LWB_issue 997 by Lakes Weekly Bulletin

LAKES WEEKLY

Support our vollies

You often hear police officers complain about speeders and drink-drivers, saying it is the emergency services who have to “scrape people off the roads”. When you actually stop to think about that phrase, about somebody having to deal with the bloody, gruesome damage caused to a human body by hard asphalt, fast-moving metal and glass, it’s beyond grim.

Our emergency services, our cops, paramedics and firefighters, regularly see horrors that would keep most of us awake at night. In the past few months, for instance, there have been more than half-a-dozen fatal crashes on roads around the region. They also attend many other incidents involving death and destruction, including plane crashes, work accidents, medical call outs and suicide attempts. On many call outs, they will save someone’s life, which is a strong motivation to carry on in such a role, but on others, there’s nothing that can be done for the victim, other than to give them some dignity in death, make the scene safe, and investigate. It must all take its toll, yet, with the fire brigade, incredibly we have people who volunteer to serve the community in this way.

You would think the vollies would be given the same support as their paid colleagues, but as we’ve seen from the case of Kingston volunteer fire chief Peter Ottley, they are not. Ottley was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after attending a fatal accident in December, the latest in a number of harrowing call outs over more than 12 years with the brigade. He stepped down from the brigade and took time off from his regular job. But when he asked ACC for help to cover his wages, his claim was denied. He was told ACC only covers psychological trauma from paid-work related incidents. While paid firefighters are covered, volunteers are not. That’s just not right. There’s been so much progress made removing the stigma around mental health problems in recent years, particularly in male-dominated industries like construction, but here, with ACC, it’s clear that barriers and injustice remains. It’s unbelievable to me that the Government hasn’t already stepped in and changed this rule. There can be no ethical argument for the difference. It’s a straight up decision between right and wrong. The cost should not matter (but it will cost a lot less than paying people to do these volunteer roles).

Ottley’s story prompted Queenstown Volunteer Fire Brigade secretary Katherine Lamont to launch a petition calling for change, calling for New Zealand’s 12,000 volunteer firefighters to have the same ACC cover as paid firefighters. Nearly 33,000 people across NZ have now signed it, and it is backed by the United Fire Brigades Association of NZ. It’s open until next Wednesday, 30 April. So, in this week when sacrifice and service is front of mind, I encourage you all to put your name to it too. Visit petitions.parliament.nz/ (keyword: firefighter)

Paul Taylor - Lakes Weekly Bulletin

Freeride skier Wānaka’s Craig Murray has won the prestigious Yeti Natural Selection Ski event, held in on formidable steep faces in the Tordrillo mountain range, Alaska.

Photo: Leslie Hittmeier / Natural Selection Tour. Read more on lwb.co.nz and the Queenstown App.

Change is coming to the Gardens

by Paul Taylor

Friends of Queenstown Gardens has cautiously welcomed plans to replace five hectares of wilding conifer trees but say the devil will be in the detail.

Hundreds of ageing wilding pines dominate the peninsula Gardens, which juts out into Lake Whakatipu, providing a windbreak for downtown Queenstown.

Queenstown Lakes District Council has published a draft plan to steadily chop the trees over the next 60 years, replacing them with a diverse range of native, suitable exotic, and deciduous trees and plants.

QLDC’s Community & Services general manager Ken Bailey says the trees invasive nature and advancing age pose several significant threats to the landscape’s long-term health.

The dense canopy blocks sunlight and reduces native ﬂora and fauna, they drop needle litter that results in poor soil health, and their location creates a significant seed spread risk for a tree being battled with throughout the district.

“As these trees near the end of their lives, we need to have a plan in place to ensure we protect the area while taking the opportunity to transition to a more sustainable and diverse shelterbelt,” Bailey says.

As the trees are chopped in stages across multiple zones, pioneer species like grasses, ferns, and mānuka will be used to restore soil structure and support the growth of future planting.

Native trees like kōwhai, beech, and southern rātā will then be planted to provide additional wind shelter as quickly as possible while creating new wildlife habitat.

Jay Cassells, of Friends of Queenstown Gardens, says they are glad they were approached early on in the planning stage by QLDC.

“In principle FOG supports any sensible, funded and informed tree husbandry planning and is pleased to see emphasis on maintenance of the trees and the character of the Gardens,” Cassells says.

“But there’s a lot of detail to get on top of and the first question is whether it is urgent, because there are plenty of other trees to fell or finish felling on hillsides across the basin if worried about seed broadcast.”

Cassells says FOG also wants the focus to be on planting, rather than felling.

“You don’t want to cut anything down until you see how things are going, because the last thing you want to do is lose the shelterbelt and the character of the Gardens, and then the new species don’t grow there, or you run out of money, or there’s a change of regime - then you’ve completely lost it.”

There are also concerns about the wider impact. Former Queenstown Gardens gardener, the late Nic Leefe, reckoned removing the trees would drop the downtown temperature by four degrees, Cassells recalls.

The council’s track record in recent years with the Gardens and tree felling elsewhere downtown has been controversial. It took massive public pressure to reverse a decision to chop 42 trees for a four-metre wide cycle path at Hotops Rise in 2021.

“With this project we ask what’s the budget, and what’s the prospect of funding it to completion? But our discussions have been perfectly amicable and sensible and we’re looking forward to continuing them,” Cassells says.

There’ll be a QLDC community drop-in session in the Gardens band rotunda on Monday, 28 April, noon-1pm, and a QLDC presentation on the plans at Queenstown Bowls Club on Wednesday, 30 April, from 1pm-2pm.

Feedback on the draft Te Kararo Queenstown Gardens Tree Succession Plan closes on Monday, 12 May. More details on letstalk.qldc.govt.nz

Highland Real Estate Group Ltd Licensed Agent REAA 2008

Business owners cash in their chips

by Paul Taylor

One of Queenstown’s most popular hospo businesses has hit the market.

Erik’s Fish & Chips is on sale after almost a decade serving customers from its premises in Earl Street downtown, near Queenstown Bay.

