Latest from Taupo

Fleeing shoplifters leave three children behind
A mother and a man abandoned three children after the pair were caught shoplifting at Taupo's Pak'n Save supermarket.

AA: Safer roads, cars will reduce toll
Roads and vehicles must be "more forgiving" to curb a road toll which averages more than one death a day, the AA says. Figures released by the Ministry of Transport today show 371 people died on the roads over the past year.

Second rowing official falls foul of road rules
A foreign rowing official who was caught by police driving over 80 km/h over the speed limit has had the charges dropped.

Taupo quakes not unusual - expert
A "little swarm" of four small earthquakes near Taupo yesterday was not unusual or concerning, a seismologist says.

Taupo: Laid back by the lakeside
Wine, food, scenery ... Joelle Thomson samples the more sedate pleasures Taupo offers its visitors.

Green light for Contact's Taupo geothermal plans
Plans to build New Zealand's biggest geothermal power station are a step closer to reality, with Contact winning draft approval for its 250 megawatt Tauhara station.

Hunter charged after woman's death
A Hamilton man will appear on court on a firearm charge after the death of a woman near Taupo last night.

The ride of your life
The Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge is a mammoth event. Phil Taylor shares his experience.

And for the off-road brigade ...
This is the third year the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge has offered a parallel mountainbike event. I did the first one in 2008.

Officer's bravery honoured
A 10-year-old boy says he would have died without the brave actions of an off-duty police officer who pulled him from a burning wreck.

Weather Watch: The cold snap
The weather isn't always a headline maker but it certainly affects us more than many of the news stories that we read about each day.