Weather

Tonnes of lime are being helicoptered into the flood-ravaged town of Edgecumbe to help control the stench of mud and sewage.

Hundreds of people on the North Island's East Coast are now into their fourth day without power following last week's storm.

The government is defending its decision to only now offer Edgecumbe residents emergency housing, more than a week after the flood-stricken town was evacuated.

Several houses are being evacuated in Waikato after a river stopbank burst.

Hundreds of people have joined an army of volunteers to help clean up flood-stricken Edgecumbe over the Easter weekend.

Farmers in northern Waikato say they're having to tell the regional council about rivers flooding, instead of the other way around.

A new slip has been discovered on State Highway 1 south of Kaikōura, closing the road until several thousand cubic metres of material can be removed.

Bay of Plenty farmers are worried it will be months before their farms are back to normal.

Fallen trees and powerlines have closed several roads, but all weather warnings associated with Cyclone Cook have been lifted as the storm moves south.

The worst of Cyclone Cook may be over but there is a huge clean-up job ahead in the coming months, Civil Defence says. Video

Some Edgecumbe residents have been allowed back into their flood-hit town today but many have been devastated by the state of their homes. Video

Christchurch's Heathcote River has burst its banks, while trees and power lines have been brought down in areas of the North Island. Look back our LIVE coverage of the storm here.

A change in track minimized the impact of Cyclone Cook, and for most areas of the country it has not been as damaging as originally forecast.

Cartoon - Toby Morris asks whether New Zealand's run of abominable weather recently might have a common cause.

Hundreds of people who sought refuge at a Whakatāne evacuation centre overnight are slowly returning home.