Mark Price

South Westland's two most remotely-located celebrities have voiced their opposition to a road being built between Haast and the Hollyford Valley in Fiordland.

The company proposing a 127km toll road through South Westland from Haast to the Hollyford Valley is aiming to make a start before next year's general election - just in case there is a change of government.

A bright, ''sparkly'' silver object seen falling from the western sky on Sunday afternoon was probably a rarely seen daylight meteor.

Two reports have emerged this morning of an unidentified flying object over the west of the South Island yesterday afternoon.

The Westland District Council's property company can expect more questions later this month over where it is getting the money for investigations into the 127km Haast-Hollyford highway proposal.

Take a lean aluminium jet-boat hull designed for racing; swap its heavyweight V8 engine for the gas turbine from a helicopter and you have what Regan Williamson (35), of Queenstown, has - a jet-boat that just might be the fastest in the country.

Many more Wanaka residents than usual will find themselves on the front line of the Otago Regional Council's battle against rabbits this winter.

A burnt pork chop and a mediocre salad have ended Tarras farmer Jonny Trevathan's run on television cooking show MasterChef but there is a ''but''.

Two southern volunteer firefighters who have raced up the 1103 steps of Auckland's 328m Sky Tower are moving on to something even tougher.

Wanaka's World War 2 Hawker Hurricane P3351 fighter plane has been dismantled and shipped to a new owner in France.