Wild weather threatens to dampen the wedding of the year in Wanaka, with gusty winds and rain forecast.

It seems someone important is getting married at the Olive Grove venue in Wanaka this weekend.

Another twist in the marriage saga of the country's most famous glamour couple as the pair fly out of Queenstown.

McCaw has been spotted out and about in Wanaka this afternoon - without a wedding band.

Speculation was rife last night that Richie McCaw and Gemma Flynn married at a private ceremony in Wanaka.

Police are "generally pleased" with behaviour at New Year's Eve celebrations across the country and say there were no significant issues or incidents reported.

Party-goers who attended an unauthorised event on Lake Wanaka's Ruby Island claim safety was paramount.

Any of the drunken teens who partied on a Wanaka island yesterday could have drowned, say despairing authorities.

The death of a young Czech man who fell several hundred metres on Mt Aspiring is "tragic", the Mountain Safety Council says.

What will start out as a cloudy morning for most of the country should clear as the Christmas day wears on, but the odd shower is in store too.

The best spots for enjoying a Christmas hamper outdoors will be in the Bay of Plenty, Nelson and Central Otago tomorrow.

A woman lost on a track near Wanaka used the last remaining battery on her cellphone to call for help.

Former All Black captain Richie McCaw treated McLaren supercar fans to a guided chopper flight to Minaret Station yesterday. The

Three young children have been treated in hospital for potentially-deadly meningococcal disease.

A man has been injured after the chopper he was in crashed outside Wanaka.

Farming entrepreneur Colin Harvey has put his 6,639-hectare Lake McKay Station up for sale.

A weather balloon with cameras attached has captured a stunning view of Central Otago from the sky.

The young man who died in a fatal crash near Wanaka had just finished school and was about to start a new job.

Hundreds of people in Auckland and Otago are being given preventive antibiotics

A man has died after being thrown from a 4x4 vehicle when it rolled, while an 11-year-old was also injured in separate incident after her motorcycle collided with a car.

Two young tourists had a lucky escape late this afternoon when they were rescued from Lake Wanaka after being swept into the middle of the lake in a plastic dinghy.

Mount Aspiring College's principal says the school will try to continue with business as usual.

From eco tours to distillery visits, there's plenty to fill a holiday here.

Tennessy Weir checks into a lakefront hotel with a beautiful garden.

One of New Zealand's most exclusive properties for sale is a big Wanaka farm going for $25 million.

A Wanaka man has been charged with ill-treating an animal after a cat was shot.

A woman who drove her child to school while six times over the drink-driving limit has been sentenced to supervision and community work.

A new app by a New Zealand team connects family members young and old in a private, simple space.

Nasa's scientific balloon flight which eventually launched in Wanaka nearly two months ago has come to an end.

Nasa has successfully launched a super pressure balloon from Wanaka Airport to conduct near-space scientific investigations.