Tracey Roxburgh

The North American Welsh Choir (left) performed to a capacity crowd at St Peter's Parish in Queenstown on Saturday night in the final performance of its 2011 New Zealand tour.

The Southern Lakes Scholarship scheme, established to develop Otago rugby talent, has been hailed a success, with one of the inaugural recipients landing an ITM Cup spot and another expected to follow the same path next year.

Queenstown businessman and adventurer Erik Bradshaw initially thought being first to ski the length of the Southern Alps "a crazy idea".

Deputy Prime Minister Bill English got his first look at one of the new sections of the Queenstown Trail last week - a 90km network of cycling and walking tracks, which he hoped would play its part to give the tourism industry some new vitality.

One man's outstanding contribution to rugby in the Wakatipu was recognised in Queenstown on Thursday night, when Wakatipu Rugby Club president Damien O'Connell was presented with the Ray Byrne Memorial Trophy as the 2011 Otago Rugby Volunteer of the Year.

Resource consent applications were lodged on Friday for the upgrade of the Queenstown Memorial Hall, which is likely to be renamed the Queenstown Memorial Centre to reflect the planned modernisation of the facilities.

Venture Southland chief executive Jeff Troon has resigned, effective from Monday, for health reasons.

Feet will be the focus of a special workshop being held in Queenstown on Sunday, when Feldenkrais Method practitioner of more than 30 years Elke Dunlop visits the resort.

Up to 20 large wilding pines, thought to be at least 40 years old, were uprooted on the Sunshine Bay walking track, near Queenstown, last month during "freakishly high winds", Queenstown Lakes District Council parks manager Gordon Bailey said.

One of the "crunch issues" of the 2011 election was traversed in Queenstown last night, following a question from one of the younger members of the audience.

Professional director John Gilks, of Wanaka, has been announced as chairman of Queenstown Airport Corporation by the Queenstown Lakes District Council, which unanimously supported his appointment.

If England rugby captain Lewis Moody could change one thing about his side's 2011 RWC experience, he would have banned his team-mates from going out at all.

One is a quantity surveyor, the other a mountain skier. Now, they are both officially designers, launching their line - Incline Collections - in Queenstown next week.

When former Queenstown Lakes District Council chief executive Duncan Field was replaced by Debra Lawson in December 2009, there was talk of "retirement".

The Southern Lakes region - including Queenstown, Wanaka and Fiordland - has cracked the Lonely Planet's Top 10 Regions in its Best in Travel 2012, published today, the only New Zealand region to feature in the new book.

Queenstown reporter Tracey Roxburgh interviewed IRB referee manager Paddy O'Brien. But having some things in common helped ease the tension...