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.

A man has died after falling several hundred metres on to the Therma Glacier at Mt Aspiring.

Queenstown and Wanaka are expected to be the hottest.

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.

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.

Police name the victim of yesterday's fatal crash in Wanaka.

A car has collided with a tree in Wanaka. A police spokeswoman said St John paramedics were at the scene and had called police

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.

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.

A much anticipated test flight for a Nasa super pressure balloon at Wanaka Airport has been cancelled today.

A defecating Wanaka burglar has been sentenced to almost two years' jail and ordered to pay$3000 reparation to victims of his New Year crime spree.

The 400m long, 100m high display, created by 800 litres of fuel and about 2km of wiring, will end the airshow at this year's Warbirds Over Wanaka.

A Wanaka woman says she experienced her "worst nightmare'' when her horse was left bloodied and dying after being tied to a tree by a stranger.