Stories making headlines around the regions today include a suspicious school fire that has gutted a community and a pair of tourists are towed to safety after a dramatic tumble.
Irongate School pupils return to school today after an arson attack gutted a classroom and left two more badly damaged.
Strong gusts of wind and choppy water caught two tourists by surprise, causing their kayak to capsize on Lake Rotorua yesterday.
A hunter missing overnight in the Kaimai Range was insufficiently prepared, police say.
A brave Wanganui dairy owner has thwarted an attempted robbery by a man believed to be armed.
A 250kg Italian marble statue atop Whangarei's war memorial was gently removed and lowered on to the back of a truck as part of a relocation project yesterday.
And finally, a giant 90ft (27m) pirate's parrot will be the feature hot-air balloon at next year's Wairarapa Balloon Festival.