The MetService has issued an Orange heavy rain warning for the headwaters of Lake Wānaka and Lake Hāwea for tomorrow (December 8) from 6am to 3pm.An intense front embedded in a strong and moist northwesterly flow moves north over the South Island on Sunday bringing heavy rain, mainly to the west of the South Island.Expect 120 to 150 mm of rain near the main divide and 80 to 100 mm within 20 km east of the divide. Peak rates of 15 to 25 mm/h expected about the divide with possible thunderstorms after 9am.Heavy rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly. Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous.Anyone heading into Mt Aspiring National Park is advised to take extra care or delay travel.

It has been a slow and late start to the breeding season for the famed local southern crested grebes (pūteketeke) near Lake Wānaka Marina.It isn’t entirely clear why fewer eggs than usual have hatched so far, Southern Lakes Sanctuary representative/Grebe Project representative Petrina Duncan told the Wānaka App.“It is likely that the spring weather played a role,” she said.The rain, late snow, wind and storms could have affected the grebes, which “seem to be quite sensitive to dramatic changes” in weather.As well as that, grebes may be nesting away from the man-made nesting platforms, she said.“It is possible with higher lake levels that some grebes are making 'natural nests' around the lake shore in other areas.”Petrina said while the start of the season hadn’t been the best, the hatching of the first egg on Wednesday (December 4) was an encouraging sign.There are another six active nests, she added.A group of dedicated local volunteers, known as the Grebe Project, keep a close watch on the grebes throughout the breeding season.The Grebe Project began in 2013 when retired zoologist John Darby observed a pair of the grebes struggling to build a floating nest on the edge of Lake Wānaka. Because strong winds and ever-changing lake conditions made it difficult for them to build nests, John came up with a design solution: a floating wooden platform for the birds to nest on.Ten years on, many more floating platforms have been constructed in the sheltered area near the marina, supporting breeding, and the Grebe Project has expanded to include awareness and advocacy for the conservation of these native birds.Keep up to date with the Grebe Project and this season’s hatchings at the Facebook page here.PHOTO: P Duncan

Local sustainability-focused organisation Wao Aotearoa is celebrating another successful year.It is also gearing up for a “transformative” 2025 with a range of new initiatives in the works, Wao general manager Monique Kelly said.In 2025 Wao plans to launch a new programme to provide leadership and learning opportunities to local youth and scale up its Climate Action Initiative (CAI) by hosting more workshops and programmes.It also plans to mobilise the Southern Lakes Kai Collective (a group which aims to build food resilience), expand the Better Building Working Group (BBWG) by hosting workshops and events that address critical construction industry issues, launch its Circular Economy Workstream, and more.Wao aims to ‘shift the system’ - address the root causes of major challenges rather than just treat the symptoms, Monique said.She said it was “about redesigning the way we work, live, and grow to ensure long-term sustainability for our environment, economy, and community”. “Being a systems shifter means becoming part of the solution,” Monique said. “This is our core mission at Wao.”Wao also hosted another successful Wao Summit this year with record attendance, she said.Other highlights of the year included the Harvest Festival, a series of successful Green Drinks events, community engagement of various types, and the Wao Film Festival.Wao has launched a ‘system shifters’ donation drive to help fund Wao projects.“Your donation isn’t just financial support—it’s a vote of confidence in a better future,” Monique said. “Every contribution allows us to tackle the systems that matter most and create measurable, meaningful change.”Learn more about Wao Aotearoa or make a ‘system shifter’ donation here.PHOTO: Wānaka App

