Snowmobile users warned off Pisa Range

The Department of Conservation (DOC) is reminding snowmobile enthusiasts to keep to designated areas in the Old Man Range/Kopuwai conservation area, after reports of unauthorised snowmobile users operating in places like the Pisa Range.

Snowmobiling has been gaining in popularity in Central Otago and in the 2016 Otago Conservation Management Strategy an area was designated on the Old Man Range for the activity, DOC Central Otago operations manager Mike Tubbs said.

“The Old Man Range/Kopuwai conservation area is the only public conservation land in the region that has a designated place for private snowmobile use,” he said, adding this is to ensure impacts such as noise and disturbance are minimised.

“Snowmobiling is a motorised activity that is fun for the people doing it although can have an impact on others seeking a quieter backcountry experience. Therefore we manage where the activity can take place to ensure the impacts on other conservation land users is minimised.”

If people were unsure where they can and can’t snowmobile, the local DOC staff were happy to help.

Aurora offers online consultation

Electricity network company Aurora is inviting the public to tune-in to an online consultation session regarding its proposal to increase charges to pay for future infrastructure investment.

“The two-hour session is designed to give you an overview of the key issues we have identified in Aurora’s investment plan that we want your feedback on before making our draft decision in November,” the company said in a statement.

The session, including a presentation by Associate Commissioner John Crawford, is being hosted via Microsoft Teams on Thursday August 20 between 10am-12pm. Click here Join Microsoft Teams Meeting to join the meeting. Alternatively people can email [email protected] to be sent a calendar invitation.

The online session replaces the public consultation meetings which were scheduled in Wanaka and Queenstown last week but cancelled due to alert level two restrictions.

A draft decision is expected in November. Find more information on Aurora’s consultation here.

Edgewater wins Travellers Choice Award

Edgewater staff celebrate the win. PHOTO: Ray Tiddy

Edgewater Hotel Wanaka has received a 2020 Travellers Choice award from Tripadvisor.

The award is based on guest reviews and feedback, Edgewater general manager Catherine Bone said.

Every year Tripadvisor compiles feedback to identify the top ten per cent of properties on the travel platform. 

“For us it’s a fantastic acknowledgment of the teamwork we have here, and it’s wonderful for morale. Obviously it’s been tough times recently and the staff have worked tirelessly to adapt to new circumstances,” Catherine said. “It’s a real privilege.”

Greek goddess appears at Wishbone Falls

‘Iris’ at Wishbone Falls. PHOTO: Supplied 

Visitors to Wishbone Falls in the Matukituki Valley may be surprised to see a figure poised motionless at the edge of the pool.

Sculptor Simon Max Bannister says the figure he sculpted is named 'Iris', and she is inspired by the Greek goddess of the rainbow.

Iris is poised to catch the falling prisms from the waterfall spray in the disk she holds.

“This temporary placement is part of my installation experiences I am envisioning within the region,” Simon said. “It works in conjunction with the Kea Awareness sculpture further up the valley in Aspiring Station.”

Wanaka-based Simon said he is inspired by landscapes and motivated by environmental advocacy. He has been creating bronze birds and steel mythological statues for the past few years.