Hamish McNeilly

The birth of a sea lion on a popular Dunedin dog-walking beach had Department of Conservation staff constructing a temporary fence to protect the mother and pup yesterday.

Last year had the second-lowest annual road toll for the Southern police district in the past 14 years, a result which has pleased the man in charge of policing the South's roads.

More than 7000 people, the equivalent of about 20 Boeing 747-400 passenger manifests, arrived in Dunedin on three cruise ships yesterday morning.

An influential Asian travel site has picked Dunedin as one of six must-see destinations for 2012.

An expected Dunedin tourism boom from the Rugby World Cup last year was tempered by the ongoing impact of the Christchurch earthquakes.

Three teenagers were spared an uncomfortable night on Bird Island, off the coast of Tomahawk, last night after being spotted by members of the public.

Original vinyl albums are fetching upwards of $100, as collectors eye a piece of Dunedin music history.

A mass mailout to Dunedin households is about to begin, to remind Freeview HD viewers to retune their TV sets later this month.

A smartphone helped police outsmart a would-be burglar in Dunedin on Tuesday night.

Police twice abandoned a high-speed pursuit after a lowered car raced off in a shower of sparks on the wrong side of the Southern Motorway in Dunedin, early yesterday.

A Dunedin octogenarian who has clocked up thousands of kilometres on a rowing machine, has also picked up a surprising new habit.

Concerned Baldwin St residents contacted police last night after watching people skateboard down the world's steepest street.

The work of Dunedin-based television company NHNZ will feature on New Zealand free-to-air television this year, with a documentary on the mysterious origins of the country's animals to screen this month.

Critically low waterways across Otago have led to some mass strandings of trout.

Dunedin's driest December on record has resulted in a busy new year for water haulage companies, while council staff continue to monitor water levels as holidaymakers return.

It was smoke on the water and fire in the eyes for a newlywed couple, who toasted their nuptials with some one-of-a-kind wedding snaps.

Any cruise ship visit delays or cancellations were unfortunate, but the frequency of schedule changes was not on the rise, the Port Otago commercial manager says.