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Two people were yesterday airlifted to hospital with serious leg injuries following a crash at Hilderthorpe.

After meeting representatives from Texan oil company Anadarko yesterday, Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said he believed oil and gas exploration off the Otago coast could be an economic ''game-changer'' for the district, but Greenpeace says mayors across Otago are ducking the ''hard questions'' as to who really stands to reap the financial rewards.

Farmers using North Otago irrigation schemes are well placed to work through any future dry spells this year, after some parts of the region received almost double the usual amount of rain last month.

Gift-shop owner Dot Smith is about a year away from moving into her very own castle, but until then she can still pop up through a ''secret tunnel'' to see what progress the builders are making.

Plans to redevelop a 1.2ha section of the Lake Tekapo waterfront, between the retail centre and the lake edge, this week drew strong approval from local residents and businesses at the first of two public workshops.

About half the 192 staff made redundant following the sale of the former Summit Woolspinners plant in Oamaru have been rehired as the factory undergoes a modernisation phase heading into the new year.

Police are seeking witnesses to help shed light on how a man was left paralysed after becoming tangled in a boating rope at the Ohau C Camping ground on Lake Benmore.

Lake Waitaki, in North Otago, has always been a popular spot for summer visitors, but one camp site in particular has its own appeal for the hundreds of people who return there for summer holidays year after year. Andrew Ashton examines what makes the Fisherman's Bend Reserve so addictive.

A man caught driving at an alleged 220kmh, while more than twice the legal drink-drive limit, told police his wife and children had left him.

A Christchurch second-hand shop will continue to try to sell what it claims is a small Moeraki boulder for almost $1000, even though some people have asked the outlet to return the boulder to its natural home on Koekohe beach, north of Moeraki.

Efforts to bring first class cricket back to Oamaru are a step closer, after the Albion Cricket Club stumped up thousands of dollars to help establish top-flight facilities.

It promises to be a long, hot summer in Oamaru, if the legend of the pohutukawa tree is to be believed.

A Kakanui vegetable grower says being chosen to supply food for an upcoming royal visit was not just a recommendation for one man, but also overdue recognition for the whole Waitaki district.

Now in its 18th year, the Waitaki Summer Music Camp is still growing in popularity with musicians from across New Zealand - and one top-level musician returned this year just for the fun of it.

Residents and tourists in Kurow yesterday expressed anger and disappointment after the town's most prominent summer tourist attraction was destroyed by fire.

Police in Oamaru investigating the circumstances that led to a man being paralysed after an accident on the Ohau C boat ramp on Lake Benmore have released a photograph of a woman who may be able to help with their inquiries.