The mysteries and history of the Whakarewarewa Forest area will become easier to access thanks to a unique collaboration between Rotorua Lakes Council, Iwi and a local software developer.

Rotorua based software developer Salt + Tonic has created a Whakarewarewa Forest Loop App that uses augmented reality, audio, video and visual signage to tell the stories of local iwi and provide other interesting facts about the trail, forest and surrounding area.

Mountainbike riders on the 33km trail, which traverses Tītokorangi Forest (also known as the Redwoods) and adjacent Whakarewarewa Forest, will be able to access the stories using geo-located technology within the app, meaning the rider will access the content when they reach specific points along the trail.

Rotorua Lakes Council DCE Community Wellbeing Anaru Pewhairangi, says funding for the app was part of government funding through the Provincial Growth Fund.

'The app brings Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi and Ngāti Wahiao stories to life in a unique way and the Council is proud to be part of a project that will add to our highly-valued mountainbiking experience.”

Tūhourangi Tribal Authority trustee Rangitihi Pene says the app is part of a wider strategic plan to unlock the potential commercial opportunities of the forest.

'The Authority has been proud to work in partnership with Ngāti Whakaue and the Rotorua Lakes Council in relation to the app. We view it as adding value to what is already a very popular mountainbiking loop.”

The app officially launched on Saturday and is available on both the App Store and Google Play.

The interactive app has stories from Tūhourangi along with some generic stories about the trail, forest and surrounds. More iwi stories will be added in the coming months.

RotoruaNZ Chief Executive Andrew Wilson says, the contribution of mountain biking to the Rotorua economy is significant with recent figures estimating that $111 million of new spending in Rotorua during 2022 was associated with bike visitors who use the forest trails, an increase on the previous year from $103 million.

'These figures reinforce the phenomenal benefits that previous investment into mountain biking infrastructure has made to the local economy. The Te Pūtake o Tawa Mountain Bike Hub is a prime example of how investment into infrastructure in the form of car parking, toilet and shower facilities, has provided an opportunity for the private sector to invest into their own businesses in a location that was previously undeveloped and inaccessible to mountainbikers.

'Most recent figures also show that 1,153 jobs in 2021 could have been supported by mountain bike visitors' spending, and of these jobs 853 were supported by people whose primary purpose of visiting was to mountainbike.”

App Features:

• Unique collaboration with local Iwi Ngāti Whakaue and Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao to bring their stories to life

• Trail route guidance around the Whakarewarewa Forest Loop trail, including entrance points, toilets, food and drink outlets

• Map with points of interest

• Geo-located - scan image to access interactive stories and other content based on where you are

• Collect game tokens for visiting each site, get the whole set

• Download of content on install (so you don't require connectivity while on the trail)

• GPS wayfinding (when out of cell range)

• Language options for Te Reo and English

• Trail update notification and status

• New stories and features added over time