Established by owners Anna and Erik Arndt, the outlet is thought to be the only 100% gluten-free fish and chip shop in the world. It also serves some unique dishes, including deep-fried kiwi fruit and deep-fried cheese rolls.

“It’s time for us to retire,” Anna says. “We’ve got six grandchildren and we want to spend time with them and just enjoy life.

“We’ve had a great run and it’s been a fantastic business. We started back in December 2015, and must have served tens of thousands of portions over those nine-and-a-half years.

“Covid was tough, it was difficult for everyone wasn’t it, but generally people just love fish and chips, so it’s been successful.

“We’ve got a great spot near the beach and have always lived by our core values to enjoy the lifestyle and make sure our staff can too. If they want to ski in winter, we work the roster around that, so they can get in as much as possible.

“It pays back because they look after you in the long run.”

The Arndts toured the country tasting the fish and chips to perfect their recipes before launching the business and it’s paid off, creating a profitable operation.

Anna says the business is all set up for new owners to step in.

It’s currently fully managed but can also suit an owner-operator.

Operating from kitchen and dining trailers opposite the Novotel Hotel, it has potential for expansion, such as more outlets, food trucks or franchising.

“We’re just hoping to pass it on to someone who’s passionate and wants to be part of the community, because it’s a great community.”

New faces at housing trust

It’s one of the most important organisations in Queenstown Lakes.

Now there are two new faces at the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust (QLCHT), responsible for creating more affordable housing in the district.

Queenstown local Jimmy Sygrove and Wānaka resident Dave Lindsay have been appointed as trustees, replacing long-serving trustee Ray Key, as well as filling a new vacancy.

Born and raised in Wellington, Sygrove made the move to the Wakatipu basin in 2013 and now lives in Gibbston valley. He’s a Principal Advisor and shareholder at Arrowtown-based consultancy, Rationale, a former QLDC comms advisor, and spent six years on the board of the Arrowtown Promotion and Business Association, including three as Chair.

“I am genuinely stoked to be joining the team,” Sygrove says. “Bringing up our two young boys in the Queenstown Lakes, I understand the challenges of the housing market, as well as the higher cost of living that families in our district face. I feel very fortunate to be able to raise my family here, and being able to help other people make their homes in the district is something I’m really proud to be a part of.”

Meanwhile, Southland-raised Lindsay followed a 23-year cycle in the world of business and entrepreneurship, during which he founded, led, and ultimately exited a data and technology consultancy in the fast-paced world of global finance.

“Now I’m firmly living in Wānaka, I couldn’t be more excited at the chance to apply my skills and experience to supporting QLCHT’s mission of providing secure affordable homes for residents of our district, regardless of their socioeconomic status.”

QLCHT chair Richard Thomas says the Trust is delighted with both appointments and acknowledged Key’s nine-year contribution to the board.

“We owe our appreciation to the valuable contribution from Ray, who was a Trustee since 2016. As an experienced director and finance professional, Ray also served as Chair of QLCHT’s finance and audit committee and was a valuable member of the board. Whilst we’re sad to see him leave, we look forward to utilising Dave and Jimmy’s own skillsets,” Thomas says.

Jimmy Sygrove

Dave Lindsay

Anna and Erik Arndt

The Erik’s Fish & Chips trailers off Earl Street

CRIMELINE

Frankton Road becomes night-time speedway

by Sue Fea

Just two nights after a motorcyclist was clocked at 142kmh on Frankton Road, another driver has allegedly sped away from the cops.

Police say they spotted the speeding car just after 1am on Wednesday 16, April, and attempted to pull it over. Area road policing manager Senior Sergeant Steve Watt says the driver completed “an erratic U-turn and sped off at high speeds crossing the centre line”.

However, he was caught a short time later - fuelling the car up at a local petrol station. The 34-year-old Cromwell man, who was on an alcohol interlock licence, was arrested and charged with dangerous driving, failing to stop and refusing a request for blood, driving contrary to an alcohol interlock device and interfering with an alcohol interlock device.

His licence has been suspended for 28 days, while he’s bailed to appear in Queenstown District Court on 23 April. The vehicle has been impounded.

Less than 48 hours earlier on the same road the motorcyclist, carrying a passenger, also ﬂed Police at high speed - clocking 142kmh in the 70kmh zone. The biker ignored the patrol car lights and siren and failed to stop, near Yewlett Crescent, at around 4.20am.

Sergeant Tracy Haggart says due to the driver’s excessive speed Police did not pursue and enquiries are continuing to locate the driver.

Police put out a public appeal for anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage of the bike to come forward. The last sighting of the bike was at about 4.25am as it travelled past the Z petrol station on Frankton Road, heading towards the Queenstown CBD.

Police say they’re taking “a zero-tolerance approach” to this kind of behaviour” and every effort will be made to ensure these dangerous road users are held accountable. Contact Police on 105, either over the phone or online, referencing file number 250414/1674.

Five times the limit

A 32-year-old Queenstown man clocked an astonishing breath alcohol level of 1289mcgs – over five times the legal limit, at Shotover Country just before 8.30pm on Saturday, 12 April.

Haggart says the man was found in the vehicle with the keys in the ignition after Police received a complaint in McBride Street. The driver will appear in the Queenstown District Court on 9 May.

He was among at least four drink drivers caught on Queenstown roads last week, including a 54-year-old on a zero-alcohol licence, who blew 400mcg after being stopped on Arthurs Point Road just before 8am on Friday, 11 April. Cops say they received a complaint about him crossing the centre line. He’ll appear in court on 23 April, charged with drink driving as a zero-alcohol licensee and driving contrary to the terms of his zero-alcohol licence, third or subsequent.

Haggart urges people planning on having a few alcoholic drinks to ensure they have a plan to get home safely afterwards.

“Organise a sober driver, someone to come and collect you, or plan for a taxi or Uber fare to get home. Don’t drink and drive and put yourselves and other motorists at risk,” she says.

