.

Two cars have collided at a Wairarapa intersection today, closing the road.

This Wairarapa town isn't just for wine lovers and weekending Wellingtonians.

A Wairarapa man found guilty of repeatedly raping a teenager and abducting her to the countryside has had his appeal against his conviction dismissed.

Wellington and Northland will not be reorganised into "super cities" but Hawkes Bay will follow in Auckland's footsteps.

Whareama couple Sally Duckworth and Alisdair Ross have conquered the world of marmalade, taking two gold medals at the World Marmalade Championships in Cumbria, United Kingdom, on Saturday.

A team of rural firefighters spent 20 hours battling strong winds, dry, inhospitable terrain and a blaze which took out 10ha of Wairarapa scrub, bush and farmland yesterday.

As hot, dry weather threatens to create a drought, farmers are preparing for the worst.

Elisabeth Easther finds the perfect place to escape the crowds.

As temperatures soar above 30C across parts of the country, so has demand for firefighters as tinder-dry conditions create the perfect environment for forest and scrub fires.

The Air Force says crew on a new helicopter rescued a missing tramper on the chopper's debut mission.

Police and volunteer search and rescue teams are looking for a missing 21 year-old tramper.

A small earthquake shook the lower North Island this morning.

A young man who was behind the wheel of a ute that hit a commuter train in Wairarapa, killing his 15-year-old girlfriend, has been sentenced to 200 hours' community service.

In the ultimate DIY job, Carterton man Paul Furkert managed to splint his own leg that broke when his Land Rover flipped on an isolated farm track.

Life & Style Editor Nicky Park shares her insider tips for making the most of Toast Martinborough ahead of ticket sales for this year's food and wine festival.

A man has been seriously injured after his car crashed into a tree in Wairarapa overnight.

Nearly two years after an Australian tourist died in a quad bike accident, the negligent operator has walked away without a conviction or having to pay a cent.

The vintage-aircraft market was once divided between pilots and aviation museums, but Peter Jackson represents a new breed of collector.