On the trail of NZ slime moulds
Dunedin has many international claims to fame but its notoriety as the New Zealand capital of slime mould research makes it the place to be for myxomycologists the world over.
James Beech
Question time for civic leader
Question time for civic leader
Dunedin Mayor Peter Chin is quizzed by pupil Danielle Collins (9) and her classmates during a visit to Halfway Bush School yesterday.
Luxury the end product
Luxury the end product
Exclusive luxury travel, accommodation and activity tourism providers in Queenstown will promote their wares to international buyers at a three-day tourism event starting today.
Helicopter firms rush for landing rights
Helicopter firms rush for landing rights
Queenstown helicopter operators have flooded Lakes Environmental with 500 resource consent applications for landing sites that some of the operators have been using for 20 years.
Helicopter consent costs vary widely
Helicopter consent costs vary widely
Lakes Environmental says the costs of the resource consent applications by Queenstown Lakes District helicopter operators for landing sites will "vary considerably, depending on the work required on each consent".
Three-hour wait after bluff fall
Three-hour wait after bluff fall
A Uruguayan visitor to Queenstown was forced to hang on to a tree for three hours in rain and wind until her cries for help were heard and emergency services rescued her on Thursday night.
Golf: Queenstown `able to cope' with changed Open date
Golf: Queenstown `able to cope' with changed Open date
Queenstown should be able to cope with more than 35,000 extra visitors if the New Zealand Golf Open is moved to mid-March next year, the resort's tourism marketing organisation say.
Ski sale grosses $179,000
Ski sale grosses $179,000
Queenstown was buzzing with community activities over the weekend as thousands of residents and visitors descended on second-hand book and ski-gear sales and garage sales.
Family honours war veteran
Family honours war veteran
The grand-niece of honoured Corporal John McBride says the unmarked grave in Frankton Cemetery was not known to be the final resting place of the American Civil War veteran and Queenstown pioneer until recent research confirmed it.
Uruguayan visitor keeps rescue quiet, for now
Uruguayan visitor keeps rescue quiet, for now
Lucky Uruguayan tourist Patricia Flores says she will tell her parents about her three-hour ordeal of hanging on to a tree and screaming to be rescued - but only when she is safely at home this week.
Plaque for Irish settler
Plaque for Irish settler
More than 70 descendants, relatives and guests gathered for the dedication of a memorial plaque to American Civil War veteran and adopted Wakatipu son John McBride in the Frankton Cemetery on Saturday.
14% of footpath tiles cracked
14% of footpath tiles cracked
Contactors revamping Queenstown's Camp St will have to replace 14% of the new paving tiles laid since February after they were found to have cracked after exposure to wet weather.
Residents out to silence choppers
Residents out to silence choppers
Arthurs Pt residents are calling on Queenstown Lakes District Council to decline a tourist operator's resource consent application to alter its helicopter activity on a neighbourhood helipad and to declare the original consent invalid.
Helipad consent concerns voiced at meeting
Helipad consent concerns voiced at meeting
More than 40 Arthurs Point residents turned out on Tuesday night to protest against Totally Tourism Ltd's attempt to change its resource consent for landing at the helipad at 160 Arthurs Point Rd.
Festival contract for review
Festival contract for review
The contract for the Lakes District Summerdaze Festival is likely to be discussed behind closed doors by a Queenstown Lakes District Council subcommittee today.
Retailer forced out by mall rent
Retailer forced out by mall rent
Another independent Queenstown retailer says she has been forced to find new premises in the face of rising rents in the central business district.
Council shelves playground
Council shelves playground
The proposed children's playground upgrade at Queenstown Bay has been put on hold for "further study and consideration for the Long Term Community Council Plan", a Queenstown Lakes District Council subcommittee resolved yesterday
Helicopter submissions to close this month
Helicopter submissions to close this month
Queenstown Lakes District residents have until June 30 to lodge their submissions on an application by a commercial helicopter operator to land and take off from 119 sites across the area.
Bungy operation approved
Bungy operation approved
A certificate of compliance for a $3 million bungy cablecar system and its operation has been granted by the Queenstown Lakes District Council.
Lawyer to pursue tree challenge
Lawyer to pursue tree challenge
The lawyer who challenged the Queenstown Lakes District Council's right to permit the felling of exotic trees at Fernhill says he will examine the Ben Lomond reserve management plan to see if it supports the residents group's protest or the developer's application.