Community

The second annual Gibbston Valley Bridge Gathering will take place over the Easter Weekend. The social non-profit event will host enthusiasts from around Aotearoa for four days of highlining, camping, challenges and AcroYoga in front of a breath-taking backdrop.

The Whakatipu Reforestation Trust invites the Queenstown community to join their volunteer native tree planting days throughout April. Planting native trees is a great way to actively participate in restoring our native biodiversity while helping to mitigate climate change.

Miranda Spary is a tired, old, has been columnist that we feel sorry for. She used to write a weekly book column in the old Queenstown Times which was read more for the local gossip in it than the book part. She is quite lazy and very grateful if readers send in ideas about what’s been happening locally on miranda@queenstown.co.nz

Wakatipu High School is becoming a sporting force to be reckoned with on land, water and ice with some of its summer sporting greats clocking up some very impressive successes, nationally and at South Island and regional meets last week and throughout the season.

T I K K I Studio is a sewing studio based in Lower Shotover that runs workshops and sewing lessons with sustainability at its heart. It has recently expanded into a co-working space for anyone needing to hot desk.

They may have been dubbed “little old ladies in tennis shoes”, but without them and their band of environmentalist supporters Queenstown would not have its beautiful downtown Gardens reserve preserved as it is today.

Students of Wakatipu High School have been out making a difference in their community, as 26 students from the school chose to volunteer on their recent teacher only day.

The Wānaka Trail Ride offers a unique and stunning, all-abilities trail bike ride over Deep Creek, Long Gully & Lindis Peak Stations for spectacular trail riding. Trails cover all levels of riding, from beginners to experts. Riders have the rare opportunity to explore private high country farmland, whilst helping to raise funds for Wānaka Primary School and Montessori Children’s House.

The countdown is on to the start of the tenth Wānaka Festival of Colour which gets underway on Sunday 26th March with an official opening at 3pm at the iconic Dinosaur Park.

They’re the hearts with arms and legs of the Wakatipu community. Baskets of Blessing’s contribution has been so great that should its army of some 40 willing volunteers cease to operate that would leave a massive void.

Here’s why your dad’s 30 year old jacket is actually the best. If you’re still sporting your father’s tweed blazer, elbow patches and all, or wearing mum’s netball uniform to practice - we want to know!

- Tribute to long-time Queenstown Gardens Head Gardener Nic Leefe

Despite an increase in bee disease throughout the country, Queenstown’s honey trade is reporting a bumper year. The industry throughout Aotearoa has seen an increase in American Foulbrood (AFB), a disease that kills honey bee colonies. The bacteria can take many months to kill the bees and in the meantime they may infect other colonies.

Something magical is happening in the garden at Frankton Library from March 4. Six beautiful Lilliput Library boxes decorated by local volunteer artists will pop up to reveal books written in languages from every continent in the world. They will give our richly diverse community access to books in their own language and all readers with the opportunity to connect with other cultures.

Our community often recognises Hato Hone St John as a major health supplier in New Zealand. Providing 90% of emergency and non-emergency ambulance coverage, first aid at public events, first aid training and the St John Youth programme for tamariki aged between six and 18 years.

The recent extreme weather events across large parts of the North Island have left many communities devastated. Our thoughts and hearts go out to those who have suffered loss and are now facing a long and difficult process of recovery and rebuilding. It is important for us to come together and support these communities as they face the challenges ahead and help them rebuild.

Initially launched in 2018, DISHrupt was an idea born out of Sustainable Queenstown’s passion to create Zero Waste Events. Events where peoples’ habits can be broken, smarter decisions can be made, and more importantly spaces where food and beverages can be enjoyed and shared without rubbish bins being full of single use waste.

“Volunteering is great for the soul” says Queenstown’s Simon Hayes. He should know. He does a lot of it.

From the end of this week the Queenstown Bike Festival will take over town for ten days. Each day is jam-packed with biking events for all skills and ages, and events include racing, jump jams, a photography competition, and a variety of unique activities. The location of the events will be scattered around Queenstown, and include Coronet Peak, Skyline and Cardrona.

Summer in Queenstown is epic. Think long days, warm temperatures, BBQs and rivers and lakes to swim in; it’s the perfect recipe for putting a big smile on everyone’s face. Throw in a healthy dose of bike riding, and you’ll soon see how awesome the Queenstown Trail network is and you are likely to discover something new about this incredible place we live in.