Christina McDonald

Craft beer was the order of the day many times over in Frankton on Saturday.

It has been an ''odd'' summer.

The appearance of Lake Esplanade could soon be very different, as an arborist's report recommends four ''high-risk'' Lombardy poplar trees growing in St Omer Park be removed and the remaining 17 removed in stages.

A specific request for those attending Waitangi Day celebrations in the Queenstown Gardens on Thursday is to pronounce Kawarau correctly, organiser Leah Webster said.

Minutes after yesterday's Queenstown Lakes District Council meeting began at 1pm, it was adjourned because the chief executive and mayor took exception to what was being said during the public forum.

Wakatipu High School pupils (from left) Theo Baumfield (14), Will Gloag (15), Samuel Kelly (15) and Yuta Honda (15) are polishing their act as they prepare to open for Lynyrd Skynyrd, 10cc and Starship next month.

Two German visitors whose $1400 car was crushed by a tree which had been growing on a Queenstown Lakes District Council park say they have been given $70 for parts, free towing, and a free bungy jump each.

Having extra eyes in the form of CCTV cameras around Queenstown's main centre is helping solve and prevent crime.

Hong Kong cricketer Mark Chapman has thankfully given up playing rugby.

A chance encounter with a Royal Australian Air Force plane was the difference between Air Milford's newly purchased Cessna Caravan plane getting to its next scheduled stopover or having to divert to an airport where it did not have customs clearance.

A ''very, very specific'' climate conference concerning two layers of the earth's atmosphere concluded yesterday in Queenstown.

Climate scientists have been forced by a pair of 18-year-old Australian twins to think about how well they are communicating their research.

When some workers were battling the back-to-work blues after a summer holiday, biosecurity sniffer dog Zeta was tugging at the reins to get back on the job.

''We know we can grow the market'', NZSki's Remarkables ski area manager Ross Lawrence has asserted, as work continues on the skifield's biggest upgrade since its inception in 1985.

Hong Kong made a great start to its World Cup qualification matches with a 17-run win over Scotland in Queenstown yesterday.

Downhill bikers from Australia and France were some of the 60-strong group of racers, which included many Queenstowners, in the Torpedo 7 Coronet Enduro on Saturday.