Ōraka-Aparima Rūnaka Brings Doubtful Sound to Minecraft

One of New Zealand’s most remote and spectacular fiords can now be explored on Minecraft, promoting the preservation of this special place and giving distant whānau another way to connect with their ancestral waterways.

New Zealand’s first official Minecraft map features Patea / Doubtful Sound and six other locations, with millions of players from around the world set to virtually explore it. It’s available for free on the Minecraft Marketplace.

Ōraka-Aparima Rūnaka Chair Tracey Wright-Tawha says whānau worked with the game developers to reflect their kaitiaki relationship with Te Rua-o-Te-Moko (Fiordland) for the preservation of this magnificent taonga.

“Patea is incredibly significant to our people and communities. It was a place of our ancestors with very harsh conditions. Our people traversed the incredible waterways that are reflected in the game.

“There are millions of people playing Minecraft around the world at any one time and now they can explore Patea virtually. It’s another way to enjoy this special place without leaving a footprint,” she says.

Tourism New Zealand expects players to put down their controllers and keyboards to visit the country after trying the DLC (downloadable content), with 85% of players surveyed interested in experiencing the country through Minecraft.

Tracey Wright-Tawha knows if they do make it to Patea they’re going to have a special experience. The fiord is renowned for its quiet and magical experience and is home to one of the southernmost populations of bottlenose dolphins.

“I’ve never forgotten how visiting Patea and Fiordland made me feel growing up. Whether my feet were left wet after tramping through waterways, or whether we had just watched the sun go down through the mountains and fiords, I remember thinking how special this place is and how it needs to be protected.”

Ōraka-Aparima Rūnaka was one of seven hapū and iwi who worked with Piki Studios to bring the virtual world to life. Elsewhere in the Kāi Tahu Takiwā, Arowhenua and Waihao Marae were also involved in digitally recreating Dark Sky Project and Takapō (Tekapo).

Tracey says a small rōpū of Ōraka-Aparima Rūnaka whānau members worked with the game developers to create content for the DLC over three months.

“We had a lot of input from our whānau, which was thrilling, different, and a bit nerve-wracking at times, as we worked with the studio to bring Patea to Minecraft.”

In the game, players control a boat as it traverses the fiords, with plenty of “photo opportunities”.

“One special moment is the karaka from Rangimaria Suddaby welcoming the manuhiri (visitors) playing the game as they descend through the clouds into Patea.”

Ōraka-Aparima Kaitiaki Stewart Bull also features as a Minecraft avatar.

Tracey hopes the DLC will be a way for whānau living elsewhere in New Zealand or overseas to stay connected with their papakāika.

“One of the reasons we embraced this opportunity was to help our whānau explore their ancestral mauka wherever in the world they may be. We thought wouldn’t it be neat if they could play Minecraft after work or school and walk in the footprints of their tīpuna (ancestors).”

With their first game clocked, Ōraka-Aparima remains open to more opportunities.

“It was an eye-opening experience. It was a good way for us to dip our toes in the water on a project of this size and complexity and to represent what we consider to be our backyard. We’re innately proud of the sounds as a destination for people to visit.

“Our involvement has left us considering what our footprint should look like in that setting outside of the game. It’s created more diverse conversations within our rūnaka around our role as kaitiaki and what other opportunities there could be at Patea for us to share more of our stories with manuhiri.”

Background

For more about the Minecraft New Zealand world, visit Tourism New Zealand’s announcement: Tourism New Zealand Launches World-First Destination New Zealand Minecraft World to Attract Visitors. Tourism New Zealand worked with eleven mana whenua groups, Warner Bros, Mojang Studios (the creators of Minecraft) and NZ game developers, Piki Studios, to create the New Zealand Minecraft world.