Wānaka builder Glen Thurston is continuing to raise awareness about mental health, but his focus has moved from the construction industry to the hunting community. Last week (Friday November 29) Glen was undertaking his anniversary climb of Lake Hāwea’s Corner Peak, following his successful 2022 mission to climb the peak 53 times - matching the number of people in the construction industry who took their lives each year. Almost 300 people joined him across the 53 climbs in 2022, and last Friday half a dozen people joined him on a “perfect day” for the second anniversary climb.Glen said the conversations he had on Corner Peak during the 2022 climbs around “firearms and the hesitation to seek help” made him realise the need to address the barrier within the hunting community.Last week’s annual Corner Peak climb attracted a good number of people. PHOTO: SuppliedIn October 2019, Glen was struggling with mental health challenges of his own. He tried to get help - and had his firearms removed. As he was farming at the time, this “made life really difficult”, he said.The experience uncovered a significant issue within the firearms community: the fear of seeking mental health support due to the potential threat of losing one's licence.“You think if someone's got a firearms license and they're not well, we all know the suicide rate and mental health [challenges in] the farming industry [are] pretty high,’’ Glen said.“If they have that fear of losing their firearms, they're not gonna get help. If you have every single farmer not getting help, just because they don't [want] to lose their firearms, because they need their firearms to do their job. “Long-term, I see this being a massive crisis for the country. We're doing all this good stuff about breaking the stigma and men's mental health ... but in the background, there's this hidden barrier and no one's talking about it, no one's doing anything about it.”In July this year Glen and fellow hunter Sam Manson launched the Mental Hunts website, which provides resources, articles, helplines and events dedicated to integrating mental health with the hunting/rural lifestyle. “I thought it was time to step up ... I'm doing this for everyone else and it needs to change. Otherwise, people will die and it won't be the guns doing it. It'll be the fact that they haven't had the help they needed early.”Glen said he was creating resources specifically to help hunters, and he recognised hunting was good for people's wellbeing.“[There] is nothing you can compare it to, it is mountain medicine. It is meditation in the hills. It's what I do for meditation. I've said it before, but I love the concept of meditation and sitting in my room and meditating, but I'm just really crap at it. My mind wanders, but you get out hunting and you are, you're in that moment.”Glen has also returned as an The Outlet Wānaka guest to talk about how he got involved in helping hunters with their mental health.He talks about the stigma around mental health, the importance of getting help early, rural life and how disclosing counselling or medication for mental health can mean licence holders can keep their guns.

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) and US billionaire Peter Thiel’s company Second Star Ltd have each been ordered by the Environment Court to pay $44,199 over a recent appeal.Together they must pay Longview Environment Trust (LET) close to $90,000 following the appeal on Thiel’s proposal for a luxury lodge near Wānaka, Environment Court Judge Prudence Steven said in a decision released this week.In June the Environment Court denied Thiel’s appeal to overturn the QLDC consenting panel decision which had turned down his lodge proposal.However, Judge Steven described QLDC’s conduct as “troubling” at the time, and some of those same issues contributed to this week’s decision to award costs to LET.During the appeal QLDC elected not to support the panel’s decision, for reasons the judge considered “untenable”. “Council failed to perform its duties to the public, including LET, by demonstrating a lack of neutrality on what was an unmeritorious appeal,” the judge said this week.“In this instance the council adopted a position that failed to enforce its own District Plan.”LET, owned by neighbouring property owner John May, had opposed the appeal, and it argued, among other things, that it was excluded from pre-mediation discussions and that Second Star Ltd and QLDC “in essence ran a joint argument”.Its “characterisation of the appellant and council working together as a pressure tactic seems valid, even if it did not involve a breach of duty on the council’s part…” the judge said.In a statement released today QLDC said it had adopted “pragmatic approach to a legal case” with “two well-resourced neighbours, and other parties…”.The judge said QLDC had an obligation to ensure the provisions of the PDP are consistently and properly applied and enforced regardless of its position on appeal.“While the court’s usual practice is not to make an order against a public body whose decision is the subject of the appeal, a council is not immune to a costs’ award if it has failed to perform its duties properly or has acted unreasonably.”The judge said LET should be compensated for the expense it incurred to ensure the District Plan’s provisions were properly adhered to.She directed Second Star Ltd and QLDC to each pay $44,199.00, “together representing an elevated costs award of 60 percent of the costs LET has incurred since 30 June 2023”.LET trustee John May said the judge’s decision was “vindication” of the trust’s concerns about council’s actions during the appeal and “a timely reminder of the council’s duty to the public”.“This case exposes the inappropriateness of the council doing backroom deals with influential developers leaving other parties to do the council’s job,” he said.QLDC said it “has noted the court’s view that it should have defended its original decision and its District Plan more strongly”.PHOTO: Wānaka App

