Latest news with #Wānaka
RNZ News
4 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Conservation Department re-opens Blue Pools Track after two years of repairs
Blue Pools Track has been closed since May 2023. Photo: Unsplash / Michael Amadeus The Department of Conservation is re-opening the popular Blue Pools Track north of Wānaka this weekend, after two years of repair work. Walkers can expect to see an upgraded Blue Pools bridge, a completely new Makarora swing bridge and a new, raised boardwalk. DOC closed the bridges in May 2023, when engineering reports signalled they needed safety upgrades. Previously, DOC operations manager Charlie Sklenar said they were being used by as many as 550 people a day in peak summer. "At times, 75 people would cross the bridges each hour and visitors were regularly exceeding the signposted 'safe number of people to cross' advice," she said. "We needed to ensure these structures were safe for the public. "We made it into a major upgrade and we've really done some significant improvements." Sklenar said the work had been a two-year slog, involving DOC engineers, contractors, specialists, geotechnical consultations and some "unexpected complexities". "For those that know Makarora, [it's] very close to the West Coast, very wet conditions, very challenging. Because these are superstrength bridges, there's some really, really big anchors that needed to go into the ground, so dealing with those conditions has been challenging." Sklenar said the community was buzzing about the opening. "I think it's going to be pretty popular over the coming weeks."
Otago Daily Times
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Show aims to raise funds for musical playground
For its 31st year, Wānaka's Stars in Your Eyes show is fundraising to help build the town's first musical playground. The musical show, organised by Wānaka Musicians Incorporated, began three decades ago and took inspiration from the British television series, Stars in Their Eyes. Wānaka's version of the show is not a contest but has consisted of locals dressing up to imitate famous people and later reveal their real identity to the audience. Audition registrations recently opened in preparation for the musical show to be held towards the end of September. The show has been a community favourite and has helped fund youth music programmes across the region, such as the Jamie Robertson scholarship at Mount Aspiring College. This year organisers have decided to aim for something different by planning to create a designated outdoor space into town for people of all ages to enjoy musical instruments. Chairwoman Janet Dolan said they had always given money to local music education but this year they wanted to do something the whole community could enjoy. "We're talking about a full musical playground that adults, children, families, anybody can play," she said. "There'll be percussion instruments, there'll be bells, there'll be keyboard, and it's all outside." The group already had $30,000 put aside for the playground and was working with the council to get an estimate of costs and find the right location. Currently the show is gathering interest from the community and will be holding its auditions on the weekend of June 14. Ms Dolan said as the town's population grew, a more diverse range of people had been auditioning, something she felt gave the show strength. "We're aware that the audience represents the whole of Wānaka so we don't just want the pop music sort of thing, we want something that appeals to the whole audience," she said. The show has been open to a range of abilities and welcomed experienced and first-time performers. The show's team has also experienced a change with local musician and Festival of Colour performer Anna Shaw taking over as the director. The opening night for the musical show is set to be September 24 and will run until September 27 at the Lake Wānaka Centre.
Otago Daily Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Royals in 1-0 loss after goal ruled out
After Southern League powerhouses Cashmere Technical and Coastal Spirit dropped points on Friday, the Dunedin City Royals had an opportunity to move up the congested table on Saturday. They came up against Universities of Canterbury away and gave away possession in the middle in the 11th minute. The home side's cross found Pero Forman unmarked in the penalty box to finish — and record a 1-0 victory against the Royals. The Royals thought they had forced an equaliser in the 85th minute only for this to be ruled out and despite eight minutes of time added on the Royals would not be able to find a way through. The loss left the Royals on 10 points and fourth equal. Wānaka made the long trip up to Nelson and thanks to keeper Josh Shackleton's heroics it looked like the Central Otago side would come away with a share of the points. He denied Nelson twice early, but was helpless to stop Lennon Whewell's 29th-minute opener. Shackleton again pulled off a couple of stunning saves early in the second half and Wānaka equalised on the hour mark when Ed Belingher ghosted in unmarked at the far post to score from close range. Heading into injury time, it looked like Wanaka would secure a draw but Whewell beat a couple of defenders and shot across goal to secure a 2-1 win. Frontrunners Christchurch United had a 2-1 win against Cashmere, Ferrymead Bays beat Coastal 3-1 and Nomads United had a 2-1 win against Selwyn United. Men's Southern Premiership In the men's Southern Premiership, University looked to claim their fifth consecutive victory when they went 2-0 up over Roslyn at Ellis Park after only 23 minutes. The students had the better share of possession and led through goals to Blake Allison and former Roslyn player Simba Muwunganirwa. University stretched Roslyn and should have added to their tally but paid for their missed chances. Roslyn were more structured in the second half with some slick touch passing resulting in Hamish Mair being on the end of a cross at 58 minutes. Roslyn's Jack McFarlane found himself in space on the left, dribbled into the box and