Around the motu : Peter Newport in Queenstown Lakes District

Peter says it's been a bit of a treasure hunt finding all of the 50 tiny pounamu tiles installed in paving in the centre of Queenstown at a cost of $25,000. Rain, snow and general foot traffic has made them very hard to see and Peter says the vision the designers may have had for sparking, shiny green tiles - relating to the historical importance of valuable stones and minerals in the district - has been somewhat dulled by every day wear and tear as well as ongoing concern about the cost. Also an update on the town's housing crisis with reports up to 30 people have been living in one run down house - five in the garage. The garage tenants were paying over $1,100 between them and the total weekly rent income for the whole house was over $7,000. And it's been a tricky start to the ski season. Peter Newport is the Managing Editor, Crux, based in Arrowtown.