NZ@Noon: A road trip kitty and a gum thief

This kitten went on a rather large adventure.

A stowaway kitten hitches a 70km ride and a Whangarei butcher is busted with $25,000 of stolen kauri gum are just two of the stories making headlines around the regions today.

Find out how a 12-week-old kitten hitched a 70km ride to Palmerston North.

A Whangarei butcher denies knowing that the $25,000 worth of kauri gum found in his possession was stolen.

Stranded Chinese tourist will continue her cycle tour of New Zealand thanks to the generosity of Wairarapa people.

Plans for an $18.5 million hotel development on the shores of Lake Rotorua hit a snag after land was sold.

Holidaymakers at Clifton turned firefighters to help put out a threatening fire near their camp.

A proposal to mine the Bay of Plenty seabed between Waihi Beach and Bowentown has created concerns at the implications for the area's "pristine" beaches.