Sally Rae

Traditional woodworker Bill Blair has supplied twig brooms for the sci-fi martial arts film Power Rangers, a pole-lathe, shaving horse and grain shovel for The Lord of the Rings, and a half-size trug for Mr and Mrs Beaver and other tools for the Narnia series.

It is a long way from Oregon to Oamaru.

Waianakarua man Dave Hill says it is "most unusual" being able to hear again.

Fancy a piece of roading history? Blocks of stone from the historic Oamaru stone Waianakarua bridge, completed in 1874, will be sold at St John's Church in Herbert on Sunday between 1pm and 4pm.

With some of the bolts costing $300 each, restoring a locomotive is not a cheap task.

A hostel for children with special needs in Kenya has captured the imagination of Altrusa members.

The work of a group of Oamaru people with a passion for textiles is intriguing tourists exploring Oamaru's historic precinct. They include Chantel Jones and her partner Mike Anderson, who moved from Auckland three years ago, as Sally Rae reports.

The home of the cure-all elixir Lane's Emulsion - remembered for the slogan "it's famous because it's good" - is now home to Dutch baker Ed Balsink.

Waitaki Development Board chief executive Mark Jurisich is leaving Oamaru this month for a new job on the West Coast.

Tribal dance, drumming and singing will soon come together in Oamaru's "Spirit of Spring" extravaganza. Sally Rae reports.

GLENAVY: Alexandra couple Bruce and Ngaire McSkimming say they are reaping their Wild Oats - not sowing them.

Oamaru teenager Laura Grundy has people flocking to her for advice on what brand of energy efficient light-bulb to buy.

When Daniela Gonzalez arrived in New Zealand, unable to speak English, she joked the only sounds she heard in the rural Canterbury countryside were cows mooing.

One of Oamaru's most prominent homesteads celebrates 50 years as a functions centre this month.