Ancient wonders brought to life

JEFFREY JACOBSON/University of Pittsburgh

A virtual reconstruction of The Gates of Horus, by Dr Jeffrey Jacobson.

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They vanished long ago, but New Zealand's early Moriori and Pink and White Terraces could get a virtual rebirth.

Massey University associate professor Erik Champion is leading a charge to "virtualise" New Zealand's heritage content and sites, and says the move could boost the tourism industry here.

Digital media developers could create virtual worlds or games that allow people to explore and interact with ancient cultures and distant places that were previously inaccessible or dangerous.

"This could be for people who will never go to these places or it could encourage people to go there. It can also help people who visit to understand what they are seeing," Dr Champion says.

"If someone was at a site, we could use augmented reality and sit a virtual 3D image for example, of the Pink and White Terraces on top of the real one they are seeing. You could also make it interactive like a game.

"For example, Aboriginal art paintings are also maps of resources. You could create a game in which you learn how to read the paintings."

Rotorua's Pink and White Terraces were one of the natural wonders of the world before they were destroyed in the 1886 eruption of Mt Tarawera. Virtual technology could also recreate fragile heritage sites that may one day be off limits, such as the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru and Stonehenge in England.

Dr Champion hopes to persuade New Zealand game developers to research and create virtual worlds for New Zealand's heritage sites, and says such projects need to be funded by the Government.

Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton says anything that helps to promote New Zealand's history and culture would be welcomed, but "nothing will ever replace a trip to New Zealand to enjoy the country first hand".

"This concept could also provide a useful tool for New Zealand tourism operators to show the history and development of tourism products."

Dr Champion recently returned from a Fulbright-funded trip to the United States, where he presented his research on virtual heritage at Harvard and Stanford universities and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

- © Fairfax NZ News