Mountain webcam seen as chance to showcase region

Visitors and locals no longer have to join the growing numbers climbing Roys Peak to enjoy the view from the summit.

Earlier this month, Lake Wanaka Tourism began live streaming images on its website from a high definition webcam located on top of the mountain.

General manager James Helmore said it was a way to showcase the region.

The high definition camera has been programmed to take photographs from five different perspectives every 15 minutes, and is played on the website as a sequence of images.

Mr Helmore said the opportunity to place the camera on Roys Peak came through the Upper Clutha Radio Users Association which was about to install solar panels on the Stack Conservation Area to power its communication masts and radio shed.

He said during July they conducted trials programming the camera to take photographs from 12 different views and narrowed it down to the current five.

The webcam proved to be fairly robust but high winds occasionally resulted in a metal bar in the middle of the photograph, he said.

''We are going to have to watch that from time to time.''

Lake Wanaka Tourism has two webcams, the second streaming images from its office on the lakefront in Ardmore St.

Mr Helmore said the webcams had good zoom capability but the idea was never to identify anyone but to take wide panoramic views.

The Roys Peak webcam went live two weeks ago and already it is one of the top five pages on the website.

''Also, if people want to go up Roys Peak they can also see what they are getting themselves into. Webcams are really good for that,'' he said.

kerrie.waterworth@odt.co.nz