Otago's gateway is a hip town of vintage shops and nice beaches, says Elisabeth Easther.

Rob Ashton, soon to join Auckland's Carlton-Cornwall club after dominating Wellington bowls for years, moved to the brink of an unprecedented double at the New Zealand Open at Henderson yesterday.

The death of a 22-year-old student who fell from his skateboard and suffered a fatal head injury has been referred to the coroner.

Two whales, which lived more than 20 million years ago, have been identified by Otago University researchers.

A Chinese billionaire behind the controversial buy-up of the Crafar dairy farms and Lochinver Station says New Zealanders have nothing to fear from his investments in the country.

The identity of the new owner of Queenstown's Hilton hotel has been revealed - and it's the group behind the controversial Crafar farm and Lochinver Station purchase.

A Green Island man was left with burnt hands and a garden shed minus one wall after an explosion during a drug-making operation last month.

Eveline Harvey and her family check into a well-appointed apartment in Central Otago.

These beautifully-appointed apartments in a quiet street offer the perfect holiday accommodation option for families.

For further information see wla.co.nz.

Dunedin police have retrieved a man's body from Otago Harbour this morning, after it was discovered by a member of the public.

The three tourists from Hong Kong were killed when their rental van and a truck and trailer unit collided in Central Otago.

Three people killed in a horror smash in Central Otago this afternoon were all foreign nationals, police say.

Josie Dale contemplates the dark green silence of the Matukituki Valley.

A Maheno teenager is fighting for his life after being struck by a milk tanker near Maheno in Otago early yesterday.

The fire, along the ridge of the Maungatua Hill Range, forced the evacuation of a number of properties on nearby McKendry Rd this morning.

A male pedestrian was hit by a truck and seriously injured on State Highway 1 in Otago last night.

A new incarnation of Shrek the Sheep goes on public display today. The male merino gained global fame after evading capture for six years and acquiring a phenomenal 27kg fleece.

A teenage girl felt so guilty about having sex with a neighbour more than 20 years her age that she labelled herself "a home wrecker" when she was 15, a court was told.

Andrew Louis lives like a king in a deluxe suite.

Somebody call Guinness World Records - we think Otago club batsman Callum Egen deserves a spot in the book.

Friends of a boy buried beneath a mound of dirt ran to neighbouring homes to ask for help yesterday.

Senior students went to the rescue of a year 9 rowing team when their skiff was hit by a powerboat driven by a coach in Otago Harbour this morning.

Dunedin musician Mike Moroney was "a little bit dumbstruck" when he arrived home on Wednesday evening to find that burglars had stolen seven of his stringed musical instruments.

A North Otago man beaten to death had earlier told friends he feared he would be knee-capped over a drug deal gone wrong, a court was told.

New homes being built on the Otago Peninsula could soon come with a strict new planning rule - no cats. But what would a cat ban involve?