The popular Wānaka Wearable Creations show - which was last held in 2016 - will be revived for 2026 by Creatives of Wānaka, a group of creatives and organisers within the Upper Clutha. Creatives of Wānaka director Andrea Beryl told the Wānaka App “some very motivated individuals” attended a meeting on Wednesday (December 4) to discuss reviving the wearable arts show.“All in all it was a positive yes to get this show back onstage,” she said.“We're looking at dates in 2026, which will be the return of Wānaka Wearable Creations after ten years.”The show ran for more than 20 years as a not-for-profit community event, sometimes over three or four nights, featuring wearable creations designed and modelled by locals.Creatives of Wānaka have developed a Wearable Creations Survey for people to provide feedback on a potential show and how they would like to be involved.“We're particularly interested to hear from people who would like to be involved, especially from the production side, along with artists keen to submit a creation,” Andrea said.People can follow the Wānaka Wearable Creations Facebook page if they want regular updates on the project, or they can email Andrea ([email protected]) to be added to the group’s mailing list.Read more: Creatives of Wānaka band together with new groupCreatives of Wānaka will host another meeting about the Wānaka Wearable Creations show on Wednesday February 5.

New World Three Parks is celebrating its fifth birthday today (Thursday December 5), with the annual grocery grab competition taking place as part of the celebrations.The winning entrant, local resident Maggie Antone, raced around the store this morning, managing to secure a whopping $1,699.58 worth of groceries during the two-minute ‘grab’."I never win competitions,” Maggie said. “I actually like entering because I work in marketing and I like to see the mechanics of how competitions are run."When it came to her grocery grab strategy, Maggie didn't leave anything to chance. "I had a plan," she said. "I talked to quite a few people, [and] got some pretty good advice, which was [to] hit the proteins, which I did. And then I went for other what I considered high-value items with the intention of trying to raise as much money [as possible] to be donated in kind."New World Three Parks will match Maggie's haul, making a monetary donation of equal value to the Upper Clutha foodbank. Maggie is also chipping in, donating some of her winnings to the food bank.Community Link general manager Kate Murray said the donation “makes a huge difference”.“We're seeing an increasing need which has almost doubled in the past 12 months," Kate said.New World Three Parks customer services manager Biff said the supermarket “always looks forward to our birthday celebration and the annual grocery grab”.“Maggie was a great winner and has been very generous in donating some of her winnings to support the food bank," Biff said.The New World Three Parks Grocery Grab competition attracted 1,184 entries through the Wānaka App.PHOTO: Wānaka App

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) is one step closer to finalising a new bylaw on the rules governing use of the district’s lakes and rivers.Last Monday (November 25) the Navigation Safety Bylaw 2025 hearing panel listened to the two-dozen-or-so submitters who shared their views on the draft bylaw.A few days later the panel (made up of deputy mayor Quentin Smith and councillors Cody Tucker and Gavin Bartlett) met again to make amendments to the draft bylaw.While the bylaw won’t be finalised until it is approved by councillors, the hearing panel’s deliberations give an indication where it may be heading.Opposition to proposals to reduce the number of ski lanes on Lake Wānaka had dominated submitter feedback, but the staff who drafted the bylaw cited safety risks caused by having swimmers and powered vessels in close proximity.The hearing panel discussed ski lanes at length and tried to find a middle ground.They decided to recommend retaining the Roys Bay ski lane adjacent to Pembroke Park, but added a closure period from the start of December until the end of March to account for the very busy summer period.A closure period had been trialled last summer, the panel noted.At Eely Point - another extremely popular location for waterskiing - they recommended retaining water ski access but, instead of a wide ski lane, opted for a reconfigured, narrower access lane with a launch lane, which would leave more space for swimmers.The hearing panel also recommended ski lanes at Waterfall Creek, Glendhu Bay and Dublin Bay should be retained (some with some minor changes), and said the single ski lane in Hāwea should be moved east towards the Esplanade Reserve based on submitter feedback.The hearing panel recommended a similar light-handed approach for ski lanes at Lake Whakatipu.Full details of the hearing panel’s recommendations (which will also cover other aspects of the draft bylaw) will be presented to councillors for adoption at the full council meeting on March 20, 2025.PHOTO: Wānaka App