calmly passed it into the net for the equaliser. McFarlane then turned creator, curling a right-sided free kick into the path of substitute Ben Williams-Davies who scored an 88th-minute goal for a 3-2 win. Northern steamrolled Old Boys 8-1 in Invercargill. Nicholas Brett scored a first-half hat-trick. William Fleming's 29th-minute strike gave Old Boys some hope, but Rory Hibbert also scored a hat-trick and Toby Orchiston a brace to leave Northern top of the table on 15 points. Queens Park and Royals had an entertaining 2-2 draw. The Royals had a halftime lead, following a passage that involved 13 passes. It was crossed into the box and found Charlie Fawcett, who bent his right-footed shot perfectly past the outstretched hand of the keeper into the top corner. Queens Park equalised on the hour mark when Tom Kent's long-range free kick found Rodrigo Schmidt De Camargo in the penalty box. Queens Park took the lead when Anton Fitzgerald planted a far-post header into the back of the net. The Royals claimed a share of the points when skipper George Barker equalised with the 77th-minute penalty. In the battle at Sunnyvale, Mosgiel beat Green Island 2-1. Green Island took a 46th-minute lead through Finley Kruger. The Plainsmen responded when Luke Clissold showed great technique to volley home the equaliser and Mosgiel claimed three points when Patrick Koppert headed home an in-swinging corner on 65 minutes. In the women's South Island league, the Royals thumped Nelson Suburbs 8-0 at Logan Park. Amy Hislop claimed a hat-trick — leading the golden-boot race with a total of eight goals — and Raegan Potter bagged a brace. Hannah Mackay-Wright's goal made it 4-0 at halftime. Toni Power made it 7-0 on 65 minutes and substitute Georgia Kennedy rounded out. Roslyn Wakari moved up the table with a 2-1 victory in Kaiapoi over NW United. Zara Pratley's opener on 15 minutes was cancelled out when NW equalised 10 minutes before the break. However, Catriona Galvin scored the winner on 56 minutes to move Roslyn to fourth. Otago University held on for a 3-2 win against Universities of Canterbury at Logan Park yesterday. By Neville Watson
RNZ News
21-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
First stand-alone liquor store to open in Lake Hāwea, but community not consulted
Lisa Riley and her son on the site of the proposed Super Liquor store. Photo: Supplied/Lisa Riley People in the small township of Lake Hāwea near Wānaka are objecting to plans for its first stand-alone bottle shop. Queenstown Lakes District Council approved a non-notified resource consent application for a Super Liquor store in the Longview subdivision earlier this month. The retailer has now applied for a liquor licence. Lisa Riley, whose family moved from Wellington to Lake Hāwea 18 months ago, said the store would be too close to a children's playground and a school bus stop. "It is going to be just metres away from where my son catches his school bus and in close proximity to the playground where he plays. "He rides his bike around the neighbourhood, we walk our dog nearby, and it's right at the gateway of our neighbourhood," she said. "That raises huge red flags for me. It's not about opposing alcohol in general, it is about how close this is to our children every day and how it exposes them to that." A public notice of an application for a liquor licence at the proposed site. Photo: Supplied/Lisa Riley Local Warren Chinn said the bottle shop was unnecessary because three businesses already sold alcohol in Lake Hāwea - Hāwea Store & Kitchen, Lake Hāwea Hotel and Fresh Choice supermarket. "If people want higher-strength alcohol they can go to Wānaka where there are at least three hard-liquor shops," he said. "We could do with more useful shops - certainly not a shop that encourages getting boozed." The public had until 23 June to lodge any objections to the liquor licence application. Queenstown Lakes District Council said the Super Liquor store was approved in accordance with the Resource Management Act and district plan provisions that zoned the site as a local shopping centre. "This zoning permits retail activities - defined as the direct sale or hire of goods to the public - as of right, provided the development meets the relevant planning rules," a spokesperson said. "It is important to clarify that under the PDP (proposed district plan), council cannot regulate or prioritise types of retail activity (eg. groceries vs liquor) within such a zone as long as the activity falls within the defined and permitted use. "In this case, the proposed development met the retail activity definition." A Super Liquor spokesperson said each liquor licence application process was an opportunity for the prospective franchisee and the community to be heard. "In this case, the operator making the application at Lake Hāwea is one our most experienced franchisees with a great reputation for the stores they already operate throughout Central Otago," they said. The council said minor district plan rule breaches meant resource consent was required, including the size of the building, signs and access, but the application did not need to be publicly notified. Public notices about the liquor licence application were published on the council website and would be placed on fences or boardings surrounding the proposed site and advertised in local newspapers, the council said. The site of the proposed liquor store on Longview Drive. Photo: Supplied/Lisa Riley Resident Kim Knight said she was surprised the council had not consulted the public about the resource consent. "I don't understand why the community wasn't consulted first as to what shops and facilities they would like and need. Wouldn't that be the sensible thing to do?" she said. "This is a whole cultural, societal issue in the country at large. It's indicative of a society that says it is okay to have a liquor store in a place like Hāwea and not even consult the community first." Communities Against Alcohol Harm spokesperson Liz Gordon said it was common for liquor stores to be included in developments and for resource consent to be