Serene and beautiful. You'll love this place, writes Elisabeth Easther.

A bakery manager called 911 - because he mistakenly thought it was the right number - to alert emergency services to a fire which gutted part of his business in Akaroa yesterday.

A tiny colonial outpost today exerts a big pull on tourists, writes Don Donovan.

Edward Rooney charts a course to the bottom of South Island and across to Australia on one of the busiest cruise ships afloat.

A hands-on cooking school is a delight from paddock to plate, writes Alexia Santamaria.