The lure of gold from the 1860s led to the building of gold mines, remote settlements and remarkable feats of engineering in the hills and rivers around Queenstown.
Passengers should have confidence landing at Queenstown Airport, despite its runway's safety areas being the minimum length allowed, the Civil Aviation Authority says.
A 5% visitor levy proposed for the Queenstown Lakes district strikes a balance between "what we'd really like and what we think is practical", Mayor Jim Boult says.
Two of the survivors of a helicopter crash near the Auckland Islands have credited the calm and decisiveness of their crewmate, paramedic John Lambeth, for helping save their lives.