Skydive over Abel Tasman National Park with Google

Experience a skydive over Abel Tasman National Park with Google

12 January 2017

Google Street View has gone sky high with an innovative new use of technology to demonstrate the skydive experience.

Google Street View has gone sky high over New Zealand with an innovative new use of technology to demonstrate the skydive experience.

New Zealand’s Skydive Abel Tasman is giving clients an insider’s glimpse of the complete skydive experience – from front door to happy landings - via the first-ever skydive Google Street View experience.

One of New Zealand’s original skydive operators, Skydive Abel Tasman was approached by a certified Google Street View photographer with the idea of filming the experience, and they jumped at the chance. 

Operating in the skies over one of the South Island’s outstanding coastal locations - the Abel Tasman National Park, the Nelson-based business could see that, short of the real thing, this would be perfect for showcasing the entire skydive experience. 

The street view experience offers a virtual tour of the business, following the passenger journey up to 16,500 feet in the sky and the entire freefall at 200km/h over Abel Tasman National Park. 

Custom attachment points and rigging for a 360 GoPro Pano Ball was built to maximize the experience while keeping safety at the forefront of the project. Shot over the course of the final few days of December 2016, brilliant summer weather – in the country’s sunniest region - made sure the region looked its best. 

The process involved 360 panorama photography of the business from the front desk to suiting up appropriately and the walk to the plane. The last part of the virtual experience is the beautiful scenic flight up to 16,500 feet over the Abel Tasman National Park. The Google Street View jump experience incorporates ‘floors’ at different altitudes to take in the surrounding mountains, national park, golden sand beaches and the turquoise ocean.

Nelson’s location on the northwestern tip of the South Island offers incredible views of volcanic Mt Taranaki on the western extremity of the North Island all the way south to the northern end of the Southern Alps and the Marlborough Sounds to the east. It's the only skydive drop zone in New Zealand with views over both islands as well as mountains and the ocean at the same time.

An interactive 360-degree video is also available, allowing users via phone, desktop or Google Cardboard to experience free fall at 200km/h over what many people consider one of the most beautiful places on earth. 

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