Police hunting a suspected kidnapper who escaped custody are door-knocking his known associates.

A 23-year-old man arrested over the violent kidnapping of an Auckland woman has escaped custody.

A woman was kidnapped and driven from Auckland to the Coromandel last night, with the offender assaulting her several times during the ordeal before she escaped.

Dozens of residents in pockets around Auckland remain without hot water following last week's bruising storm, while 500 homes on the West Coast still have no power.

Auckland residents who went without hot water for four days can finally take warm showers again, but some remain upset at how the issue has been handled.

Some Auckland residents have made a cold and dirty start to the long weekend, after being without hot water since Thursday night.

Blue skies and sunshine greeted the thousands of happy visitors who streamed into the Coca-Cola Easter Show yesterday.

With over 10 volcanic craters and cones, Mangere is packed with adventures, writes Diana Clement.

A downtown Auckland shopping centre was shut down as emergency workers worked to stem flooding from a burst water pipe.

Dionne Christian joins tourists on the Breeze for a trip back into Auckland's coastal trading history.

A Go West bus had to pull over on an Auckland motorway in peak traffic this morning after a passenger suffered a medical event.

An Auckland doctor has accepted he breached appropriate professional boundaries, but denies misconduct and forming a sexual relationship with a patient.

Most parts of the country are in for a dry but cloudy few days as a week of wild weather comes to a close.

We've rounded up some interesting facts about Auckland's lovely parks.

Two people were rescued after their boat caught fire in the Hauraki Gulf this morning.

A ranking of 800 international universities by discipline has placed five New Zealand universities in its top 50.

An online tracker to follow the steady progress of New Zealand's biggest dig is about to be revealed.

A norovirus case at Auckland's Baradene College has prompted a warning to parents, but the school says no further cases have been reported.

Affordable housing will be impossible in 85 per cent of Auckland if new planning rules come into force.

Labour is promising to join forces with Auckland Mayor Len Brown and make an immediate start on the $2.86 billion rail link if it wins this year's general election.

Neighbours rushed to the rescue of an Auckland woman's home as rubbish piled up in the backyard burst into flames damaging the next-door property this morning.

Auckland's favourite Chinese festival is celebrated this weekend around the city.

Some Aucklanders say a new skyscraper in downtown Auckland is a blot on the landscape. Others think it's a landmark building that will revitalise the area. Anne Gibson reports

A temporary headquarters has been set up to manage massive crowds expected in Auckland this weekend for the NRL Auckland Nines, Rapture and the Lantern Festival.