The team behind the legendary Motatapu race is celebrating the event’s enduring success as they prepare for the next event.The annual event attracts sportspeople who compete by water, foot, bike (or a combination of the three) on trails that pass through the Motatapu, Soho and Glencoe stations.The routes are open to the public just once a year for the event, making it a special, one-of-a-kind race.Another special thing is the event turning 21 next year, Motatapu race director and co-owner Gemma Peskett said.“Twenty-first birthdays are something to celebrate and when we get to race day on 1 March next year it’ll be an extra special occasion,” she said.Gemma said many long-running events have been forced to pull the pin in the face of a tough economic climate this year and she and her team are grateful to still be able to go ahead. “Like anyone celebrating a 21st birthday, we have many people to thank for getting us to this point, including the wonderful landowners for allowing us course access, and our loyal sponsors and competitors.“Many of them have been involved since day one and we’re delighted to welcome them back in 2025.”The Motatapu includes events for mountain bikers (including a competitive eBike category), runners and walkers, as well as a junior trail run for competitors aged 7-15.Over the past two decades, it has become known as the bucket-list off-road event for both elite athletes and weekend warriors. “We ask all our competitors about their motivation and we have people telling us it’s their 14th or 15th time doing Motatapu; they just love the challenge,” Gemma said. Seventy-three-year-old Gary Kirkham has competed in the Motatapu Trail Marathon every year since it began.“I come back every year because I love the event,” he said. “The great rural countryside, the autumn colours and the chance to run in such a spectacular environment is just great.”Find everything you need to know about Motatapu 2025 here.PHOTO: Neil Kerr

Wānaka band Power Chutes has played before thousands of people at the TSB Stadium in Wellington and Spark Arena in Auckland, after an invitation from USA rock band Highly Suspect.Highly Suspect frontman Johnny Stevens invited the Wānaka band to open for them in Wellington after front row fans tossed the singer some Powder Chutes merch during the American band’s recent Christchurch show. “Well turns out I’ve been hearing about this band for at least a year from NZ fans,” Johnny said on social media. “So…we’re gonna have ‘em drive their asses out here (Wellington) and open up the stage tomorrow night.”Powder Chutes (Archie Orbell - drums, Clarke West - guitar, Henry McConnell - vocals, and Otis Murphy - bass) went down so well in Wellington that Highly Suspect invited them to Auckland to open for them again. Half-way through the Auckland set, Johnny called singer Henry to the stage without warning and asked him to sing the American band’s biggest hit, ‘Lydia’. Clarke also climbed onstage and took over on guitar, and Otis took over on bass, while drummer Archie grooved along waiting for his chance. The young band members received an ecstatic reception from the crowd.Powder Chutes was formed when the members were Te Kura o Tititea Mount Aspiring College students.Their music has been described by NZ Musician Magazine as having “a modern grunge feel, mixed with punk angst and hard rock".Powder Chutes has opened for The Feelers, Dolphin Friendly, Big Sima, East York, Pull Down The Sun, Pieces Of Molly, and The Jordan Luck Band. They also opened the 2023 Gibbston Valley Summer Concert for ZZ Top, Pat Benatar, Stone Temple Pilots and The Angels to 18,000 people and played the main stage at the 2024 Burning Horse Festival.Powder Chutes’ latest single, ‘Scalpel’, has just dropped.

