Tracey Roxburgh

Pupils in Queenstown dug deep on Friday, doing their bit to help victims of the Christchurch earthquake.

More than 50 varieties of "cottage plants", including historic roses, were planted around the 140-year-old Millers Flat Church on Friday as part of the landscaping plan for the restored building.

Randall Russo is one of the lucky ones. The 38-year-old, who hails from New York, arrived in Queenstown on Wednesday night from Christchurch after deciding enough was enough.

An "unexpectedly low" number of sales were recorded in Queenstown for January - a theme that was common across most regions in New Zealand, Real Estate Institute of New Zealand Queenstown spokesman Adrian Snow said.

The tiny Gibbston community turned out in force on Monday night to celebrate its recent win in the 2011 New Zealander of the Year Awards.

Up to 800 items - including several sourced by Bayleys Queenstown - will go up for sale tomorrow in one of the biggest online auctions ever seen in New Zealand.

Members of Queenstown's gay and lesbian community have formed a society, and hope to attract enough members to be able to organise a summer mardi gras.

The Queenstown Lakes District Council has spent more than $320,000 in legal fees and litigation costs over the strategic alliance between the Queenstown Airport Corporation and Auckland International Airport Ltd, creating an "unfavourable variance" in the budget, which is expected to only get worse.

Before Sunday, Daryl Hobman, of Auckland, had never been to Queenstown. But after winning a two-day trip through an Auckland Airport and House of Travel competition, Ms Hobman and her long-time friend Cristeen Smith, of Te Atatu, plan on coming back next month.

Runway lights at Queenstown Airport will be operational by the end of June, maximising the airport's operating hours and reducing the number of flight diversions.