A New Zealand woman was reportedly taken into custody in Cambodia at the weekend for destroying a statue of Buddha at the ancient Angkor Wat temple complex.

Top Gear stars continued to use a car number plate for 10 days after being warned that furious Argentinians believed it was an offensive reference to the Falklands War.

A box containing an old train set - and what was believed to be a corroded mortar bomb - triggered a major police callout in central Dunedin.

Abandoned earthquake-damaged homes in Christchurch's residential red zone are being booby-trapped in a mystery that has so far baffled police.

In the 1950s a Wellington student, later to become an accounting profession stalwart, paid his way through university via newspaper advertisements, writes Bob Jones.

An archaeologically significant early Maori site dating back hundreds of years was disturbed by builders excavating a quake-damaged site, a court heard today.

Margot Woelk was one of 15 young women forced to work at Adolf Hitler's Wolf's Lair headquarters as a food taster.

Archaeologists in Denmark have found a ring-shaped Viking fortress on the island of Zealand, around 50km south of Copenhagen.

Weighing more than seven Tyrannosaurus rex, or a modern Boeing 737, and longer than a swimming pool, a newly discovered species of dinosaur would have "feared nothing" scientists say.

The last word Richard John Seddon uttered as he collapsed from a massive heart attack was "Mother!"

A century ago today, Kiwi soldiers arrived in German Samoa ready for battle. The Herald is live-streaming the national ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary.

Maori Party founder Tariana Turia and former Governor-General and National Party Prime Minister Sir Keith Holyoake feature prominently as political heroes.

The years have washed away the markings on Paddy Black’s grave at Waikumete Cemetery.

A leading war historian believes millions being spent on World War I commemorations will be wasted if it fails to focus on education rather than remembrance.

A young soldier who died exactly 100 years ago has been officially acknowledged as the first New Zealand casualty of WWI.

Film-maker Sir Peter Jackson has been enlisted by Government to curate a temporary World War I exhibition in Wellington.

The ancient Egyptian practice of mummification may be 1500 years older than previously thought, an Australian-led study says.

Archaeologists in Greece have discovered a vast tomb that they believe is connected with the reign of the warrior-king Alexander the Great.

A treasure trove of the remains of hundreds of mammals from the Ice Age has been discovered in a cave in Wyoming.

The first All Black to die in World War I was Albert "Doolan" Downing, a rangy forward who sported a Ranfurly Shield tattoo on his left arm.

The leader of a right-wing UK party was facing a storm of protest last night after one of his members of parliament was revealed to have coached candidates to emulate Hitler.

One hundred gun shots echoed over Wellington today, marking the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI.

The neglected burial site of Sapper Robert Hislop, mourned a century ago as NZ's first casualty of World War I, is expected to become an official war grave.

Some put their Olympic gold medals under lock and key, Muhammad Ali claimed to have thrown his into the Ohio River after being denied service at a Louisville restaurant and others put it in their sock drawer.