Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) and Queenstown Trails Trust (QTT) are excited to announce the launch of Google ‘Trail View’, offering the well-established ‘Street View’ functionality of Google to the Queenstown Trail Network.

The collaborative project between QLDC and QTT provides 360 degree imagery from any point along the included trails, accessible via Google Maps by using the yellow person symbol found in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.

“It’s been great to work closely with the QLDC Parks & Reserves team to bring this technology to fruition,” said Trails Trust CEO Mark Williams.

“Not only will it allow trail users to check out the amazing scenery and terrain each trail offers, but it will also provide an invaluable tool for maintenance crews to identify any issues and pinpoint specific locations.”

QLDC Community Services Contracts Manager, Sarah Thomson echoed these sentiments, adding that the new functionality would help both locals and visitors in understanding the demands of a trail before tackling it.

“By using Street View on our trails, you might think twice about plans to head along a largely gravel-based track like Twin Rivers Ride in jandals or high heels. This is a great way of helping people plan to enjoy our local trails safely,” Ms Thomson said.

Imagery of the trails was captured by Cameron Kerr from WSP Opus with a backpack-mounted camera, with technical support provided by Matt Jenke at Google NZ.

As new trails are developed, opportunities may arise to use Google Trekker to update imagery in the future.

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