Matthew Haggart

A new village located 1.5km north of the Cardrona township, to eventually rival Arrowtown in size, has been given the go-ahead by the Queenstown Lakes District Council although developers say construction is still some time away.

A careless smoker may have to pay several thousand dollars to cover the cost of fighting the blaze which threatened to destroy all the vegetation on Ruby Island in Lake Wanaka, last week.

A fashionable return to days of yore at the Cardrona Vintage Fair is planned tomorrow to raise funds to commemorate some of the historic township's early settlers - and later residents who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Firefighters battled to save one of Lake Wanaka's "jewels" - Ruby Island - from destruction, yesterday.

The climbing death on Mt Aspiring of a respected Wanaka businessman and community figure has left many people reeling with shock.

Climbing partners John Pawson and Martin Hill had been planning to climb Mount Aspiring for more than a year before they set off from Wanaka on Wednesday.

An appeal has been lodged by New Zealand's top big mountain free-skier Sam Smoothy to overturn his recent conviction for assault.

A 48-year-old Wanaka man was killed when he slipped and fell 600m-800m while climbing the southwest ridge of Mt Aspiring yesterday morning.

Tourism operators were this week urged to keep a positive mindset and focus on long-term objectives.

Air crash investigators may return to Lake Wanaka to recover the engine of dead Haast pilot Morgan Saxton's crashed Robinson R22 helicopter.

Queenstown faced the possibility of flooding yesterday, with Lake Wakatipu only 40cm from reaching its first flood level warning.

The global credit crunch and New Zealand's recession are not holding back the expansion plans of one Otago businessman.

Central Otago property developer Allan Dippie says Wanaka is insulated from the worst problems of the international credit crunch and national recession.

Occupancy rates of 100% at visitor accommodation complexes do not give rise to any adverse effects that differ from normal residential use, a planning commission in Wanaka heard yesterday.

Some Hawea Flat water bores are still dry, despite rising water levels in Lake Hawea.

A $500,000 trail around Lake Wanaka is back on track as part of a joint council project.

If you've got a flight booked with Qantas from Queenstown to Auckland tomorrow, you should be prepared to share the flight with one very special passenger.