Christmas festivities are in full swing in Wānaka this week with the Santas Grotto extravaganza running until Sunday (December 8) and three more Christmas markets across the week.Last Friday (November 29) the festivities began with the family-friendly lighting of the community Christmas tree event on the lakefront and on Sunday (December 1) locals shopped for artisan Christmas gifts at the Wānaka Fete. Santa’s Grotto had a steady stream of visitors yesterday (Tuesday December 3) with lots of families visiting to see Santa, send mail to Santa’s letterbox, and see reindeer, elves and more.Every year as Christmas approaches the Wānaka Community Hub is transformed by the Upper Clutha Community Christmas Trust, and visiting the ‘Grotto’ has become a part of many families’ Christmas calendars since it began ten years ago.Year 8 MAC students (Livvy Lamont, Elliot Lovelock, Paige Lunny, Jade Lunny, Toni Guy and Cienna Hearle) with some of the items which will be on sale at tomorrow’s MAC Sustainable Christmas Market. PHOTO: MACVolunteer elves said the Grotto had had a busy afternoon - it included a visit from Santa himself, and plenty of visitors had cast votes for their favourite Christmas tree from the many trees decorated by local businesses.Festivities will continue tomorrow (Thursday December 5) with the MAC Year 8 Sustainable Christmas Market, where there will be more than 40 stalls (from 4pm-6pm at the Year 8 classrooms).Te Kura o Tititea Mount Aspiring College (MAC) Year 8 students will be selling upcycled products including beeswax wraps, candles, chopping boards, hair accessories, tote bags and keyrings.Year 8 teacher Helen Best said students had developed the businesses as part of their Social Sciences studies.Hāwea Christmas Wonderland founders Elizabeth Horrell and Barbara Mackenzie give a sneak peek of this year’s wonderland, which will open to the public on Saturday. PHOTO: Supplied“Students have come up with their product ideas, sourced sustainable and ethically produced materials, created their own business name and brand, and worked out their product pricing,” Helen said.There will be more Christmas shopping opportunities the following day at the Aspiring Village Christmas Market (10am-1.30pm) and again on Sunday (December 8) at the Gather Christmas Market (10am-3pm), which will feature music and cocktails in addition to market stalls.In Hāwea the annual Hāwea Christmas Wonderland has again been brought to life at the Hāwea Community Centre, open from Saturday (December 7) until next Sunday (December 15), and the Hāwea Christmas in the Park this Sunday (4pm-8pm) will feature carols and a visit from Santa.Read more: ‘A Storybook Christmas’ for Lake HāweaFind all the details about these Christmas activities - as well as ways to give this Christmas - in the Christmas button in the Wānaka App.

Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) is monitoring the new traffic lights at the Luggate Red Bridge following complaints.Traffic signals were installed during winter to manage the bridge’s single lane flows and the impact made by heavy vehicles, NZTA said.But frustrated locals have complained that the lights aren’t triggered to change unless the vehicle is right on the line.One local, on social media, described a line of cars “trying to cross, horns beeping, people yelling for the car to move forward to trigger lights”.Others agreed this was a daily occurrence.“And yes you jump out tell them to move forward to activate it. And yes I’m over it too,” they said.An NZTA spokesperson told the Wānaka App the agency had received complaints.“We are not certain at this stage what is causing the problem as the communication channels back to the Wellington Transport Operations Centre (WTOC) which monitors this site have been down/not working,” they said.“WTOC is now reconnecting this link so there can be more active bridge monitoring and we’ll then see if it’s the drivers not getting close enough to the line or a technical issue with the signals/sensors.” The spokesperson said NZTA was working to resolve the issue and also had a “team on the ground providing feedback”.PHOTO: Wānaka App

