Moko the dolphin, who thrilled and sometimes unsettled swimmers with his playfulness and imposing physical size, has been found dead.

Heavy rains in the Gisborne area have closed roads and some flood waters have been contaminated by sewage.

Three East Coast families will remain isolated for at least another day after their only road access was washed away by heavy rain yesterday.

Armed police remain on alert after a gang confrontation in Wairoa last night ended with a man being shot in the face.

East Coast Maori will light fires tomorrow in a symbolic protest against potential oil drilling by Brazilian giant Petrobras.

The captain of a fishing trawler befriended by Moko reckons the tunes of AC/DC might be part of the allure.

Opponents say there is no place for oil exploration in New Zealand, but the government is sticking by its deal with oil giant Petrobras.

Nine tourists have been stranded by floodwaters on State Highway 1 north of Oamaru after failing to observe warning signs earlier today.

The director has agreed to become the first patron of Opotiki's De Luxe Theatre, in the eastern Bay of Plenty.

Heavy rain and gales are expected to lash the main islands from tonight, with the MetService warning of one of the "bigger weather events" for some time.