Encounter Kaikoura
Visit Site: www.encounterkaikoura.co.nz
Project Overview
Encounter Kaikoura is located in one of the most picturesque places in New Zealand, famous for the marine life that inhabits this region including whales, dolphins, albatross, penguins, fur seals and orca.
Encounter Kaikoura has been providing dolphin swimming experiences for over 20 years and is owned and operated by Kaikoura locals with a passion for the environment and marine life.
The Brief
Encounter Kaikoura wanted their website to portray the exhilarating experience of their tours - either swimming with or watching the acrobatic Dusky dolphin, or observing the majestic flight of the Albatross - while showcasing the spectacular region they are so passionate about.
Clear links and easy navigation to all parts of the site was also required as they take online bookings for tours and also sell products online from their extensive Encounter Shop.
Our Solution
Imagery & Video
Imagery was never going to be a problem with one of the Encounter Kaikoura owners being wildlife photographer Dennis Buurman. With the vast range of stunning imagery available it was simply a matter of ensuring we provided the template to showcase a selection and let the imagery speak for itself.
We also introduced the use of video to really give visitors the feeling of being on a tour. This allows for either user-generated video or Encounter Kaikoura's own video to be displayed on the site.
Consistency
There are three very seperate parts to the Encounter Kaikoura website: Cafe Encounter (encompassing their cafe and shop), Dolphin Encounter and Albatross Encounter. Part of the brief was ensuring a seamless transition for the user to navigate between the parts, and ensuring the placement of the call to action was consistent and the user could jump to anywhere on the site at any time.
Social Media
Encounter Kaikoura has a large international following, with commentary about their tours often found in various media from around the world. As such, it was important that the new website was interactive and that users could follow the company's current happenings via the social media platforms of Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. We achieved this with prominent social media links in the site's footer that are consistent throughout the site, as well as a Twitter feed displaying the latest 'tweet'. Both features are zone specific within the site.
Success Factors
The client's confidence in Cabbage Tree's knowledge and abilities was a significant part of the success in this project.
The client was open to leadership, discussion and suggestions from our team in terms of design and functionality, enabling us to provide the best online solutions for Encounter Kaikoura's needs and allowing the inclusion of new technology to take the website into the future.
The provision of world-class wildlife imagery also didn't hurt!
The Cabbage Tree team involved in the project were:
Project Manager:
Sarah Waldron
Lead Designers:
Johnny Hall
Tracey Tam
Development:
David Grimason