David Bruce

Oamaru-born tenor Ben Mallinson is looking forward to returning to the stage of the Opera House, but it will be a new experience despite having performed there as a teenager and attended shows in the 100-year-old Oamaru building when he was a child.

Waimate St Patrick's Church will be "glorious" for its centennial celebrations next year, the chairman of a $600,000 restoration project, John Foley, says.

The salmon population in Lakes Benmore and Opuha has received another boost this year with the release of 44,000 fry.

Shooting of the feature movie Kingdom Come at two North Otago sites has been delayed about two weeks by independent film-maker South Vineyard Ltd.

The Mackenzie Basin could become the world's first starlight heritage site. David Bruce looks at what is required.

Oamaru's community gardens will start to take shape at an open day on Sunday.

An Indonesian man was taken to Oamaru Hospital yesterday after he fell while working inside a transformer being installed at the Benmore power station as part of a $67 million upgrade.

Sam Metherell loves swimming, so when it came to designing a mural, water safety was her subject.

A section of the Tekapo power canal has slumped and repairing it will cost its owner, Meridian Energy Ltd, "in the millions of dollars".

Access along Falstone Rd to the popular Falstone camping reserve on the shore of Lake Benmore has now been guaranteed after discussions held in Oamaru last week.

Two picnic areas in the Waitaki Valley have been rated generally not suitable for swimming after the first round of water quality testing carried out this season by Environment Canterbury (ECan).

From a little seed, a mighty totara will grow - and the first tree in a totara forest was planted in Waimate yesterday.

From icing a sponge cake then eating it, to feeding a young calf a litre of milk, the Waimate A and P Show on Saturday tested children's skills.

When the 12 Voyce children lived at Duntroon, they shared their house with the police station and their outside toilet with law-breakers locked in the police cells in the back yard.