Venture Taranaki/Te Puna Umanga, the regional development agency, and South Taranaki District Council are excited to announce the launch of ‘Trip-to’, a free game-based web-app that offers a selection of curated mystery road-trips along Surf Highway 45.

The new game will encourage locals and visitors to explore the region and unearth hidden gems and local stories. Each trip is different, giving the user a rich, immersive experience that caters to their interests and curiosities, it provides prompts for playful games, puzzles, stories, and activities while travelling along the chosen route.

"Taranaki is full of intriguing places, fascinating stories, and memorable moments for visitors and locals alike. Trip-to makes it easy to hit the road with whānau or friends for a surprise journey ahead, and in turn, provides economic benefits to local businesses and communities," explains Brylee Flutey, Venture Taranaki GM Destination.

Te Puna Umanga and South Taranaki District Council teamed up to develop the new visitor product born from the ‘Designing the Visitor Futures of Taranaki’ report that Venture Taranaki released in July 2021.

"Taking into consideration the recommendations from the Visitor Futures report released in 2021, Trip-to is intended to focus on a growing segment of travellers seeking to explore their backyards and find the path less travelled, and connect deeper with people, our environments, and culture," says Brylee.

The South Taranaki Mayor, Phil Nixon, recently tested out the game-based experience, completing the ‘ Shipwreck to Roses’ trip and says, "Trip-to is an easy-to-use game full of fun activities that will take you directly to hidden gems and must-see spots. It’s a great way to explore our wonderful region and have a summer adventure with your kids, visiting friends or relatives."

Surf Highway 45, between New Plymouth and Hāwera, was specifically selected as the initial area of focus to draw in visitation, however Brylee explains, "this initial launch will enable us to test and refine, with the possibility to expand the trips to other areas of the district over time. We have launched with six different journeys, and another five trips will be released before Christmas."

"This summer, we encourage you to slow down, take your time, and discover some of the lesser-known highlights of Taranaki," concludes Brylee.

Visit tripto.taranaki.co.nz and challenge yourself to take on as many trips as possible and complete the activities. 

Explore Trip-to

Additional information: Trip-to was born out of the ‘Designing the Visitor Futures of Taranaki’ report that Venture Taranaki released in July 2021. The report used a future-focused, user-centric approach to identify future areas of opportunity that our visitor sector can leverage when developing existing visitor experiences, or looking at new initiatives to attract people to the region. The report identified four provocations: Eat the Region, Tailored Taranaki, Voyage with Us, and All Inclusive.

Trip-to is an answer to the ‘Voyage with Us’ provocation which focuses on a growing segment of travellers seeking to explore Taranaki, our people, our environments, and culture on a deeper level.