olivia caldwell

A Queenstown assault victim is furious her offender was able to flee the country before sentencing this week.

Another alleged offender has left the country after his former girlfriend sought to lay charges against him with the Queenstown police last month.

Gibbston Valley chief executive Greg Hunt is confident the winery concert tomorrow will be a sellout, but there are still some tickets available.

Like every good Englishman, Robin Moore is a great fan of cricket and right now the Northamptonshire man is making his way from Queenstown to Dunedin - on foot - in time for his team's test against the Black Caps next month.

Returning once again to the Queenstown Bike Festival line-up is the Vertigo Bikes Dirtmasters Downhill. This thrill- and spill-filled downhill race has become a firm favourite and an event local competitors and visitors come to test themselves in.

Lydia Ko will play three rounds at next week's New Zealand PGA, and is looming as the golfer to watch at the event.

The winning crew mates of the annual Donald Hay Classic say they are thrilled to take home the trophy after more than two decades of competing in the prestigious Queenstown sail boat race.

Wakatipu High School held its annual participation day on Friday. Pupils took part in activities in a friendly environment at the school's fields. The four houses compete in good spirit to start the school year and Olivia Caldwell, of the Queenstown Times, was there to capture it on camera.

The Super 15 season gets under way this weekend, and rugby fever came to Queenstown yesterday, when the Highlanders hit the resort for their last pre-season match.

On the same day two Australian firefighters were killed while fighting the Victorian bushfires, five Otago firefighters took on the job of helping across the Tasman and will begin duty this morning.

Organisers of the second Sunshine Shotover Festival, held near Queenstown on Saturday, were pleased with the the overall atmosphere and crowd behaviour.

Queenstown's fast hydroslide is under construction after sitting for three years without use at the $18 million council-owned Alpine Aqualand.