Crocodiles aren’t usually associated with the Upper Clutha, but a local history project has uncovered their role in Luggate’s history.Last week (Thursday November 28) a short ceremony was held at Luggate’s Taylor Park (near the cart and horses) to acknowledge a new information board about Luggate Creek (Te Rua Tupāpāku).The area was once part of an ancient lake, Lake Manuherikia, which covered 2,200 square miles of Central Otago, 19-20 million years ago, before the uplift of the Criffel and Pisa Ranges.Crocodiles, turtles, fish and birds, along with ferns, palms and other plants lived in and around this subtropical lake, the new information board says.Luggate Community Association chair Rod Anderson, QLDC parks service Diana Manson, author Jenny Moss, and QLDC councillor Barry Bruce.Luggate resident Jenny Moss worked on the project, which was funded by the Luggate Community Association, with Diana Manson from the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) parks and reserves team. Jenny said “the Luggate Creek has flowed through my dreams” as she worked on the project, following completion of her book about the creek, ‘Our Creek - To Matou Awaawa’.The creek originates high in the Pisa Range and flows into the Clutha River/Mata-au. Its European name, Luggate, came from a small stream in Scotland. For early Māori, Te Rua Tupāpāku was part of a network of food gathering sites around Central Otago. The new information board also covers the creek’s role in gold mining, local ecology, recreation, and more.Kai Tahu and WAI Wānaka wrote parts of the board, which features photographs and art work by Kerry Perkins.Jenny hopes the board will “shine a light” on Luggate Creek.A former teacher, Jenny has always recognised the importance of local history, but when she moved to Luggate in the mid-2000s she realised that much of its rich history was missing from accounts of the Upper Clutha.“It is my hope we can bring this project to the attention of not only our Luggate community but the wider Upper Clutha and our visitors,” she said.Jenny said she hoped in the future to have more story boards, including one by Luggate’s historic flour mill.At Thursday’s ceremony QLDC councillor Barry Bruce acknowledged the huge effort made by Jenny and others on the project, calling the result “something quite special”.“It’s easy to forget those who came before us,” he said, adding: “It’s projects like this that make our communities.” PHOTOS: Wānaka App

The Hāwea Picnic Racing Club committee is “devastated” to announce that this year’s race event has been cancelled.The event, which has been held since 1946, is one of the oldest race meetings in the country. Club president Paul Cunnngham told the Wānaka App the race day has only been cancelled a couple of times in its history: once for wild weather and once for the Covid-19 pandemic.“To be doing it for so long, to be faced with this decision was terrible,” he said. “It’s the last of its kind.”Although the race day historically was held in Luggate, the Hāwea Domain has been its home for many years. The race day meeting is a fun combination of pony gymkhana events (jumping, pole bending), family fun sports races (sack races, lolly scramble, tug-of-war), and equalisator horse racing (harness racing, a locals’ hack race, human runner vs horse).In its heyday it attracted classic cars, side-shows, food stalls - and thousands of people.“In the glory days - maybe late 90s, early 2000s, the horses had to pay to get in,” Paul said. “That’s what people love, seeing those horses thunder down to the finish.”The event was “a bit of a hybrid”, he said, with kids on the track for some events and trots and gallops, offering “a more fun and family-friendly day”.This year the committee sent invitations to a large number of jockeys and horse owners, but didn’t receive a single reply, Paul said.It follows dwindling interest from the racing industry in recent years, which Paul said may be the result of changes in the industry (such as fewer race days in this region), as well as the economic downturn.The event, a combination of horse racing and family fun faces, is “a bit of a hybrid” and the last of its kind.In 2023 the committee reduced the number of horse races to four; and some jockeys which had been registered didn’t turn up. Two of last year’s races took place with only two horses, which Paul said was “embarassing”. The committee also introduced two human running races to help fill out the programme.“We drew a line in the sand this year,” he said.The committee will reassess whether next year’s event goes ahead in August.“We will want some commitment,” he said, adding that without enough horses the event will not take place. It needs at least 30 horses to go ahead, he said.The Hāwea Picnic Races have been held on December 28 almost every year since 1946.PHOTOS: Wānaka App

