Christina McDonald

Instead of taking a summer holiday, Queenstown Ice Arena co-owners and brothers Ted and Daniel Graham are taking turns painting the rink's ceiling and doing other necessary maintenance.

Queenstown police have handed over nearly 1600 items of opened mail - along with 700 unopened items - to New Zealand Post for delivery this Sunday.

While Thijs Hubber, of Queenstown, was the first man home after the second triathlon in the Outside Sports Ultimate Tri Series on Saturday, it was a hard-fought battle in which the second and third placegetters were serious contenders.

For the millions of visitors who make Queenstown their holiday destination, the resort's scenery is effortless - but this is not so for a dedicated group of wilding pines volunteers.

Due to wet weather dampening the enthusiasm of revellers and the presence of extra police officers in Queenstown during the new year period, the CCTV system was not called upon, Sergeant Steve Watt said.

Ask Hamish McCrostie about his 32 years with NZSki and its predecessor the Mt Cook Company and pride is a common theme.

An event ''more religious than Christmas'' for Deana Irvine, of High Country Horses, was held in scorching temperatures amid thousands of spectators on Saturday.

Two United States-based business developers and a Queenstown businessman have been recommended as the preferred developers for the proposed $10 million Frankton Marina.

More undelivered mail has been handed in to Queenstown police as it has emerged Wakatipu residents lodged more than 300 missing mail complaints to New Zealand Post over two years.

It is ''inevitable'' that the number of applications for special assessment conditions under NCEA will increase when a documentary directed by the son of a Hollywood actor about dyslexia is made widely available, Dyslexia Foundation of New Zealand chairman of trustees Guy Pope-Mayell says.

Defending champion Oska Inkster-Baynes recorded a clear win over both the Kingston Flyer vintage steam train and his closest rival, Daniel Balchin, yesterday.

The 31 Plunket babies from Queenstown and surrounding areas born in September, which is literacy month, have received a book from service club Altrusa.

The '70s - a decade of alternative living and wild parties - has been relaunched on the waters of Lake Wakatipu.