Downtown assaults

Police are looking for a bulky Māori man with black hair, aged in his late 20s, after he tired to head butt and punch a staff member at a Church Street backpackers. The staff member had intervened after the man had followed other men into the backpackers, swearing at them, at 1.40am on Saturday, 12 April. He was then seen trying to fight other members of the public outside Night ‘n Day. Police attended but he wasn’t located. He was wearing a ﬂannel shirt and cap. And a 23-year-old Queenstown man faces two charges of assault after a group of males became aggressive and argumentative at being refused entry into a bar due to intoxication. His court date is 19 May.

Love Letters from Fear and Mud

by Santiago Bonhomme

Since I was a child, wars have fascinated me - not for the battles or the patriotic speeches, but for the stories that get lost in the mud: the small ones, the intimate ones, the ones that resist being forgotten. Like that of Cecil Malthus, a young man from Timaru who was dragged to the front lines of Gallipoli during the First World War, and who, from the heart of barbarity, wrote letters to his beloved Hazel.

Gallipoli was one of the most brutal campaigns of the Great War. Over 130,000 soldiers died there - around 87,000 from the Ottoman Empire and more than 44,000 from the Allied forces, including thousands of New Zealanders and Australians - in a ﬁerce struggle over a piece of land in Turkey. In the midst of that hell, Cecil still found time to write. To tell Hazel he missed her, that he thought of her while the icy wind slipped through the sandbags and the mud covered his ankles.

I discovered his story at the Te Papa Museum in Wellington. Among uniforms, maps, and cannons, his words were a whisper of humanity. They were love written in the ink of resistance.

I imagine the scene: Cecil, with soaked feet, an aching back, hungry, with death lurking... and yet, a letter. “Today we buried a boy from Dunedin,” he writes. “While we dug his grave, the mud no longer mattered. I don’t know if I cried, but now, as I write to you, my eyes are trembling.”

It’s not just a letter. It’s an act of faith. An attempt to stay sane, to hold on to something stronger than fear. In 1915, a bomb exploded near his foot. Wounded, he was evacuated from the front. But neither pain nor distance kept him from his need to write. The letters kept coming. In each one, the hope of seeing her again. Of becoming who he was before the mud and bullets forever changed the way he saw the world.

Cecil returned. He came back to New Zealand. To Timaru. To Hazel. They lived in Christchurch. Had ﬁve children. The war marked him, but it didn’t break him. He became a professor of French and history at the University of Otago. He taught new generations and wrote about what he had lived, as if words were a bridge between past and present.

But the letters—those he wrote with dirty hands and a wounded soul - were always his most honest testament.

Each year, on ANZAC Day, we remember the fallen. But we should also remember those who, like Cecil, resisted by writing. Those who not only fought the enemy, but also fought off despair. Because those letters weren’t just words of love: they were a way to stay alive.

In the midst of war, Cecil writes to Hazel: “The cold gets into my bones. Food is a dream. I don’t know what day it is. But when I think of you, your laughter, the warmth of your embrace, I feel that there is something greater than all this.”

That sentence haunts me. Because beyond the trenches and death, something endures: the desire to return, to reunite, to love.

War, with all its noise, tries to silence that. But it can’t. Not completely. Cecil’s letters survive as proof that, even in the darkness of barbarism, love can still bloom. That not even a shattered foot, nor fear, nor death itself can defeat what truly makes us human.

QUEENSTOWN ANZAC DAY DAWN SERVICE

When: 6.30am, Friday, 25 April, 2025. Where: Memorial Gates, Marine Parade, Queenstown. The Queenstown RSA invites members, other service organisations and members of the public to the commemorative Dawn Service at Memorial Gates, Marine Parade, Queenstown (prompt start). The Dawn Service will be followed by a march to the Memorial Hall and the laying of wreaths.

ARROWTOWN ANZAC DAY SERVICE

When: 10.30am, Friday, 25 April, 2025. Where: The Cenotaph, Durham Street, Arrowtown. Those wishing to join the Parade please assemble at 10am at the Atheneum Hall, Buckingham Street to march to the Cenotaph for the service at 10.30am. If weather in inclement the service will be held in the Athenaeum Hall

COMMUNITY NOTES

When the autumn colours start to show around the basin, it is the sign that native planting season is on!

The Whakatipu Reforestation Trust (WRT) has been operating since 2013, working to grow and plant native trees and shrubs throughout the Whakatipu Basin, with 125,000 plants in the ground to date, the impact is starting to add up.

The Trust’s keystone sites are located on public reserves and are prepared each autumn and spring for the community to plant of native trees and shrubs. As these sites become established, they will help to form an ecological corridor through the Whakatipu Basin, providing food and shelter for native wildlife.

The organisation’s success is powered by volunteers. From propagating and nurturing plants at the community nursery in Kelvin Heights to arriving at planting days in force, volunteers have been the superpower driving the action. Thanks to their work, our vision of a basin that hums with native biodiversity is becoming a reality.

This autumn, two successful planting days have already been held at Whitechapel Reserve and Slopehill Reserve with 2500 new natives planted by community volunteers into these keystone sites.

WRT is running one last planting day on Saturday, 3 May at Lake Hayes Pavilion where they will be planting 1000 more. We’re putting these new lower growing plants in from the pavilion toward the rowing club. And don’t worry if you don’t know your corokia from your coprosma: this event requires no previous experience. We’re all about sharing the knowledge of what grows here and why. A lot of the hard work is done, with all holes pre-dug. All you need is a pair of gloves and everything else is provided, including a delicious morning tea provided by the fantastic team at the Hilton!

www.groutperfectnz.co.nz

- Wanaka - Otago

For those interested in contributing to local conservation efforts, this event offers an opportunity to make a difference while learning about native plant species and their importance. Planting days are a fantastic example of community spirit and a great way to meet like-minded people. If you would like to get involved at the WRT nursery or come to a community planting day, check for more details on social media or their website www.wrtqt.org.nz.

Last Autumn Planting Day: Saturday, 3 May: 9am – noon. Lake Hayes Pavilion.

