36 new constables will graduate from The Royal New Zealand Police College in Wing 262 tomorrow. Their wing patron is Bob Parker, Mayor of Christchurch.

How do you go from being a complete novice in a kayak to rescuing some of Australasia's top canoeists - all in the space of a year?

By doing the Advanced Certificate in Leadership and Guiding at Tai Poutini Polytechnic!

Temperature: Cold start, hot finish - extreme temperatures along the way. Rainfall: Very wet in Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa, Gisborne, Southland and the West Coast. Extremely dry in Northland, below normal rainfall in Auckland and east of the South Island.

Wellington, Feb 17 NZPA - A nude cyclist has taken his desire to ride unencumbered to the High Court.

Nick Lowe, 40, appeared in the High Court at Wellington yesterday after refusing to pay a $200 fine for offensive behaviour, The Dominion Post reported.

History was made at the Speight's Coast to Coast when for the first time, due to severe weather conditions, the Kayak leg took place along the Avon River, running for just 17km from Hagley Park to Mt Pleasant Yacht Club near Sumner Beach.