State Highway 6 between Haast and Hawea was closed overnight after recent slips left a section of road south of Makarora "too dangerous" for motorists to travel through.
Several lower South Island Mitre 10 stores have imposed age restrictions on sales of butane products and other national retailers are reviewing their policies on dangerous household products following recent publicity on huffing-related teenage deaths in New Zealand.
Homes were evacuated as a farmer's out of control burn-off flared up dangerously early this morning near the summit of Roy's Peak, Wanaka.
The Wanaka farmer whose authorised burn-off sparked a massive fire which burned over 350ha this week says neighbouring property owners are "ecstatic" with the outcome, as it has mitigated the extreme fire risk in the area.
Fire chiefs failed to cope with the February 22 earthquake response, according to a scathing report out today which criticised them for being disorganised, out of the loop, and failing to support their firefighters who were battling to save lives.
Cromwell man Glen Christiansen knows telling insurance assessors a tornado was responsible for tossing his caravan on its roof could sound like "a bit of a tall story", but fortunately, he has witnesses.
It is once again time for the All Blacks' annual dosage of northern exposure.
University of Otago students William Sams and Hamish Fleming showed admirable coping skills in winning the Dunedin City Mazda Adventure Challenge on Saturday.
Manchester United scaled the Premier League summit for the first time this season after Robin van Persie scored against his old club Arsenal in a victory more comfortable than the 2-1 scoreline suggested.
Since the death of celebrity sheep Shrek in June last year, Queenstown taxidermist David Jacobs has been swamped with inquiries as to the status of his most high-profile "client".
A Mount Aspiring College quadrangle was transformed into a farmyard yesterday as part of a prank by year 13 pupils.
The curtain has fallen on another season of the ITM Cup, with Canterbury taking out the Premiership division for the fifth year in a row and Counties Manukau gaining promotion from the Championship...
Another "iconic" willow tree on Wanaka's lakefront was felled this week, after being deemed a risk to public safety.
With Otago's ITM Cup campaign having come to an end in with the loss to Counties Manukau in the Championship final, ODT Online contributor Jeff Cheshire gives his player ratings for the season.
Demand for the Lake Hawea Community Centre as a function venue is growing, thanks to a major extension, which is scheduled to be completed in February.
They fought hard, but in the end it was just too much for Otago to overcome what was a clinical Counties-Manukau team in the ITM Cup Championship final.
Blasting work at the Makarora slip yesterday proved fairly anticlimactic as motorists waiting on the road below watched just a small cloud of dust rise from the hillside when the explosive went off.
Doubt lingers over when a solution to Cardrona's wastewater problem will be delivered, as a recent suggestion to pipe the township's wastewater to Wanaka places further delays on the release of project costings.
Otago rugby fan Paul McDonald reviews the ITM Cup semifinals and shares his picks for the finals.
The bitter taste of dissatisfaction will linger long after the final whistle.