GOINGS ON ABOUT

EVENTS - MUSIC - ART THEATRE - AT THE GALLERIES

Trio Kagura

ARTS

Based in Manchester, UK, Trio Kagura comprises of Yuuki Bouterey-Ishido, a New Zealand cellist currently performing around the UK and Europe, as well as Japanese-born pianist Kanako Mizuno and Lithuanian violinist Pijus Jonušas. Trio Kagura are currently Britten Pears Arts’ Artists in Residence. The name Kagura is taken from the Japanese word for ritual music and dance that is performed to bring joy and peace to the community.

When: Wednesday, 23 April, 7.30pm – 9.30pm Where: Lake Wānaka Centre, 89 Ardmore Street, Wānaka

Cirque Du Coro – Live Orchestra Plus Aerial Acts

Picture exciting aerial and floor circus acts combined with musical classics and you have captured the essence of Central Otago Regional Orchestra’s upcoming concerts series. Bringing circus and music together has been a long-held dream of conductor Ashley Hopkins. Performers will be accompanied by music including well-loved classics such as Entrance of the Gladiators, (Fucik), The Greatest Showman (Pasek and Paul), and Send in the Clowns (Sondheim arr. Ashley Hopkins). These concerts will be exciting and inspiring! Tickets can be purchased online at undertheradar.co.nz, on the door, or in person at Summerfields Pharmacy, Arrowtown Museum, Cromwell Paperplus or Alexandra Unichem Pharmacy.

When: Saturday, 3 May, 7pm – Cromwell, Sunday, 4 May, 2pm - Arrowtown Where: Cromwell College Auditorium, 9 Barry Avenue, and Arrowtown Athenaeum Hall, 33 Buckingham Street

MUSIC

Arrowtown ANZAC Service

Those wishing to join the Parade please assemble at 10am at the Athenaeum Hall, Buckingham Street to march to the Cenotaph for the service at 10.30am. If weather in inclement the service will be held in the AthenaeumHall.

When: Friday, 25 April, 10.30am

Where: The Cenotaph, Durham Street, Arrowtown

SPORT

Methanol Masters + Metal Madness

Reb Fountain How Love Bends Tour

Reb Fountain returns with her new album, How Love Bends, continuing her reign as one of Aotearoa’s most captivating and genre-defying musicians. To celebrate its release, Fountain and her whole band are embarking on a nationwide tour. Known for her spellbinding performances and ability to weave introspective narratives through her music, fans will have the opportunity to witness the magic that is Reb Fountain live.

When: Sunday, 27 April, 5pm – 7pm and 7pm – 9pm Where: Sherwood, 554 Frankton Road, Queenstown

Pete Murray Solo Acoustic New Zealand Tour

Iconic Australian singer-songwriter Pete Murray is gearing up for his highly anticipated return to New Zealand, announcing his first tour here since 2008. The solo tour offers Kiwi fans an intimate, up-close experience with one of Australia’s most beloved artists. It also marks Murray’s first solo tour of New Zealand in 17 years. Fans can expect a mix of classics such as Better Days, Feeler, and So Beautiful, as well as his latest release, I Am Fire.

When: Wednesday, 30 April, 7pm

Where: Yonder, 14 Church Street, Queenstown

If you would like your show, event, exhibition or meeting promoted in Goings On drop us a line at info@qmg.co.nz with the details

New Zealand Speedway Sprint Car Legends are back! Last year’s inaugural Methanol Masters featured 24 legends and current drivers aged 45+. They entertained a huge crowd, that became the epic event of the 2023/24 Sprint Car season, taking out the New Zealand Speedway Promotional Event of the Year and Promotional Item of the Year. The 2025 ANZAC Weekend event could well be the biggest field of Sprint Cars in New Zealand this season. Support classes have been carefully chosen to maximise spectator entertainment. The Speedway are thrilled to bring back Metal Madness with Superstocks, Stockcars, Streetstocks and Youth Ministocks.

When: Saturday, 26 April

Where: Central Motor Speedway, off Queenstown-Cromwell Highway SH6, Cromwell

EVENT

Arrowtown Autumn Festival

Now in its 39th year, the Arrowtown Autumn Festival is set to impress once again with a wide range of great food, wine, arts, comedy, music and sporting events suited to people of all ages. This event is run by the community, for the community, to showcase local talents as well as the historical and cultural aspects of Arrowtown. The programme includes the official opening ceremony at 12pm on Thursday, an array of workshops for the kids, comedy, street entertainment, an art exhibition, and so much more. Some of the events require tickets, so please head to arrowtownautumnfestival. co.nz to view the full programme and find more info.

When: Thursday, 24 – Sunday, 27 April

Where: Various locations, Arrowtown

King’s Day

Get ready to go full Dutch as we celebrate King’s Day – the biggest, boldest, and most orange party of the year at Searchlight Brewery! Join in for a day packed with authentic Dutch food, lively music, and plenty of beer to keep the festivities going. Don your best orange outfit, embrace the fun, and experience King’s Day in Queenstown like never before.

When: Saturday, 26 April, 3pm

Where: Searchlight Brewing, 12 Industrial Place

Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour

Since 1976, the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival has been an industry leader in the celebration of Mountain Culture. From approximately 375 films entered into the annual festival, the world’s best mountain films are chosen for the World Tour. This year’s tour features a collection of the most inspiring action, environmental, cultural and adventure films from the festival. In New Zealand, their programmes feature over two hours of thought-provoking films from the world’s most prestigious mountain film festival! Be moved. Be inspired. To view the full programme and grab tickets, head to banff.nz

When: Wednesday, 30 April, 7pm – Ruapehu Programme, Thursday, 1 May, 7pm – Tasman Programme

Where: Queenstown Memorial Centre, 1 Memorial Street, Queenstown

HOSPOGUIDE

22 APRIL- 28 APRIL

Wednesday Quiz Night Bookings are required. To book contact info@lokalqt.co.nz or ring 03 442 5444

Takeaways available, burgers, ribs, pizzas and more! Order online www.lokalqt.co.nz

Summer Lunch Special

$28 BBQ meat platter, dine in or takeaway, Fri, Sat and Sun only 12pm to 5pm

& Saturday LIVE MUSIC Shay Muddle/Connor Williams/ Chaz Mcleod Back to Back-The “BANK” Live @ 8.30pm

Pearly McGrath and Conner Williams LIVE 7pm-late $11 All Day margaritas and espressos $14 Beer Jugs

Dark ‘N’ Stormys, $10 Snakebite Pint

$12 All Day Parmy & Pint $25 Thursday Open instrument & mic Live Band ‘Victory’ / Dave Arnold Bring instrument or use ours to join in and play or sing from 8pm

John Healy 8.30pm

R&B Night Mondays best spot DJ ‘Bigboy’ (Cory) 8pm

Singles Pool Comp 8pm

Tuesday All-Day Ice Skating from 9.30am-6pm with unlimited re-entry!

