• Sustainable tourism with low environmental impact
• Innovating in indigenous tourism sector
• Technical excellence showcasing NZ’s AR/VR industry
Pushing the boundaries of traditional Māori tourism offerings, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei is embarking on a ground-breaking
high-tech venture with the launch of an augmented reality (AR) walking tour of Takaparawhau, Bastion Point.
Launched this week in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, the stunning Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Auckland Virtual Tours
smartphone app is designed to educate visitors on the iwi’s connection to Auckland, the treasures of the natural
environment, and the cultural and historical significance of the site.
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei hopes their latest tourism venture will deliver a low-impact way of capitalising on the 500,000
visitors Bastion Point receives annually. This precious land needs to be properly managed and protected so that it
remains a sustainable asset for future generations; the iwi hopes this new venture will provide supplemental income to
support infrastructure and sustainability initiatives.
The AR experience is designed to connect locals and international visitors alike with the history of Tāmaki Makaurau
Auckland City. Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei is one of the first iwi to embrace augmented reality technology to share their
culture and local stories and legends with visitors.
Business Development Manager Jamie Cook says as well as showing leadership in the tourism sector, the Ngāti Whātua
Ōrākei Auckland Virtual Tours app also delivers educational crossovers: “The app is delivered in three languages -
English, Māori, and Mandarin – so anyone who is on a Māori language learning journey can use it as an interactive tool
to further their learning. Oral traditions are handed down from generation to generation and this knowledge needs to be
shared to survive. We’re exploring new ways to share our stories and create stronger engagement with a wider audience
through technology innovation.”
While fully-guided ‘Home Fires’ walking tours of Bastion Point are already on offer, the iwi hopes to give more people
the chance to hear their unique stories of Auckland through the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Auckland Virtual Tours app. It
provides a richly detailed, self-guided tour of Bastion Point centred around four stories linked to the four main
compass points.
Designed and built by Auckland-based studio M Theory, the immersive AR experience combines 360o video, audio narratives
and augmented reality overlays. M Theory Managing Director Samantha Ramlu says: “Working with local iwi to bring these
stories to life has been an enriching experience for our team. We’ve used technology to link the past and the future
through the Māori tradition of storytelling, creating an authentic and personal experience for as many visitors as
possible. The potential applications of AR and VR within the tourism sector are almost limitless. With little impact on
the land and activated via something we already carry in our pockets – our smartphones – AR in particular offers a way
of delivering a sustainable, richly memorable, tourism experience without adding anything to the physical space.”
M Theory has developed a number of high profile AR and VR projects, including the world-first personality profiler The
Future of You for Torrens Universities Australia, a tool to help guide students in their choice of study:
www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1708/S00382/world-first-vr-personality-profiler-developed-by-nz-agency.htm
The Auckland Virtual Tours app was previewed at the 2017 Tuku Iho exhibition in Venice Beach, Los Angeles and will
feature at the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance (WINTA) Summit, to be held in Northland in Autumn 2018. Available in
English, Māori, and Mandarin for iOS and Android devices, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Auckland Virtual Tours is available in the
Apple App and Google Play Stores for $3.99-$4.49.