granted without being publicly notified. She said Super Liquor would sell a wider range of alcohol compared to existing stores and could be problematic for the popular holiday destination. "It is going to lead to an increase in alcohol-related litter, alcohol-related harm late at night and so on, perhaps in the New Year and perhaps where people are camping," she said. "The other issue is the subdivision itself has got hundreds of tiny sections and includes a significant area where people can buy lower-cost housing. "We are not talking here about a huge lake-side development, we're talking about a pokey little subdivision with hundreds and eventually a couple thousand houses that aren't built yet, having its own liquor store." District councillor Cody Tucker, who lived in Lake Hāwea, said he had been approached by a number of people concerned about the bottle shop and its proximity to the playground. "A lot of people for a long time have been asking for commercial facilities out in Hāwea, its been a long time coming, and I think it has been a bit of surprise this is the first cab off the rank," he said. "Council as a consenting authority has an obligation to follow its statutory responsibilities. I appreciate that an alcohol store feels like a high area of interest, but there are still the roles and responsibilities of being a consenting authority in a free market economy." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
18-05-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Wānaka search and rescue responding to more avoidable accidents
Wānaka Search and Rescue chair Raewyn Calhaem (L) and alpine cliff rescue team leader Davie Robinson. Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd *The headline on this story has been corrected to clarify the proportion of callouts to avoidable accidents has increased, not the overall number. Wānaka search and rescue teams are responding to more avoidable accidents as unprepared people venture deeper into the back country, lured partly by the influence of social media and websites. Volunteers said they had observed more people "lost and out of their depth" in 22 rescue operations between October and March, including nine alpine cliff rescues, three swiftwater or canyon rescues and three sub-alpine or bush rescues. Alpine cliff rescue team leader Davie Robinson said the type of call-outs had changed in his 25 years with Wānaka Search and Rescue. "We're definitely seeing more and more accidents that generally shouldn't be happening," he said. "When you're rescuing people that don't really need rescuing, we're getting a little bit frustrated because one day we will have an accident. And it's just a matter of time and numbers." Rob Roy Glacier, Wānaka Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd Robinson highlighted the summer rescue of three women near the Brewster Glacier in Mt Aspiring National Park who were stuck in "steep, dangerous country" - one of 17 call-outs in three years on the Brewster Track. They called for help using the satellite text function on their phones and were winched to safety by helicopters in bad weather at night in "scary" conditions for rescuers, Robinson said. "As soon as we get a helicopter in bad weather, the danger increases. We start doing that stuff at night that [danger] ratchets up again," he said. "Sending out a beacon, we're going to assume it's the worst case scenario. So we're going to try really hard to get there." Robinson said people were venturing into the backcountry without learning how to read a map and compass or properly preparing for alpine hikes. "It's a combination of the Insta kind of thing - people just flashing up great photographs of an alpine lake ... but at the same time it's an alpine walk, in apline terrain, with alpine hazards," he said. "There's also a lot of ultra-light travel going on now, so if people have got better and better at doing stuff, they've tended to go lighter and lighter. It might be websites like Fastest Known Time ... Strava, all those apps that are recording stuff, advertising it. So you quite often go in the backcountry and you're rescuing people who are following some ultra runner's route." Wānaka Search and Rescue said many other rescues were the result of genuine accidents, where people had not necessarily done anything wrong. Chair Raewyn Calhaem said Australian woman Claire Frances Connell, who died while hiking the Te Araroa trail near Lake Hāwea in February, slipped and fell "in just the wrong place". Later that month, Argentinian Hector Gaston Artigau slipped on the Rob Roy Glacier track and fell into the river. His body was believed to be trapped in one of the deep Rob Roy stream canyon pools. Hector Gaston Artigau fell into a river on Waitangi Day. Photo: Givealittle screenshot Search crews spent more than 800 volunteer hours over nine days, using dog teams, underwater cameras, probes and other specialist equipment in what Calhaem said was an "extraordinarily difficult" attempt to find him. "This was unquestionably the most difficult operation we have undertaken ... we deeply regret we could not bring appropriate closure to Hector's family," she said. Calhaem said mistakes or accidents were always possible but people should prepare by starting with easy trips and visiting the Department of Conservation and Mountain Safety Council's websites for information about specific hikes, recommended equipment and weather warnings. "You can be extremely well prepared and still have an accident, but there are things that people can do to try and mitigate that risk," she said. "The thing with New Zealand back country is it's open and accessible to everybody. You can't close it off and for the majority of people, it's fine, it's just every now and then people get themselves in trouble or they accidentally put themselves somewhere that they shouldn't be." She said Wānaka Search and Rescue was fortunate to be financially well-established, with a highly-skilled team that often dropped everything to come to the aid of the lost, missing and injured. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