$6 Beer handles 7 days a week

Wednesday Rent a Frisbee Golf Disc for just $6.50, 18-holes around the QT Gardens

$15 Nachos

Thursday Queenstown Women’s League Free to Watch Ice Hockey from 6.15pm

Friday Stick and Puck session for Hockey Players from 6.15pm

Saturday NIGHT SKATE Ice Skating Disco from 6.157.30pm with games & prizes!

Sunday Free to Watch Ice Hockey Sunday Social League from 5.15-10pm

Monday Check our website for the full schedule!

Friday & Saturday DJ AYEEDEEG, Hip-Hop & RnB tunes 10pm - late Everyday Free Pool

Monday BIGA PIZZA food truck open from 1pm, takeaways available Tuesday MAD DOGS food truck open from 1pm, takeaways available Wednesday Darts & Beers, Social Games Night 6pm - free entry

Live Music with Blake 9pm

Live Music with Je Marco 7.30pm DJ Mitch from 10pm

Live Music with VickiLeigh & Dave 10pm

Wed-Sat TACOS JAGUAR, Authentic Mexican food, open from 1pm

Live Music with VickiLeigh Band 10pm

Friday OPEN MIC 6.30-9.30pm, Every Friday, Elle & Alex Music

DJ Stubacca 9pm

Saturday BARKS & BREWS 1-4pm, all dogs welcome!

Live Music with Eby 9pm

Tuesday Adventure Hub: Lydia Bradley 7pm GJ GRZLY from 9pm

Wednesday Silent Disco 3 DJs | 3 Channels | Free Entry $25 SpecialChicken Parmi

Thursday Mitch EP from 9pm $25 SpecialBBQ Ribs

Daily $20 Lunch Special

Happy Hour 4-6pm

Friday GJ GRZLY from 9pm

Saturday F2F Boiler Room from 9pm, free entry

Sunday Danny Atkinson From 5-9pm in the beer garden

Saturday Dutch KING’S DAY live music, dutch food & beer 3-10pm

Live Music with TJ 9pm

Monday DJ Mad from 9pm $25 Burger Special

Also serving lamb shanks, blue cod and other delicious southern classics

COFFEE RAVE From 10am For the morning grinderscoffee and tunes pumping, to kick off your Sunday morning! Wednesday Super Pool Comp 9pm Start, Free Entry, $200 Cash Prize Thursday Drum and Bass Night

Tech Minimal house/Tech from 8pm

DID THIS AD GET YOUR ATTENTION? That is the power of Business Line Ads. Contact the Lakes Weekly Bulletin today 03 409 2800 or email enquiries@qmg.co.nz and take the first step to successful

Arts+Culture

39th year for Arrowtown Autumn Festival

by Jessica Allen

Amazing food, wine, arts, comedy, music and sporting events – all that and more is on the agenda at the 39th Arrowtown Autumn Festival. The extensive programme boasts over 50 events to suit people of all ages, and is run by the community, for the community, with a goal of showcasing local talents as well as historical and cultural aspects of the town.

More than 70% of the events on offer are free, but there are a few that require tickets such as The Art of Wine at Mora, a fun and educational session with four courses or art and wine pairing, or the Comedy Night with Josh Thomson & Friends at Cardrona Distillery. There’s also the ever-popular free events including the bi-annual photography competition, Arrowtown Art Exhibition, street entertainment with MulletMan and Mim, pumpkin harvest and chutney competition, markets, live music and plenty more.

“We’ve got a lot of the favourite events like the Pie, Pint and Pinot, which is already sold out, as well as the quiz night,” Vanessa Williams at the festival says. “We have an outdoor movie on the Friday night for the kids, which will be Despicable Me, and we’ve got some new events – we’ve got Casino Royale at the New Orleans Hotel on the Sunday night – it’s a great idea and the Lions Foundation are providing all the tables and the croupier.”

There’s also the parade and market day on Saturday, at 2pm, which is always a big highlight. It will showcase a range of local community groups, dazzling street performers and over 100 stalls offering local food and artisan products. Some of the most popular events this year are the workshops, which are perfect to keep the kids entertained.

“There’s something for everyone from adults to kids. Saturday is always a great day for any newcomers because the atmosphere is just so huge, with the parade and the market day on. It’s really just a celebration of Arrowtown and everyone involved in Arrowtown. We just want to be able to share that with other people before winter time and have the community enjoy themselves, too,” Williams says.

Arrowtown Autumn Festival will run from Thursday, 24 – Sunday, 27 April. Things will kick off with the official opening ceremony at Buckingham Green at 12pm on Thursday. There’s also an RSA ANZAC Service from 10am – 12pm on the Friday, with a parade from Athenaeum Hall to the War Memorial Park. Head to arrowtownautumnfestival.co.nz to view the full programme and get tickets for those events that require them.

Be spell bound by Reb Fountain

by Jessica Allen

Alternative-folk artist Reb Fountain will play at Sherwood this Sunday as part of her nation-wide tour. The tour is in support of her latest album, How Love Bends, which stays true to her genre-defining sound – smooth and captivating. The album is Fountain’s first in three years. Her previous albums were released during Covid lockdowns, so she’s excited to bring this into the ‘normal’ world.

“This is amazing – to be releasing a record where we can go and talk to folks in person, it’s been quite a highlight, to be honest. We’re just touring it around the motu at the moment. We had three shows over the last weekend, and I’m so excited to be making music, to be playing music to everyone,” Fountain says.

