Shame over attack on five-year-old in Turangi; surgeon saves man's finger and thumb; fight to keep daughter's killer behind bars exacted heavy toll.
New Zealand Herald
A surgeon managed to save a man's finger and thumb severed during a wood splitter incident. The man had the thumb and finger re-attached in a 10-hour operation at Middlemore Hospital.
A poll finds Coromandel is the favourite holiday destination this year because it is cheaper than destinations like Queenstown.
Waikato Times
Cyclone Fina is expected to hit Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty on Thursday. MetService has issued a heavy rain warning and it's expected to last until New Year's Day. Surf lifesavers are warning swimmers about dangerous rips off the Coromandel coast.
And there's a profile of Peter Humphreys, a finalist for the paper's Person Of the Year Award. Mr Humphreys runs Hamilton's Christian night shelter for homeless men.
Dominion Post
New Zealanders have been sending supportive messages to the five-year-old girl who was attacked in a Turangi campground. Waikato Hospital spokeswoman Mary-Anne Gill says most are saying "please forgive us".
The road toll is expected to climb to eight after two more fatal accidents on Tuesday.
The paper reports on the stag party for Jarrod Aberhart who spent the day at the Basin Reserve watching Central Districts beat Wellington in the cricket.
The Press
Friday's earthquakes are expected to be costly. The liquefaction is said to be on a similar scale to the earthquake in June which was estimated to cost the Earthquake Commission $1.1 billion.
Christchurch City Council chief executive Tony Marryatt is being criticised for not cutting short his Gold Coast holiday after the earthquakes.
Otago Daily Times
A litter of nine five-week-old puppies was dumped in a rubbish bin on a scorching hot day in what the SPCA is calling an act of unbelievable cruelty. It's not yet known who was responsible.
Bevan Smith, the father of Kylie Smith who was raped and murdered in 1991, has died at the age of 60. The paper says the fight to keep his daughter's killer behind bars exacted a heavy price, mentally and physically.
The paper features the wedding of All Black Ali Williams which took place in Queenstown on Tuesday amidst heavy security.
