Our brief from the Marsden Cross Trust Board was to develop an online experience that told the unique story of Rangihoua based around the early contact period but including stories pre and post early contact. The online experience had to cater to both to a visitor on location and someone who was exploring the area from home.
Our challenge was to create a website experience that would work equally well on a large screen, tablet and mobile phone screen format, and be useful and engaging to those at home, or on-the-ground.
We used a place-centric technique to meet both these audience needs. Using illustrated 3D landscapes we showed the at home visitor what the site would have looked like over two hundred years ago. We created a simple, elegant mobile solution for visitors to access easily on site using their smartphone. For a visitor at home, the site allows them to discover the early contact story of Rangihoua and its significant for New Zealand.
The tour is a content rich experience that provides valuable insights and information that expands the user’s experience. The site allows them to find information that complements rather than repeats the stories already available on the panels.
The website offers a travel planning section for visitors from New Zealand or overseas, showing visit planning information for Rangihoua and other cultural heritage sites in the Bay of Islands. It also provides more information about the Park’s facilities and further items of interest such as news or events.
While acting as advertising collateral, the brochure is also designed to assist visitors to navigate the park.