The album debuted at number one and in addition to digital, the vinyl and CDs have been flying off the shelves at local record stores. It’s been a journey – a couple of days before the release of her second album, Fountain suffered a serious head injury, which changed the trajectory of the next year for her and helped to influence How Love Bends.

“How Love Bends was really born out of that time and a different way of writing music and having musical conversations with my producer and bandmate Dave Khan. So this album really came about wanting to make something that was really unapologetic and clear and open to all aspects of myself as well as what was going on in the world.”

The result is a diverse range of tracks as there’s many different influences going into it. Fountain puts it best explaining the album is a way of describing how you can perceive everything differently over time – or maybe the way that you decide to perceive it can change – and how love isn’t this one sloppy thing, it’s a really complex emotion, feeling and experience, which can have longing and suffering or joy and hope attached to it.

The tour so far has been going really well, with many shows selling out. Fountain couldn’t be more happy, as she loves playing on stage, and having the opportunity to engage with her audience.

“It’s just so heartening to connect with people and play these new songs. It’s pretty exciting – I was like a kid in a candy store the first night – live performance is my favourite thing to do and so it’s really nice to get out and play these songs. They feel really good and we’re having a good time,” Fountain says.

Reb Fountain’s How Love Bends Tour will take over Sherwood on Sunday, 27 April. There’s a show at 5pm and 7pm – for more info, to hear her new album and to get tickets head to rebfountain.co.nz

Cirque Du Coro

Picture exciting aerial and floor circus acts combined with musical classics and you have captured the essence of Central Otago Regional Orchestra’s upcoming concerts series to be held on the evening of 3 May at the Cromwell College Auditorium, and at a matinée 4 May at the Arrowtown Athenaeum Hall.

Bringing circus and music together has been a long-held dream of conductor Ashley Hopkins after he experienced similar events in the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. Local enquiry led to him finding Circus Space run by Abigail Rose.

Rose trained in multiple Circus disciplines in New Zealand before training in Canada and the US. She’s now developed Circus Space, based in Alexandra, for children and adults alike to have the opportunity to experience performing

circus. In this performance she will be joined by four of her teenage students who have been performing aerials for about three years.

Hopkins brings a wealth of musical experience to the conductor’s podium. He has been CORO’s successful musical director since 2016 and has just entered his fourth year of conducting the Roxburgh Pioneer Energy Brass Band. He’s having a lot of fun compiling the music for this concert series. This diverse concert series is another opportunity for the followers of CORO to see them in action with community groups. They are looking forward to being able to perform with Rose and her students as part of their community outreach. Tickets can be purchased online at undertheradar.co.nz, on the door, or in person at Summerfields Pharmacy, Arrowtown Museum, Cromwell Paperplus or Alexandra Unichem Pharmacy.

alex@remarkablecoatings.co.nz www.remarkablecoatings.co.nz

info@creativeframing.co.nz www.creativeframing.co.nz

by Sue Fea

My Life story

YASUKO JOLL

Japanese ‘Kiwi can do’

She may come from Japan, but Queenstown’s Yasuko Joll sure has plenty of ‘Kiwi can do’ attitude. If New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister asks for a toothbrush from hotel reception late at night you improvise.

Yasuko grew up in Fukuoka, southern Japan, in a small country town surrounded by rice fields –her grandmother a rice farmer.

Schoolwork and volleyball filled her week, the family heading to Grandma’s for special New Year celebrations where the kids helped make mochi – a Japanese New Year tradition.

Yasuko then headed to Osaka to study tourism for two years, qualifying as a travel agent. She learned the hard way early on, once booking friends on a US trip, leaving them to sprint the terminal with only 10 minutes to transit between flights, the crew waiting, holding back the plane. Keen to experience the world, Yasuko heard about working holiday visas and at 29 headed for NZ alone, spending three months in Auckland before arriving in Queenstown in the late 90s.

Housekeeping at Blue Peaks didn’t cut it and Yasuko quickly found travel agent work for Kintetsu Tours (KNT), an inbound tour operator, during a time when Japanese tourism was booming.

“They were boom times for Japanese visitors and I organised their holiday details, restaurant bookings and that,” Yasuko says. One booking took her fancy – Japanese-speaking Kiwi Tanken Tours hiking guide Dave Joll, who’d worked in Japan. They married in 2003.

After eight years at KNT she took a role as receptionist at Millbrook Resort – an asset to the team with her Japanese language and cultural know-how. “I struggled a bit with the English as the customers didn’t slow down to talk to me,” she laughs.

Yasuko recalls the big preparations they made when Prince William was coming to visit. “We’d

spent several weeks getting ready, and we were all waiting on the plane to arrive, but the weather turned bad, and the plane had to turn back to Christchurch.”

There were other big Kiwi names though –Yasuko having now been converted to All Black rugby fan status by Dave. However, when guest All Black great Jonah Lomu came to reception one night asking to rent a video (movie) Yasuko was “so embarrassed to show him the list”. “The hotel collection was really bad, and I kept apologising,” she smiles. “I was so excited to meet him, and he had to watch RoboCop.”

“I’ve been so impressed with how generous, kind and down to earth Kiwis are.”

poisonous snakes and leeches.” The locals were worried when they set off on the difficult 12-hour walk, not well signposted. “There was no phone coverage and no public transport at the end, so luckily one geeky guy who was looking for butterflies offered us a ride out.”

The GFC hit in 2008, so the Tanken team started brewing sake from Queenstown, launching Zenkuro Sake in 2015, now 12 times international sake award winner.

Then there was the night when Deputy Prime Minister Bill English came to ask for a toothbrush late as the airline had lost his bag. “Normally we had them, but the hotel shop was closed and all I could find was dental floss,” she says. “He was very good and said, ‘Ok, that’s better than nothing’.”

Yasuko then joined Dave and his partners at Tanken Tours, sitting her passenger service licence and becoming a hiking and sightseeing guide, mainly taking Japanese on day hikes into Routeburn Flats Hut.

