Tim Miller

Monday will mark the start of the final stage in the long and costly consent process for the proposed lakeside Wanaka Watersports Facility.

It is not just Wanaka's tourism businesses benefiting from the influx of visitors at this time of year, the town's recycling centre is busier than ever.

Piles of recycling built up outside the Queenstown Lakes District Council's Maungawera Rd refuse and recycling drop-off station on Wednesday night.

Potentially dangerous power poles in Upper Clutha camping grounds are being checked regularly by lines company staff over the holidays.

Many overseas visitors to the Upper Clutha in the past week have been caught out by the lack of space at the district's camping grounds, camp ground managers say.

Safety conscious lake users and not so great weather have resulted in an almost incident-free holiday period on the three largest lakes in the Queenstown Lakes district, the harbourmaster says.

New Year's Eve party-goers packed into Wanaka's bars and lakefront to celebrate for one last time in 2016.

A Lake Hawea volunteer firefighter (right) hoses down a four-wheel-drive van that crashed and flipped down a bank on State Highway 6 about 10km north of Lake Hawea township.

Tents line the camping site on the first day of the Rhythm and Alps festival yesterday afternoon.

An unauthorised party on Lake Wanaka’s Ruby Island on Thursday was far more organised than it is being portrayed, partygoers say, but others remain angry.

Czech authorities in Australia are still trying to contact the family of the man who fell to his death on Mt Aspiring on Wednesday.

Thousands of festival-goers are expected to make their way to the Cardrona Valley in the next two days for the Rhythm and Alps music festival.

An experienced mountain guide says the area on Mt Aspiring where a Czech climber fell to his death is considered a relatively easy route to climb.

Fred Muir reckons in the ''60 odd'' years he has been involved with the Hawea Picnic Racing Club he has had a go a every job except secretary.

A man has fallen to his death from the north-west ridge of Mt Aspiring.

The Queenstown Fire Brigade spent nearly an hour at The Spire Hotel yesterday, after a small fire in one room.

Thousands of visitors will stream in to Wanaka this summer and many of them will be helping local businesses without knowing it.