Wānaka Festival of Colour has announced two more performances for its 2025 programme.The week-long festival, set to take place from March 29-April 6, celebrates the best of the arts world.The first of the just-announced performances is ‘An Evening Without Kate Bush’. The brainchild of Sarah-Louise Young and Rusell Lucas, this award-winning cult cabaret pays tribute to the music, fans and mythology of one of the most influential voices in pop music.In a review The Times said it “delves into the phenomenal fan base (known as Fish People) that Kate Bush has inspired since she first topped the UK charts in 1978”. The Times said the show featured “inventive stage-craft, a wildly wonderful voice and mesmerising performance from Sarah-Louise Young”.The second pre-release, ‘Reimagining Mozart’, is by Robert Wiremu (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Porou).It commemorates the tragedy of Air New Zealand Flight TE901 by reimagining Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem, which was left unfinished at the time of his death in 1791. Reimagining Mozart features the internationally-acclaimed Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir and a chamber ensemble of instrumentalists under the direction of Voices founder and music director Dr Karen Grylls.Taking place every second year, Wānaka Festival of Colour is the flagship arts event for the Queenstown Lakes district.Last month organisers announced its headline performance, Cirque Alfonse’s latest work ‘Animal’.Founded in 2005 by Antoine Carabinier-Lépine and his father Alain, Cirque Alfonse is an intergenerational circus which hails from the little town of Saint-Alphonse-Rodriguez, Québec.Cirque Alfonse, which is known for its high-flying antics and infectious energy, has created in Animal a surreal circus experience set to an infectious live soundtrack of ‘agricultural funk’.Tickets are now available for all three performances. Find more information here.PHOTO: Supplied

The Hāwea community is getting ready for Christmas, with the annual Christmas display opening this Saturday (December 7) and the Hāwea Christmas in the Park taking place the following day (Sunday December 8).The Hāwea Christmas Wonderland is set to enchant visitors once again this holiday season with its 2024 theme, ‘A Storybook Christmas’. The popular community event will take place at the Lake Hāwea Community Centre on Myra Street from December 7-15.Visitors can look forward to seeing holiday stories brought to life, featuring characters such as the Grinch, the Elves and the Shoemaker and the Nutcracker - along with a few lesser known stories featuring a hungry caterpillar, magical snowmen, and a mischievous Slinky Malinky. In addition to the displays, there will be appearances by Santa Claus on the weekends, and a Christmas raffle.Organised by ‘head elves’ Barbara Mackenzie and Elizabeth Horrell, the Hāwea Christmas Wonderland has become a tradition in the community, and this year will be the sixth consecutive event."We are thrilled to bring 'A Storybook Christmas' to life once more this year," Barbara said. "We have been working throughout the year to create a new display that will delight visitors of all ages. It's a wonderful way for families and friends to come together and celebrate the holiday season, and we invite everyone to stop by and experience it for yourselves."Elizabeth said the community event is supported by “numerous volunteers, local businesses and community groups involved in its creation each year”, including the Hāwea Men’s Shed.Dave Prattley from the men’s shed said the group was proud to have supported the event through constructing various displays. Elizabeth and Barbara said the group had been hard at work throughout 2024 on two new items, “including a mechanical display that promises to be a highlight of this year's event”. All funds raised from the event go directly towards supporting the Lake Hāwea Community Centre.The Hāwea Christmas Wonderland will be open from 2-5pm on weekdays and from 10am-4pm on weekends. Admission is $10 for adults, $2.50 for children (four and under are free), and $20 for families. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door. The display is also open to groups on request - visit the Lake Hāwea Community Centre Facebook page for more information.The Hāwea Christmas in the Park will take place on Sunday December 8 at Peter Fraser Park, Lake Hāwea, from 4pm.People are asked to bring their own picnics or buy food from food trucks on site. There will be a slippery slide and games for children, and a visit from Santa Claus.PHOTO: Supplied

Organisers of Queenstown arts festival Luma have pulled the pin on the event for 2025 due to rising costs and logistics."Rising costs, organisational demands, and the desire to protect the quality of the LUMA experience have all guided us to make this tough call," the team behind the event announced on social media."We’d rather take a pause than compromise the magic that so many of you have come to love."The festival, held over King's Birthday Weekend in June, had become one of the highlights of the year for Queenstown Lakes residents, welcoming around 30,000 people to Queenstown Gardens for spectacular lights, arts and music.It had replaced Queenstown WinterFest as the annual community get-together. But it was largely organised by volunteers and, like WinterFest, had become unsustainable. It is unlikely to return in its previous form."But this isn't the end," the Luma team said."Our commitment to community and the arts remains as strong as ever. Programmes like the LUMA Schools and Emerging Artists initiatives will continue, and we’re already exploring fresh ways to celebrate creativity next year and into the future."

