Flights in and out of Queenstown Airport were on hold this morning due to ice on the runway, in a "never seen before" snap freeze.

Police say they are frustrated at the behaviour of Queenstown's winter revellers after almost 30 incidents - most involving alcohol - at the weekend.

Frustrated Jetstar passengers left stranded after their flight to Queenstown was detoured are once again en route to their original destination by coach.

The winter storm that brought snow and heavy rain to many parts of the South is moving north, but many roads in the region remain affected in its wake this morning.

Queenstown Lakes District Council boss Adam Feeley has "total integrity", Minister of Building and Housing Nick Smith says.

Elisabeth Easther scopes out the many attractions of the tiny community nestled at the end of Lake Wakatipu.

Two people escaped a fierce fire which gutted two Queenstown houses yesterday.

Fergus Blakiston finds time between lattes for snowboarding on a trip to Queenstown.

Ski fields around the country are experiencing their first rounds of snowfall for the year and some could be in for a snowier season than last year.

Queenstown Airport has topped a list of the world's most stunning airport approaches.

A Central Otago boutique hotel with a conscience mixes pleasure with wellbeing, discovers Jesse Mulligan.

Millbrook Resort plans to spend $50 million on a new golf and residential development.

An investigation into a Shotover Jet crash which left two people hospitalised has found the crash was down to driver error.

A prominent Queenstown businessman who crashed a Harley-Davidson motorcycle while on a joyride, injuring himself and a friend, is defending a charge of aggravated careless driving.

One person has been killed after a helicopter crashed into the sea in French Pass.

Women outweigh the men in Queenstown's first official marathon, says Rachel Grunwell.

The lakeside drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy lives up to its billing as one of New Zealand's most scenic roads - it just gets better at every bend as the north Wakatipu basin reveals....

If your stance on foreign ownership of prized New Zealand countryside is black or white, the case of Robert "Mutt" Lange reveals issues that are far from clear-cut.

Representatives of a helicopter company which employed two men who died in a crash on Thursday are due to be interviewed by specialist investigators today.

Aviation bosses have ordered the biggest grounding of aircraft in the country's history amid fears a helicopter fault may be behind the deaths of two men.

The Civil Aviation Authority has grounded a series of helicopters after a fatal crash this week.

Prime Minister John Key has paid a personal tribute to one of two men who died in a helicopter crash near Queenstown yesterday.

Queenstown man Verdun Waghorn was a UFO sceptic - until he photographed one. Now he wants to know if the truth is out there.

A man who crashed a drone into a Queenstown hotel and then left the scene could be prosecuted for breaking civil aviation rules.

The parents of Corey Docherty, who died after being found in a Queenstown alleyway, have arrived in NZ, and his grandfather says he was "living his dream".

Plans for a huge expansion of New Zealand's most luxurious golfing and lifestyle resort have been unveiled today.