Peter Jackson wants to tell the story of a Maori island through augmented reality
Sir Peter Jackson continues to contribute to visitor experiences in his home country, with the New Zealand native now planning a digital project utilising augmented reality to teach visitors about the Maori inhabitants of Matiu-Somes Island.
The island – located within Wellington Harbour – would aim to create an experience where visitors could potentially explore the island using AR glasses, with digital overlays and images appearing as they learned what life was like for its Maori inhabitants.
"We are in the early stages of this journey together, but the idea potentially involves using various media, including digital storytelling and the latest in virtual and augmented reality technology, to tell stories about the Maori history of Wellington,” said Dominic Sheehan, general manager of Jackson's Wingnut Films Productions, speaking to the New Zealand Herald.
"We're looking forward to chatting to the trust and talking about how we can best work together," he added.
Maori tribe Taranaki Wh?nui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika took ownership of the island in 2009. Its management is shared between local government, the Department of Conservation and the tribe’s operational body.
The project is seeking funding support through the Government's Maori ICT Fund. Jackson has worked on several tourism ventures in the past several years, with his proposed movie museum in Wellington currently seeking approval, while the director also brought a World War One museum project to the city’s former Dominion Museum Building. Further afield, the set used for filming The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies in Matamata has been turned into a visitor attraction, with Hobbiton one of New Zealand’s most popular tourist hotspots.
The island is accessible from several public locations, including downtown Wellington, Petone, Days Bay and Seatoun. As a visitor destination it is growing in popularity, welcoming more than 15,000 people last year.
augmeted reality virtual reality technology peter jackson New Zealand hobbit lord of the rings maori Wellington Wingnut FilmsArchitects inspired by mythical fish for proposed design of Wellington Movie Museum
Sir Peter Jackson to invest millions in New Zealand movie museum
Peter Jackson turns eye towards World War One project
Call for Hobbit museum on the back of impressive tourism numbers for New Zealand
Peter Jackson to develop First World War exhibition in New Zealand
UAE’s first Dior Spa debuts in Dubai at Dorchester Collection’s newest hotel, The Lana
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Bionic leaves, breathable metals and selfgrowing bricks... Biomimicry in architecture has come a long way. Christopher DeWolf takes a look at the latest advances
From parks designed to mitigate the effects of flooding to warming huts for one of the world’s coldest cities, these projects have been designed for increasingly extreme climates
From flooding old shopping malls to revolutionising housing, MVRDV’s founders like to do things differently