The fifth stage of the Wānaka Lakefront Development Plan - on the lakefront by the marina and yacht club - is now complete, as is the extension of shared pathway Te Ara Wānaka.There is now a formalised pathway running from the start of Eely Point Lakeside Trail and along the edge of the marina and yacht club, before connecting with the existing footpath and boardwalk on Lakeside Road.Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) parks manager Dave Winterburn welcomed the news, saying the new pathway complements improvements in access, retention of ecology, and land use delivered by previous stages of the project to date.“This part of Wānaka’s lakefront plays host to plenty of vehicles, vessels, and trailers, and given the area also marks the start or end of many a walk, run, or ride around the lakefront for locals and visitors, Stage Five recognises and responds to how different people use this space,” Dave said.“New sections of the shared pathway Te Ara Wānaka will help keep people safe when moving through the area and along the lakefront, while maintaining existing spaces between the yacht club and marina for recreational lake users too.”Over 300 metres of Te Ara Wānaka were constructed as part of stage five of the development plan. The new pathway near the Wānaka Yacht Club.The project also delivered three additional car parking spaces for those using the marina, and a new protective screen for the public toilet near the boat ramp.Dave thanked construction crews from Fulton Hogan for their work on the project, noting they had “battled through challenging weather conditions” to deliver a key piece of infrastructure for Wānaka’s community and in time for summer.Remedial works are still required before the project is complete.Some remedial works are still required and are expected to be completed by Friday December 6.The fifth stage’s original budget in the 2021-2031 Long Term Plan was $2.3M which included $0.78M from the government’s Tourism Infrastructure Fund (TIF).In March 2024 a quantity surveyor estimated the fifth stage at $2.1M, however market conditions meant tender responses were more competitive and the project has been delivered at a cost of $1.2M including the TIF’s $0.78M.PHOTOS: Wānaka App 

A much-respected long-term staffer was farewelled from Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) last week as she prepares to begin her retirement.Diana Manson, a long-term local whose grandparents moved to Wānaka in 1935, has worked for the QLDC parks service for 12 years, and has liaised with a wide range of community groups during that time.Diana told the Wānaka App she felt lucky to have worked with the parks service, doing council’s “feel-good stuff”.“We do get our share of flak as well, but we do get to do concrete positive things with and for the community, that do make a difference and that people can see,” she said.“That’s what I’ve most enjoyed about the role.”At Diana’s farewell morning tea on Wednesday (November 27) her manager, QLDC parks service delivery manager Clare Tomkins, described Diana as a “calm and steady influence”.“[Diana] is the exemplar of the ability to bring people together to achieve many wonderful projects for the community. Many working bees, planting days, meetings, meet and greets, workshops, presentations etc.“I know we will see plenty of her in her roles as a volunteer on the other side. She will be a very present figure in the community, and I am sure she will continue the wonderful work she does, holding us all to the high standards of engagement she has set.”Diana was farewelled last week. PHOTO: SuppliedDiana said she’s planning to “take a step back, relax and enjoy the garden and the grandkids”, but she also plans to stay involved with some of the groups she has worked with.Those groups include Wānaka Backyard Trapping (now Predator Free Wānaka), Te Kākano Aotearoa Trust, the Hāwea Food Forest, the Wilding Tree group, Upper Clutha Tracks Trust, the Hāwea Foreshore Group, and the regional community associations - and more. She noted that community volunteers aren’t all retired, but are people of all ages working together with “boots on the ground”. “We’re so lucky to live in a community that has people who will freely give their time, and have been doing so for years - working really hard for the community.“That is what makes this community really special, I think.”Diana has spent her life in the Upper Clutha, and was happy to reflect on how the area has changed.“The town has certainly changed and has grown but it has still managed to retain that small-town feel … and a lot of that is to do with the community groups and organisations and their involvement, and the festivals and events … that bring people together. “I think we still have that real sense of community.”