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Otago Daily Times
5 hours ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Direct flights across the Ditch set to leave the runway
Direct international flights return to Dunedin Airport tomorrow. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH Fasten your seatbelts Dunedin, it is almost time for liftoff. The first of Jetstar's direct flights bound for Gold Coast Airport in Coolangatta, Queensland, is scheduled to leave the runway at Dunedin Airport tomorrow. The new thrice-weekly service marks the return of regular direct international flights at the airport, which has been without transtasman services since early 2020. With a flight time of about three and a-half hours, the service will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, using Jetstar's Airbus A320ceo and A320neo aircraft, delivering up to 58,000 seats annually between the two cities. Dunedin Airport chief executive Daniel De Bono said it had taken years of hard work, detailed modelling and relationship-building to secure the service. "We've had to be persistent and a bit creative to get this over the line, and I couldn't be prouder of what's been achieved together. "We've kept our international facilities ready to go, but we've also refreshed key aspects of the customer journey." The service would open the door for international guests to rediscover Dunedin and southern attractions, and showed the airport was serious about building its place in the international network, Mr De Bono said. To mark the inaugural flight's arrival in Dunedin tomorrow, landmarks including Tōitu Otago Settlers Museum, Tūhura Otago Museum, St Paul's Cathedral and the Dunedin Railway Station's clock face will be lit up in Jetstar orange. Direct travel between Dunedin and Australia was severed when Virgin Australia suspended its New Zealand services at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, having previously offered two to three weekly flights from the city. Dunedin Airport had since offered a couple of one-off chartered international flights, including three Qantas flights for last year's Pink concert and a Fiji Airlines flight, which transported the supporters of the Fijian Drua to watch their team's match against the Highlanders. — APL
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Discards redesigned for charity auction
Otago Polytechnic student Emily Gilbert shows off the papier mache torso she created, at the special Red Cross auction on Thursday. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH Dozens of previously unwanted or unsellable items have been brought back to life. The "Retooled" auction, hosted by the Red Cross, featured works from Otago Polytechnic school of design students. The students had about a month to prepare for the auction, and the only stipulation was the final product needed to use material sourced from the Red Cross. At least 28 separate items were auctioned while another 24 went on sale. Steve King, of the Red Cross, said it was an opportunity for students to showcase creative flair, as well as find some use for previously discarded items. "I think it's great to see what can be done with items that you would think are at the end of their life. So with a bit of thought and skill, you know, some really, really good quality items can be created." Remaking old clothes proved popular among students this year, he said. "The standard of some of the dressmaking was really high and really, really creative, especially the design component. "There was a really lovely jacket and, some really nice garments, dresses, tops." One of the items up for auction was a papier mache torso, fashioned from old newspapers and music books from the basement of the Red Cross building. Artist Emily Gilbert, 19, said it took about a month to make. "It was pretty hard work, because it's made of fabric and glue, so getting some of the shaping was quite difficult and time consuming. She said she was inspired by Greek art and design and also wanted to celebrate the music of composers such as Chopin. "We managed to transform discarded remnants into something human. "I feel like I've gained some skills in how to work with my hands a bit more, and I like doing research into the old paintings and old sculptures." She "purchased" the item for her grandmother, who was "really interested" in her work. Mr King said the auction raised about $1700 for the Red Cross. "It's definitely something we would do again. It's a big project for the students. I think the youth engagement and the collaborative aspect of it is as important as the fundraising."
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
A time to express hopes and dreams
Fires were burning not long after 4am, a ceremony was under way at 5am and a new year was welcomed by a good gathering at Dunedin's Araiteuru Marae. Marae manager Tania Sharee Williams described the occasion yesterday as a chance to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the next, see friends and gather for kai. "We remember the dead and we say out their names through ceremony." Tania Sharee Williams celebrates Matariki at the Araiteuru Marae in Dunedin yesterday. PHOTOS: PETER MCINTOSH The occasion was also about expressing aspirations and dreams, "for our family, our hapū, our iwi, our marae, our country". Ms Williams was impressed by the 5am turnout at the Shetland St marae in Wakari, celebrating the new year on the Matariki public holiday. "We had about 80 people turn up and we had a wonderful gathering outside where we went through our hautapu ceremony," she said. Acknowledging Matariki at Dunedin's Araiteuru Marae yesterday morning were (from left) Anke Fronius, Martin Fronius and Teodora Georgescu, with her dog Roland. "We acknowledge the kahui whetu, which is the stars of Matariki, and we understand that each one of them has a role where they have an effect on different parts of the environment that give us resourcing for sustenance." People sometimes wrote messages and placed them in the fire, she said. Commemorating loved ones could be empowering, "especially for people who have recently in this last year lost someone — to be able to remember that person again through ceremony is easing for the heart". People of various nationalities were there, including a couple from France and a young man from China. "We were blessed that the rain held off for us," she said. "It was quite mild and — just all the fires burning, the torches going, as well as the cooking of the food for our kahui whetu — created a really warm ambience."
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
All set for a European adventure
PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH Kaikorai Valley College students Alyssa Bayne (left) and Amy Hitchcox, both 17, pose with a skull and a globe in front of their peers, ahead of their European trip later this month. The group of 25 students will spend eight nights in London and three nights in Paris as well as visiting World War 1 battlefields. The students will be hosted by the New Zealand embassies in London and Paris, where they will meet the ambassadors. Alyssa is holding the skull to represent the group's planned visit to the Globe Theatre in London to watch a Shakespearean play. Amy said she was "very excited" for the opportunity to go to Europe. "Some people I know haven't left the country, let alone gone to Europe." She was most looking forward to going to Paris, climbing the Eiffel Tower and eating a snail.
Otago Daily Times
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Lanterns take shape for carnival
REPORT: LAINE PRIESTLEY / PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH Espen Lorenz, 10, of Dunedin, holds the lanterns he and his mother made at the Lantern Workshop in the Meridian Mall on Saturday. This past weekend was the last for lantern-making in the mall. The lanterns double as a ticket into the Dunedin Midwinter Carnival. Espen said his favourite part of making the lanterns was "finishing it", not because it took about one to two hours to make, but because he was happy to see the final results. "It was all really fun," he said.
