Ship creek /Tauparikaka

HAAST

Client:
Department of Conservation, Haast
Date of Project: 2014
Graphic Design: Ecodesign

Objective:
Bring alive some of the natural, cultural and historic stories that relate to the immediate area through the use of text bites, design, visuals artworks and sculpture. Create a ‘realistic connection’ through the use of interpretation at the points where place, story and wildlife or physical remains converge.

Process:
An interpretation concept plan guided the process of the renewed interpretation set around two-loop track walkways - the dune lake loop track and kahikatea swamp forest walk. These walkways both start at a walk-through introductory shelter and fan out to a number of key viewpoints over the natural landscape. The on-site panels were concentrated at key view shafts used to frame the stories being told. Attention was given to the materials, shapes, colours and structure of the interpretation, which included some sculpture, cut out steel trees as markers, chunky macrocarpa timbers,

Production:
The historic ship wreckage was linked through into the design by using rusting port holes and sandblasted timbers in the main shelter to set the scene. These elements were continued around the walkway providing design continuity. At the main viewpoints, colours and see-through acrylics with illustrations were overlayed onto the physical landscape – visually compelling and engaging the visitor, and connecting them directly to the landscape. The interpretation around the Kahikatea Swamp Walk utilised replica butter boxes and cheese crates, made out of the white pine timber, to link the demise of these forests to the history of New Zealand’s dairy exports. Simple text bite messages were printed onto aluminium panels on top of the cheese crates.