Another slice of Kiwi coastal paradise could be headed for the open market after the Department of Conservation turned down the chance to buy it.

An upstream river paddle is fun and games on a budget for all the family, writes Rob Cox.

Catherine Smith discovers a vibrant dining scene in the gastronomic capital of Northland.

A waterfront mansion built for NZ's most notorious drug lord, complete with helicopter pad and mythical "escape tunnel", is again for sale.

A veteran yachtsman spent two cold, wet hours perched on the mast of his heritage yacht after it hit rocks and sank in the middle of the night.

A vehicle has been seized because its owner had gathered more than 600 cockles - 12 times the legal limit for the Auckland and Coromandel areas.

Up to $10,000 of taxpayers' money was spent on a rescue in Northland over the weekend for a group of Aucklanders "who were not in real danger", police say.

More than 500 people gathered on a hilltop in the Bay of Islands yesterday to celebrate the bicentenary of Pakeha settlement in New Zealand.

The lovely Bay of Islands has something for all, writes Penny Lewis.

A bottlenose dolphin thought to have lost its calf has adopted a baby of another species.

The sky is the limit as a Northland town turns on the charm for a winter festival, writes Elisabeth Easther.

Rachel Grunwell finds plenty to keep her busy on a weekend in Russell.

Danielle Wright discovers clubs happy to welcome you in out of the cold.

Ewan McDonald completes a personal triathlon in the Far North.

Fire services were called to a fire at a geothermal power plant in the Bay of Islands last night.

A New Zealand rich-lister has put his Bay of Islands palatial retreat up for sale, saying he is keen to move on to tick off his "bucket list" of life-long dreams.

History was written here, writes Elisabeth Easther.

Elisabeth Easther finds a touch of Northland paradise.

Danielle Wright takes her family on a vintage steam train along the main street of a tiny town with a big reputation.

Elisabeth Easther finds a Far North town steeped in history.

A pair of humpback whales thrilled tourists in the Bay of Islands, breaching several times out of the water in full display.

Most travellers in the north know Kawakawa as the town with the railway running down the middle of the main street.

A popular drawcard for overseas visitors, the Bay of Islands proves an action-packed success, too, for Geoff Cumming's family holiday.

Feel like a break in the north? Stop in at this bustling Bay of Islands town.

A deliciously relaxing hosted stay in the Bay of Islands broadens Sharleen Heijstra's holiday hot list.

Summer time and the living is made easy at a Provence-style bed and breakfast. Geraldine McManus reports.

Michele Crawshaw visits a luxury boutique lodge which commands a grand view over the Bay of Islands.