Latest fromWanaka

'Highly trusted' farm manager jailed
One of the victims of a 'highly trusted' farm manager jailed for stealing $335k of stock and farm items says he couldn't have acted alone.

91yo scores fifth hole-in-one
Glad Cross' golf game started out well below par on Tuesday, but the 91-year-old Wanaka woman finished it on a high after scoring her fifth hole-in-one.

Huge Wanaka development set to begin
By this time next year, the first buildings could be going up in Wanaka's single-biggest commercial and residential development.

Pupils accused of retreat 'desecration'
Eleven high school pupils who posted photos of themselves online smashing bottles and urinating in the yard of a Queenstown holiday home retreat could face serious charges.

No conviction for Otago farmer possesing firearms
A Central Otago farmer - said to be in the process of brokering a multimillion-dollar export deal with the United Arab Emirates.

Windscreen victim named
Police are interviewing the driver of a white four wheel drive in their inquiry into the death of Rutger Telford Hale.

Search for mystery object
A rural road near Wanaka is being searched for a mystery object which smashed through a car windscreen this morning, killing the driver.

Local politician dies while fishing
The body of a local politician has been found in Lake Wanaka, after his family raised the alarm when he failed to return from a fly-fishing trip at the Makarora River mouth.

Massive 'panther' cat killed as pest
A pest control programme on land near Lake Wanaka has eradicated almost 700 pests - including a cat compared in size to a panther - in little more than a year.

Court for couple with child out of school
A couple have appeared in court after their child was removed from school last April and apparently didn't return for the rest of the year.

Lakes Wanaka, Wakatipu flooding threat remains
Residents around Lakes Wanaka and Wakatipu appear to have come through heavy rain over the last two days unscathed. However, with peak levels now due around noon today, the threat of possible flooding remains.

Girl fine after lightning shock at pool
A 10-year-old girl thought to have received an electrical shock during a lightning strike at the Wanaka swimming pool has resumed her holiday.

Concerns raised about lake levels
Predicted heavy rain from tomorrow is raising concerns about possible flooding of lakes Wakatipu and Wanaka.

Still skiing at 85-years-old
On a clear, calm day, there is just one place 85-year-old Wanaka woman Pat Stuart wants to be - tearing around the lake behind a jet boat on a single water ski.

Chicken pox outbreak in Wanaka
It was a less than festive Christmas for some yesterday, as many younger family members itched and scratched their way through the celebrations.

Skydiver killed in accident named
The 38-year-old Italian man who died in a skydiving accident while filming a tandem jump in Wanaka yesterday has been named.

Skydiver killed as chute fails
An Italian man is dead after his parachute failed to open on a skydiving flight and he crashed to his death in front of a horrified Wanaka man.

Skydiver killed near Wanaka
A skydiver has been killed near Wanaka today after falling to his death near the town's airport and landing in a local golf course.

Heavy truck crash spills herbicide on SH8
Herbicide leaked from spilled containers after a heavy truck carrying freight crashed on State Highway 8 near Tarras, near Wanaka, early yesterday.

Seriously injured tramper lifted off Motatapu Track
An Australian tramper with a serious lower leg injury was lifted off the Motatapu Track near Wanaka late on Tuesday afternoon.

Accountant fined for ethics breach
A Wanaka accountant has been ordered to pay more than $26,000 after he was appointed receiver of a failed winemaker despite an obvious conflict of interest.

Fire makes neighbours 'ecstatic'
The Wanaka farmer whose authorised burn-off sparked a massive fire which burned over 350ha says neighbouring property owners are "ecstatic" with the outcome.

Bush fire threatens conservation land
About 40 firefighters have managed to contain a large bush fire beneath the summit of Roy's Peak, Wanaka.