The owner of a lamb which was bashed and killed on Saturday says he has been blown away by one Central Otago sheep farmer's kindness.

A beloved pet lamb was stolen and later dumped with a smashed head and set on fire outside its Dunedin home early yesterday, police say.

Danielle Wright experiences cross-country skiing at Wanaka.

A fire which gutted the historic Aparima Tavern at Riverton yesterday spread "unbelievably quickly", a customer says.

Catherine Smith enjoys the high life with great views at Matakauri Lodge.

An Auckland man has appeared in court in Brisbane today charged with trafficking synthetic cannabis into Australia.

Homes with excessively smoking chimneys in Otago's high air pollution towns will be targeted in coming months and residents given a deadline to "clear the air" as the battle to improve air quality intensifies.

A holiday wildlife tour ended in hypothermia for four young women kayaking near Taiaroa Head, in Otago, yesterday.

A van ended up in Otago Harbour after going off Portobello Rd at Edwards Bay yesterday.

An elderly woman's death in the Clutha River last year was due to ill-health and her being intoxicated, a coroner has ruled.

The main highway north of Balclutha remains closed this morning after a head-on crash in which a woman was killed and another seriously injured.

There was just one word to describe 82-year-old Central Otago farmer Rex George after the big snow: "buggered".

Following more than a week of heavy rain, floods and snow, Otago residents are being told to expect a slow return to normality.

A North Otago dairy worker had to be rescued from his motorbike in chest-deep floodwaters in Kakanui Valley yesterday.

The University of Otago needs to target international students more "aggressively" after having the largest decline in international numbers of any New Zealand university this year, Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce says.

Hayden Donnell hops on a bicycle to explore the newest trails around Queenstown.

What are believed to be the first prosecutions over Central Otago's rabbit problem are set to go to court next week.

Tallies from the annual Great Easter Bunny Hunt in Central Otago must have embarrassed the Otago Regional Council, as they revealed the ineffectiveness of its pest management, submitters said this week.

A Matakanui farmer hunting on his property at dusk lined up a shot, was alarmed by hearing two gun shots nearby then spotted a suspected poacher through his sights when a man ran across his potential field of fire in what police are calling a "near-miss".