In the early stages she got a little lost, thinking she’d lead her tour group on an alternate route. “I was worried I’d got it wrong so made them all walk all the way back, including two quite old ladies.”

Yasuko and David then joined their Tanken partners, including mountaineer-writer Craig McLachlan, writing a Lonely Planet hiking guidebook on Japan.

“We did Kyushu and part of Okinawa, Iriomote – a famous track through the island renowned for its

Dave began brewing in the kitchen but was quickly moved to the garage. Before long Yasuko had launched a sideline cosmetics business, using the sake kasu – residue from the brewing process, renowned among Japanese women for its amazing effects on complexion. “They’d be queueing up outside the brewery.”

She now has local Japanese ladies making the products and is actively involved, also promoting sake kasu among upmarket chefs and local craft beer breweries.

For some years Yasuko helped the Police, courts and medical centres as a Japanese translator and helped organise the former Japanese Festival.

Now Mum to two teenagers, it’s been challenging being so far from family support back home, but Yasuko says she’s loved introducing NZ and its culture to Japanese people, and now, through Zenkuro, she’s doing the reverse.

“I’ve been so impressed with how generous, kind and down to earth Kiwis are,” she says. “They have such good common sense. Kiwis just line up in a queue naturally whereas Japanese need lines to show them where,” she says. “I try to teach that to Japanese people when I’m guiding.”

Yasuko, centre, with her KNT workmates in Queenstown back in the day – Kerry Dan, left, Akemi Hatai, right

Yasuko, second left at rear, with her team celebrating a win in the local volleyball competition in the early 2000s

Yasuko during research for the Lonely Planet guidebook on one of Japan’s high-profile tracks

From left, Yasuko, daughter Aily, son Tyler and husband Dave in Japan representing New Zealand sake at the Rugby World Cup in 2019

Planning for the future of Te Kararo Queenstown Gardens

Have your say on a draft tree succession plan for the Queenstown Gardens, which sets out a 60 year approach to protect this much-loved community asset and ensure it continues to be a special space for future generations to enjoy. Check out the plan and share your thoughts at https://letstalk.qldc.govt.nz

Help Save our Stuff!

Got a clever idea for reducing waste or finding other ways to make use of stuff we normally throw away? Grants from QLDC’s Waste Minimisation Community Fund are available to help local groups, schools and businesses make a real difference. Applications are open now! www.qldc.govt.nz/wmcf

Struggle to remember when to pay rates?

Set up a direct debit today – it’s the easiest way for your rates to be collected and in a way that works for you. We offer weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly and annual options, helping to make payments as manageable as possible. Set up a direct debit using the application form at www.qldc.govt.nz/rates-dates and email it to directdebit@qldc.govt.nz

Celebrate LitFest

Celebrate literacy at your local library with dozens of free events including author talks, workshops, and panel discussions. Featuring a wide variety of topics, from the art of telling a good story or self-publishing, to learning about financial literacy, and so much more. On now until end of May. Check out https://qldclibraries.govt.nz/whats-on or pop into your local library for more information.

Workshop to welcome migrant workers

Migrant workers contribute to our economy and become part of our community. Destination Queenstown (DQ) and QLDC’s Welcoming Communities team invite you to an engaging workshop about supporting migrant workers in business with a view to boosting productivity, staff retention and job satisfaction. 9.30-10.30am, 1 May at DQ’s offices in the Mountaineer Building. More info at www.queenstownnz.co.nz/member-hub/member-events

Art competition for local tamariki

As part of our district’s Climate & Biodiversity Plan 2025-2028, we’re calling on local tamariki to show us their vision for a better future! You can enter with a drawing, painting, poem, or any creative piece. Pick up a form at your local library or download it from https://climateaction.qldc.govt.nz/kids-art-competition Entries close Wednesday 7 May.

www.qldc.govt.nz

Monthly Column

Joseph Mooney MP for Southland

In what I hope will be a significant step forward for healthcare in Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago, a steering group I lead alongside local mayors and MPs has delivered a locally driven strategic report to Minister of Health Simeon Brown.

Since the last election, our steering group has been meeting regularly and bringing in perspectives from all over the health sector, aiming to identify options to address the lack of suitable publicly funded health services and facilities available here. We have great healthcare professionals in our region doing the best with what they have, but the reality is we need much more.

I’m proud to have helped lead the group to the stage we are at. Delivering change in health is a complex process, but our strategic report has identified the clear need of our growing communities and presents realistic solutions for the Minister to consider.

The steering group has been working towards solutions for ‘Otago Central Lakes’, the combined areas of the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) and Central Otago District Council (CODC).

70% of people in New Zealand who live more than two hours from a base hospital live in Otago Central Lakes. That often means 2-4 hour road trips for appointments and non-urgent treatments, helicopter flights when things are urgent, and risk to life when those flights are delayed. As a community, we need a long-term solution - we’re simply growing so fast.

We identify opportunities to enhance publicly funded health services by potentially partnering with private hospitals, clinics and investors that are either in the planning process or have started building in the Otago Central Lakes area. We see an opportunity to work with them to achieve the delivery of more public health services in our region.

Public private partnerships are not a new concept for our region. Wakatipu High School is a successful example of a public private partnership that has delivered an important and valued local community asset, with the private partner responsible for designing, financing, building and maintaining the school property.

We look forward to further discussions with the Minister of Health about our report, the immediate priorities from the opportunities presented and guidance of Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora to participate in our next stage, which is to develop business cases for identified priorities by the end of this year.

With healthcare factored into the “light touch” Otago Central Lakes Regional Deal proposal put forward to the Government recently by the Queenstown Lakes District Council, Central Otago District Council and Otago Regional Council, the Regional Deal proposal has great potential. It is currently under consideration by the Government, and I am strongly advocating for it to go to the next stage.

A closing note this week on Anzac Day. I have a strong history of service in my family having been a former reservist in the New Zealand Army myself, with members of my family having served in the New Zealand armed services in both World Wars (and going further back one of my 4th great grandfathers served during the Battle of Trafalgar among other campaigns, his service medals were brought to New Zealand by his grandson and are on display in the Auckland War Musuem).

