Blog - Local News
Milford Sound access projects attract submissions
The Department of Conservation has so far received 196 submissions related to the concession applications for the Milford Dart tunnel and 20 submissions regarding the Fiordland Link Experience monorail. The Southland Times quotes DoC spokeswoman Juanita Tresidder as saying the department was unable to give “the breakdown of submissions in support or against, as we won’t be analysing all the submissions until after the closing date”.
Read the full postRare Penguin in Milford Sound
Southern Discoveries Kayak Guide Paul Park noticed a lone penguin near the Milford Sound Wharf over the weekend. It was the season’s first sighting of a rare Fiordland Crested Penguin or ‘Tawaki’. It marks the start of penguin moulting season that takes place every year from mid-January to early March. Douglas Keith, Southern Discoveries Milford Sound manager says the penguins also visit in early spring when they come to the fiords for the nesting season, delighting visitors and nature guides aboard Encounter Cruises operated by Southern Discoveries.
Read the full postHilton Queenstown appointments
Hilton has announced two new appointments to the management team at its new Kawarau Village development, which includes the five star 178-room Hilton Queenstown and the four star plus 98-room Kawarau Hotel, managed by Hilton.
Read the full postSacred stone installed at Dart River Jet Safaris
A sacred mauri pounamu has been installed at Dart River Jet Safaris’ Glenorchy Visitor Centre redevelopment. The mauri pounamu, a large piece of greenstone, was blessed by Ngāi Tahu tribal elders
at a special ceremony. It embodies a living, spiritual energy that is shared with all those who touch it and is a powerful symbol of the tribe’s relationship to the land.
Glenorchy opposes tunnel
The Southland Times reports that a meeting held by the Glenorchy Community Association and attended by 100 people resulted in unanimous opposition to plans for the proposed Milford-Dart tunnel from the Routeburn Valley to the Hollyford Valley.
Read the full postMatakauri Lodge plans expansion
Billionaire Julian Robertson’s Matakauri Lodge in Queenstown has applied to add four suites, sleeping a total of eight guests. This would lift the five-star property’s capacity to a maximum 30 guests. Matakauri Lodge currently comprises 11 guest suites, including eight outlying cottages and three suites in the main lodge. Each suite has a private porch, bedroom with sitting area and open fireplace, walk-in wardrobe and bathroom. Manager Jay Robertson told the Otago Daily Times there was
Read the full postNew Zealand lures world’s mountain bikers
Queenstown is luring increasingly large numbers of mountain bikers from around the world as they chase an endless summer. According to Mountain Scene, dozens of competitive and leisure riders from Europe, the US and Canada are escaping the snow in their home countries to set up temporary home in the resort.
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