A man is facing charges after police say they found him drunk and asleep at the wheel of a car parked in the middle of rural North Otago road this morning.

An uneconomic railway line now inspires locals and tourists to get on their bikes.

Hungry, and perhaps a little thirsty in Dunedin? Anna King Shahab discovers 10 great places to sate your appetite.

Univerity of Otago dentistry students were forced to re-sit their last exam without being told why, after 98 unmarked scripts were stolen from the Clocktower building.

In what the University of Otago has slammed as a "reprehensible act", 98 unmarked student exam scripts have been stolen in a burglary at the campus.

A man is facing several charges following an incident at the Tautuku Lodge in the Catlins, which involved armed police overnight.

Emergency workers are currently trying to get to two paragliders who got into some trouble while going over a mountain near Wanaka, in Otago.

A new frost-fighting invention known as the 'Heat Ranger' is being trialled, with the hope it will be able to protect crops next winter.

A blast of cold weather will give New Zealanders, particularly those in the South Island, a flash back to winter, as snow flurries descend on parts of the country.

A prisoner transferring from Rimutaka Prison in preparation for his parole release has been given more jail for assaulting an officer at Otago Corrections Facility.

A sinkhole which could be up to 10m deep and is next to a popular walking track in Central Otago could be an old mining shaft.

Three charges laid against a man after he allegedly lit a bonfire to burn tyres, microwaves, washing machines and furniture were dismissed yesterday because of his ill-health.

A 101-year-old great-grandfather has proved you're never too old to try new things.

A Hampden house which has just been sold was significantly damaged when a car ploughed into it yesterday afternoon.

The cause of a fire which raged across Saddle Hill last week will not be released to the public, the Otago Rural Fire Authority says.

Police claim he was under the influence.

The wartime execution of English nurse Edith Cavell was commemorated in Arthurs Point yesterday - a hundred years after she was killed.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, so they say. But what about when life gives you 100ha fires?

Police fears for thief who broke into a golf club after poison found scattered at crime scene.

He battled up to 500C heat and 18m flames to save a house and, for his efforts, was transferred to hospital suffering from heat exhaustion.

Police are ''following a number of lines of inquiry'' as they tried to track down the person responsible for an online shooting threat at the University of Otago.

Fire crews are battling serious blazes in Dunedin and Dunback. Two homes in Saddle Hill are burning and a third is threatened. Some residents have been evacuated.

Flights are at a standstill at Dunedin Airport and a large fire grew rapidly out of control this morning as strong winds batter Otago.

Police warn students told that "small jokes" at Otago University will be taken seriously following online shooting threat.

Police are warning students and staff to be vigilant as Otago University opens for ''business as usual'' following online threat.

Strong winds have severed power lines in Dunedin, cutting power to about 50 Port Chalmers residents this morning.

Gusts up to 170km/h in the South Island, leave emergency services inundated with calls.

Police say they were searching for a car involved in a crash near Queenstown this morning because of complaints about erratic driving.

Before Twitter, rolling 24 hours news channels, and even before the advent of newspapers, town criers were the original bearers of news - good, bad, or otherwise.

Japan's try-scoring hero in their shock win over the Spingboks was Karne Hesketh, who played rugby for Otago from 2006 to 2010.