I have a particularly strong connection to Anzac Day with one of my great-granduncles having lost his life at Gallipoli on Anzac Day in 1915, and one of my grandfathers having served in the only ANZAC Corps briefly reestablished in the Second World War to counter the invasion of Greece.

I am proud to see legislation to formally recognise the service of more New Zealanders as part of official Anzac Day commemorations passing its first reading in Parliament.

Today’s service personnel carry forward a long and proud tradition. It’s time for overdue change - every New Zealander who has served in war and war-like conflicts deserves official recognition and honour. Anzac Day is the right moment to acknowledge them.

The Anzac Day Amendment Bill is expected to be passed in time for Anzac Day 2026.

Lost & Found

LOST & FOUND

UNCLAIMED ITEMS SITTING AT THE Police Station, at 11 Camp Street, this week include:

- GREY GIMBAL FOR DJI, found at Kelvin Heights

- HUIA MAWHINNEY – HANDBAG

- GOLD BRACELET, TWISTED STYLE

- PINK FLOWERY PURSE

- TARA MURPHY – PURSE

- NECKLACE, LARGE WHITE PEARL like beads with large green stone

- WHITE EAR BUDS IN pink clear case

- RING WITH INITIALS ENGRAVED

- SAMSUNG LAPTOP IN GREY bag with large green toiletry bag

- BOSE BLACK EAR BUDS in charging case

EVERYTHING ELSE

Everything Else

KERBSIDE COLLECTION HOLIDAY ALERT! PLEASE note, there is no kerbside collection on Anzac Day (Friday, 25 April). Kerbside collections scheduled for ANZAC Day will take place on the following day, Saturday, 26 April.

NEVER BIN A BATTERY. THEY cause fires if damaged so keep them out of all rubbish and recycling bins. Safely recycle your batteries and electronic devices at Wānaka & Frankton Transfer Stations.

QUEENSTOWN TRANSFER STATION AND THE public recycling drop off on Glenda Drive will be closed on the morning of Anzac Day. Opening hours will be 1:00pm - 5:00pm.

TICKETS ARE SELLING FAST FOR Queenstown Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour 30 April & 1 May. Check out Eventbrite or Queenstown Banff Film Fest on Facebook for more details!

BRIDGE LESSONS 2025: WHEN: 22 May - 24 July (Every Thursday for 10 weeks). Where: Meeting Room, Mezzanine, Events center, Frankton. Time: 6pm till 9pm. Contact: Lynnette McLennan for more information. lynnettemclennan63@gmail.com

LONG SHOT – RELIABLE, TIDY 32F looking for a peaceful place to call home. Based in Arrowtown for 3+ years with excellent references. Not in a rush, but keen to settle long-term solo. Open to options – get in touch! 0275106409

WATCH REPAIRS NOW

For all your repairs, watches, clocks, batteries, key cutting & straps. Level One, Stratton House (Below Sky City), 24 Beach Street, Queenstown Mon - Fri, 9.30am till 5.30pm. Closed on Saturdays. Phone/ text: 027 217 0442

QUEENSTOWN DHARMA CENTRE, 12 LAKE ST

TUE (22 Apr) @ 6.30pm, Somatic Meditation Bodywork with Annette Macalister

SUN (27 Apr) @ 10am, ‘Cultivating Awareness Practice’ followed by ‘Social Sunday’ All are welcome.

Donations for the teacher/centre are gratefully accepted. See www.dharmacentre.org.nz / FB

SUDOKU ANSWER

Ph: 03 409 2800

Quiz Tuesdays from 7pm Free entry & great prizes! www.thepig.co.nz

LWB QUIZ

1. What sport was added to the 2024 Olympics for the first time?

2. Which Looney Tunes character has the middle name Ethelbert?

3. Which video game was blamed for a global productivity drop in 2024?

4. What is the name of Zendaya's character in HBO drama Euphoria?

5. What do Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien's initials stand for?

6. Which soft drink is commonly associated with Scotland?

7. Which football club plays its home games at Loftus Road?

8. Which well-known Welsh village was the primary set for the 1960s TV show The Prisoner?

9. Who is the lead singer of Pulp?

10. Which planet has the most moons?

11. Which country in the world is believed to have the most miles of motorway?

12. Which year did the European Union first introduce the Euro as currency?

13. Which popular video game franchise has released games with the subtitles World at War and Black Ops?

14. Who co-created hit US sitcom Seinfeld with Jerry Seinfeld?

15. Which lake is often described as the jewel of the Italian lakes? 16. Which Disney Princess called Gus and Jaq friends? Queenstown’s

EXPERIENCED METAL ROOFER

Watertight Metal Ltd is a new division of Watertight Systems the local waterproofing company. Watertight Metal specialises in metal roofing and cladding, operating across the Southern Lakes and Central Otago regions.

Due to our growing work load, we are looking for an experienced metal roofer to join the team. This is an exciting opportunity for someone to become an integral part of a motivated expanding new company.

We can provide:

•An interesting, fun, and challenging work environment.

•The opportunity to upskill and further extend your leadership and management experience.

•Competitive renumeration.

•Flexibility to enjoy the Southern Lakes lifestyle.

The ideal candidate:

• Will have a between 2 to 5 years metal roofing/cladding installation experience.

•Is highly motivated, organised, has an eye for detail and consistently takes pride in their work.

•Works well within a team, has proven leadership skills and initiative.

•Is seeking a full time permanent employment opportunity.

Like to know more? Call Brad on 0211962509 or drop us an email at brad@watertightmetal.co.nz

Landscape / Gardener

Remarkables Park Ltd is a leading development company in Queenstown. We have casual / full time roles available in the landscaping team that maintains a variety of gardens and green spaces.

• Experience in a similar garden maintenance role preferred.

• Experience using machinery eg weed eating / mowing

•Passionate about gardens and plant care

• Must be physically fit and happy to work in all weather conditions

• Full NZ Drivers Licence (manual) and legal ability to work in NZ required.

Please send applications to a.golden@remarkablespark.com