Extra police rostered for Christmas, New Year
Extra police rostered for Christmas, New Year
With just five days to go before Christmas Eve, Wanaka police have plans to boost their presence in the Upper Clutha region.
Marjorie Cook
Business survey paints grim picture
Business survey paints grim picture
One day it seems Wanaka is a tumbleweed town, the next it's like a circus, according to business owners.
Court stops council from opposing own commissioners
Court stops council from opposing own commissioners
An Environment Court ruling earlier this month has prevented the Queenstown Lakes District Council from taking the unusual step of calling evidence in opposition to its own resource consent commissioners in an appeal against an approved amusement park opposite Wanaka Airport.
Dark end to working day
Dark end to working day
Business in Wanaka was thrown into disarray yesterday afternoon during a power outage of about 75 minutes.
Multisport: Whyte to put wind up rivals
Multisport: Whyte to put wind up rivals
Challenge Wanaka defending champion Jamie Whyte doesn't particularly want head winds next month, given that a gale knocked other cyclists from their bikes in last January's race.
Dispute over Snow Park
Dispute over Snow Park
The Lee and Synnott families are in a dispute over the Snow Park skifield on the Pisa Range and will attempt to resolve the issues through a confidential mediation next week, the Otago Daily Times understands.
February decision on Damper Bay
February decision on Damper Bay
Nothing produced in evidence this week in the Damper Bay case has convinced Lakes Environmental consultants to change their advice that resource consent for six houses should be refused.
Development trade-offs challenged
Development trade-offs challenged
Wanaka environmentalist Julian Haworth claims a Damper Bay landowner has "bribed" the Queenstown Lakes District Council to get a portion of the Millennium Track realigned in the hope of gaining development consent.
Emphasis over design control
Emphasis over design control
Any house built at Damper Bay will not be allowed to be an off-the-shelf design and must meet unusually strict and unique design controls, Auckland architect Pete Bossley says.
Taster for 150th
Taster for 150th
Cardrona was bathed in sunshine yesterday for the seventh annual vintage fair in the former gold-mining village at the foot of the Crown Range.
Wanaka struggling to attract tourists
Wanaka struggling to attract tourists
Lake Wanaka Tourism is reporting a challenging past year for its 413 members, as the town grapples with cuts in flights to Wanaka Airport, dwindling airline passengers and the continued effects of the global economic recession.
Volunteers helping cheeky keas go lead-free
Volunteers helping cheeky keas go lead-free
Cardrona singer-songwriter Martin Curtis had been entertaining school children with kea stories for years before he learned about the Kea Conservation Trust and its drive to save the endangered bird.
Skeleton racing: Eustace and Sandford in top form at Lake Placid
Skeleton racing: Eustace and Sandford in top form at Lake Placid
Skeleton racers Katharine Eustace, of Wanaka, and Ben Sandford, of Rotorua, were in golden form this weekend, winning two gold medals each in America's Cup competition at Lake Placid.
Father, son recover after kidney surgery
Father, son recover after kidney surgery
Richie Johnston (29), of Wanaka, is a live kidney donor. He gave one of his organs to his father, Rob Johnston, on November 7.
Yachtsman farewelled
Yachtsman farewelled
Wanaka Yacht Club members provide a guard of honour for Trevor Hawke in Wanaka yesterday as he is farewelled by several hundred people.
Lions give $6500
Lions give $6500
The Lions Club has given $6500 to Upper Clutha Senior Citizens, after the recent successful launch of a 2012 heritage calendar "A Walk in the Past".
Wastebusters sees challenges ahead
Wastebusters sees challenges ahead
Wanaka Wastebusters this week elected a new chairman and board to lead the organisation in its search for new sources of income.
Secrecy surrounds Hobbit filming
Secrecy surrounds Hobbit filming
Up to 250 members of The Hobbit film crew were working on Treble Cone, in the Matukituki Valley, yesterday but those in charge were keeping mum about who was in town and what part of J.R.R. Tolkein's popular story was being filmed.
Paddlers hope for clarity
Paddlers hope for clarity
Wanaka and Queenstown paddleboarders hope to convince the Queenstown Lakes District Council today they should be exempt from wearing life jackets in the southern lakes.
Conservation board totally opposes park tunnel plans
Conservation board totally opposes park tunnel plans
The proposed Milford Dart Tunnel has not found favour with the Otago Conservation Board, which resolved at a meeting in Lake Hawea on Thursday to oppose the construction of a tunnel access road in the Mt Aspiring National Park.