Summer Times

Famous for stunning setting, massive eels

Chances are when you hear the words jetty and Lake Rotoiti, an image will come to mind of a jetty jutting out into glacier-fed waters while being dwarfed by soaring snow-capped peaks.

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Photos of the year: Gerard O'Brien

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Photos of the year: Gerard O'Brien

It was a long drive to Tekapo in April to find this 1934 Sentinel steam truck on its way to Wānaka.

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Still got it, after all these years...

Retired firefighter Errol Thompson stands on the Merryweather ladder truck, holding a model of...

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Still got it, after all these years...

This turntable-ladder fire truck turned heads in 1968, Steve Hepburn reports.

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Variety the spice of police life

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Variety the spice of police life

From chasing a runaway hearse to planning for St Patrick’s Day mayhem, the life of a Dunedin police officer is rarely dull.

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Love of Panthers gift from mum

Nathan Cleary (right) of the Panthers poses with the Provan-Summons Trophy alongside his father...

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Love of Panthers gift from mum

ODT sports editor Hayden Meikle explains why he is not a Warriors fan.

Refreshment stop, mid-60s style

Tokomairiro District High School pupils outside the Tarras store in 1965, on a stop during a bus...

Refreshment stop, mid-60s style

During 2025, staff at Hocken Collections added thousands of images to the Digital Collections website, most of them never previously seen online.

Prawn skewers with zucchini, lime and chilli

Prawn skewers with zucchini, lime and chilli

Skewers are great entertaining food, easy to prepare in advance so you can cook them at the last minute and enjoy.

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Under fire in an old chicken coop

Balclutha’s historic indoor range. Photo: Nick Brook

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Under fire in an old chicken coop

You can always count on Clutha for a creepy shed, so Clutha Leader reporter Nick Brook took a long shot at demystifying an old chicken coop.

Perfect bay for a diversion, mint swim

My first glimpse of Gore Bay was a pretty epic one.

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Baby blues caught eye, captured heart

Hannah Mackay-Wright. PHOTO: LINDA ROBERTSON

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Baby blues caught eye, captured heart

Many sports fans support teams that represent their region.

Pizza fritta with sugo, salumi XO and mozzarella

MasterChef contestants often draw on their heritages when creating their masterpieces for the television show.

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Ceramic bulldogs tickle Proctor’s fancy

Proctor Auctions owner Ronnie Proctor with two of his favourite pieces in his ceramic bulldog...

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Ceramic bulldogs tickle Proctor’s fancy

Collecting runs in the family for Proctor Auctions owner Ronnie Proctor, Laine Priestley reports.

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Celebrating the relief of Mafeking

A jubilant crowd, estimated at 30,000-40,000, throngs Dunedin's Octagon, on May 18, 1900,...

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Celebrating the relief of Mafeking

In a six-part series, Mike Houlahan looks back at how the Otago Daily Times covered burning issues of yesteryear. Today he looks at how the newspaper reacted to a major event in the Boer War.

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Fandom started with an amazing catch

Odell Beckham, of the New York Giants, scores a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys, in New...

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Fandom started with an amazing catch

Oamaru reporter Nic Duff explains how he came to follow an underwhelming NFL team.

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Summer Times

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Summer Times

Over the next three weeks, the Otago Daily Times runs its annual Summer Times section.

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Waitangi Day, but not as we know it

George Ellison (right), a direct descendant of Korako, who signed the copy of the original Treaty...

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Waitangi Day, but not as we know it

Mike Houlahan looks back at how the ODT covered burning issues of yesteryear. Today: how the newspaper covered the very first Waitangi Day celebrations.

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‘Death Stranding 2’ the pick of the bunch in 2025

Ghost of Yotei, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach and Herdling were among Ben Allan’s video game...

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‘Death Stranding 2’ the pick of the bunch in 2025

The follow-up to the downright nutty Death Stranding stood out, amid an industry in crisis, for video game reviewer Ben Allan in 2025.

Captivated by a jewelled gecko

Jewelled geckos on Otago Peninsula. Photo: Carey Knox

Captivated by a jewelled gecko

Anna Yeoman, a conservation ranger at the Mokomoko Dryland Sanctuary near Alexandra, describes the battle to protect New Zealand’s exquisite jewelled gecko from ruthless poachers and predators.

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