Rebecca Fox

When Hamish Spencer calls his wife an old fossil, it is not the insult people might think.

Underwater flight - looking over a Yellow-eyed penguin's shoulder from Tawaki Project on Vimeo. Bobbing up to the surface of the sea, a yellow-eyed penguin takes only a small breath before she dives down again in her search for food.

Significant rainfall has eased the ongoing dry period in Otago, but some farmers are still subject to irrigation restrictions.

Recent heavy showers may be the downfall of one of the best rose-growing seasons in many years, Outram Flower Show convener Daphne Macfarlane says.

A cold front hit Otago yesterday morning, dropping temperatures by 10degC in the space of a few hours, but it is predicted to be short-lived, the MetService says.

The Otago Conservation Board is now running in the red, with members concerned it might not have enough funds to adequately do its work in future.

Following staff criticism, a new pilot programme is about to start to try to address problems with the Department of Conservation's new structure.

The Taieri River catchment is not ''out of the woods'' yet and recent rainfall has provided only a week to a fortnight's grace, Otago Regional Council chief executive Peter Bodeker says.

A group of American students see nothing unusual about travelling halfway around the world to survey the public about a marine creature they'd never heard of - the New Zealand sea lion.

Severe thunderstorms may hit Dunedin, North Otago and Clutha this afternoon bringing heavy rain and hail as large as 20mm to some areas, MetService warns.

The Otago Regional Council is on the brink of restricting irrigators, with officials saying little significant rain is likely in coming weeks and river levels are low.

A total fire ban across Otago has begun as authorities warn of extreme risk of a major blaze that could take weeks to put out.

The Fire Service has warned one small spark could start a serious wildfire, as much of Otago is at risk of fire.

A Dunedin family home is uninhabitable after fire destroyed much of it this morning.

The Otago Regional Council will stop all water takes from the Taieri River and its tributaries from noon on Wednesday, as the region faces the worst dry conditions since the 1999 drought.