Cruising NZ With Commentary
by Kim Griggs
3:00 a.m. May. 8, 2000 PDT
WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- If Jonathan Kruse has his way, road-tripping tourists will never have to fumble with a map or a guidebook again.
Kruse has developed a way for global positioning satellites to do all the work. Driving past a commentary way point, the Kruse system recognizes where it is and automatically starts to play the appropriate information through the vehicle's stereo.
"You don't need to know where you are or what direction you are going in," Kruse said.
The idea came to Kruse, who used to do compact disc duplication, when he was working on a bilingual CD for a tour bus company.
The commentary, he said, was bland to say the least. Kruse and his wife Melanie decided they could do better, and they drove all over New Zealand to research and develop their own commentaries.
Information about your location and its tourist attractions are meshed with evocative music and sounds, along with voice-overs about New Zealand's past.
"Suddenly you're transported to a campfire and the moreporks and kiwis in the background. It's the gold guy telling you about it," Kruse said. He throws in an occasional recipe for tourists who want to sample New Zealand delicacies.
Even small towns come to life under the Kruse travel guide.
"We're aiming to fill in the gaps between the cities," he said.
For example, drivers travelling through the small farming community of Piriaka, a town with one general store in the middle of the North Island, learn about the importance of rugby to rural New Zealand and the hero status of the national team, the All Blacks. The segment ends with the stirring sounds of the All Blacks' haka, the Maori war challenge to any opposing team.
Industrial Research and Technology New Zealand helped Kruse develop his travel guide system. IRL has made it very simple for tourism operators to use simply by pushing one button, said IRL's Neil Scott.
Two major tourism operators in New Zealand have purchased the system, Kruse said, and he has fielded inquiries from Australia and Canada.
Initially the system was aimed at tourists in New Zealand who hire cars and motor homes to tour around. However, Kruse sees potential for any mode of transport that has clear sky above it.
"It's perfect for the coach companies. It'll also work in helicopters, canal boats, any marine application." He's also had interest from train companies.
"If you are driving or on any waterway, it will work." |
