WAP suggests the Antarctic hunters and followers to visit and join the Antarctic Heritage Trust https://nzaht.org/ and sign in to receive the always interesting monthly newsletters.
On the recent september issue, NZAHT is delighted to officially launch a unique virtual reality (VR) experience of Sir Edmund Hillary’s Antarctic hut. Developed in partnership with Auckland University of Technology (AUT) the VR was recently launched in person by New Zealand’s Prime Minister Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern, who described the experience as “deeply moving”.
Donning a headset, people are invited to step inside Hillary’s Hut and to explore the first building at what is now New Zealand’s Scott Base (WAP NZL-Ø1, picture aside).
A fully immersive experience, which includes a guided tour through ‘A’ hut, it celebrates New Zealand’s first presence in Antarctica as part of the Trans-Antarctic Expedition and International Geophysical Year.
As part of our commitment to sharing the world’s greatest polar exploration stories the Trust is utilizing virtual reality. It is a powerful medium to allow people to access Antarctica’s remarkable history of exploration and the legacy of the expedition bases, which the Trust cares for on behalf of the international community.
It is a ground-breaking project in terms of its scale and approach with more than a dozen AUT students and staff contributing over 4000 hours to the project. AUT Associate Professor Barbara Bollard, who helped collect the data to create the experience, says it was a privilege to be involved in bringing the hut to life. “It’s one thing to read about a place or see photos, but to interactively walk around and experience it as if you are there, really cements the connection. It creates a greater awareness and appreciation of the importance and value of these places.”
Read more at: https://nzaht.org/the-explorer-september-2020/