Part of Auckland Transport’s (AT) First and Final Leg (FFL) programme, which is aimed at encouraging people to use active modes to travel to train stations. The Western Line Explorer was developed to test ways to activate walking and wheeling to train stations, in line with AT’s FFL programme.
The Western Line Explorer was a one-day, self-guided activation designed to encourage families to explore Auckland’s Western rail corridor.
The event was organised as a part of Auckland Transport’s (AT) First and Final Leg (FFL) programme which is designed to encourage people to use active modes to travel to train stations by looking at infrastructure changes as well as the human infrastructure associated with each location. The Western Line Explorer was developed to test ways of activating walking and wheeling to train stations in line with AT’s FFL programme.
It promoted local exploration by connecting whānau to nearby destinations within easy walking and cycling distance of train stations, and positioning active and public transport as fun and low-pressure.
The main objective of the Western Line Explorer was to encourage people to use active modes of transport when travelling to Henderson train station.
Starting at Henderson Station, participants began a ‘choose your own adventure’ scavenger hunt. Along the way, participants followed themed clues and discovered local highlights.
The event was designed in a way to encourage active modes of transport by placing activity locations away from the stations. Participants had to use active modes to get around, which aligned with the objective to encourage families to try walking and cycling to and from stations, particularly those who hadn’t before. By offering an incentive for completing a certain number of activities and challenges, participants were eager to visit multiple stations and engaged in active modes of travel. This ensured the activation was in line with AT’s FFL programme, and planted the seed for participants to use active transport in their daily lives.
The Western Line Explorer was the first time an activation of this type had been organised by Crank. There were many variables in planning an activation that involved participants walking, wheeling and catching public transport.
Crank worked on the Western Line Explorer from the initial planning stages through to the delivery of the activation. Working collaboratively with community partners meant local knowledge was utilised, and this also helped to keep the overall costs down.
The activation was planned so families could participate at their own pace and complete as much as was possible for them. This included providing flexible start and finish times so participants could attend around other Sunday commitments. Participants chose which activity locations they wanted to go to and how long they wanted to spend at each one, and weren’t required to visit all the locations to receive a prize.
Partnerships with the local community were vital in the success of the Western Line Explorer. Having a range of community partners ensured activities were varied and multiple destinations were activated. Working with the community is a key focus of Crank’s work, and the Western Line Explorer was a good example of how multiple community partners can be used for one event.
The Western Line Explorer had a mixture of new and old community partners. It was a great way to work with some partners again, and the new relationships developed with the first time community partners was a success. As mentioned, Crank has worked in West Auckland extensively, and the Western Line Explorer further enhanced Crank’s relationship with the local community.
There were also a few community organisations who were keen to participate but couldn’t make the date work. A log of these was kept in case of future activations in the area.
During the planning phase, Crank provided ideas for the activities, but allowed each community partner or business to develop their own. Giving a sense of agency allowed a varied range of activities to be developed. Crank ensured each activity aligned with the wider event, but encouraged community partners to think of unique experiences for their location. This provided participants with unique experiences which they may not have known were available in the area.
On the day, Crank staff were on the ground to facilitate the running of the activation. This included coordinating the volunteers, managing health and safety protocols, as well as having conversations with participants and handling any issues that arose. Alongside Crank, local community groups and organisations ran activities and engaged with participants.
Part of the delivery was ensuring participants could find the activities as they were required to make their own way from the station to the activity location. There were no marshals along the way, but maps were supplied with safe routes to the activities. There were helpers stationed at each location, providing a level of guidance for the participants. Many of the participants were familiar with the area as the target demographic was local tamariki aged five to 10 and their whānau.
Partnerships with the local community were vital in the success of the Western Line Explorer. Having a range of community partners ensured activities were varied and multiple destinations were activated. Working with the community is a key focus of Crank’s work, and the Western Line Explorer was a good example of how multiple community partners can be used for one event.
The Western Line Explorer had a mixture of new and old community partners. It was a great way to work with some partners again, and the new relationships developed with the first time community partners was a success.
During the planning phase, Crank provided ideas for the activities, but allowed each community partner or business to develop their own. Giving a sense of agency allowed a varied range of activities to be developed. Crank ensured each activity aligned with the wider event, but encouraged community partners to think of unique experiences for their location. This provided participants with unique experiences which they may not have known were available in the area.
Promoting the event and communicating how it would run were key factors in the success of the activation. Crank created a new visual identity for the Western Line Explorer that remained within AT brand guidelines. Crank also designed the collateral and ran a promotional campaign.
The campaign included posting the digital collateral to local Facebook groups and advertising the activation on Auckland event websites. Posters were also printed and distributed to local primary schools, community centres and businesses. By running the campaign both online and physically a wide audience was captured, which translated into a high turnout on the day.
Crank also designed and installed wayfinding, which was essential to ensure participants could find the activities. The wayfinding worked in collaboration with the maps on the back of the stamp books, and kept participants on the right track as they made their way to the activity locations from the train stations.
The Western Line Explorer proved to be a popular activation, with over 330 people participating, exceeding the 150 Crank and AT had aimed for. Participants provided feedback after the event via an online survey, reflecting the positive feedback heard throughout the day. Responding to the question ‘What did you enjoy the most?’, responses included:
“We got to see places near the train stations that we didn't know were so close.”
“Seeing the smiles and joy the children were having using the trains whilst having a reason to get to each place and getting us adults back into using the trains and seeing more of West Auckland.”
“Exploring different areas. Really fun idea.”
“The entire thing! It was nice to walk from the station to different craft areas, great to have activities to do!”
“Seeing paths and spots you would not usually see and seeing how close areas are to train stations!”
The activation highlighted local destinations, and gave participants a way to try out using multi-modal transport to make local trips. A number of participants said they weren’t regular public transport users, and for those with bikes, many said they had not taken their bikes on the train before. The feedback received aligns directly with the aims of AT’s FFL programme.
It was also an opportunity to raise awareness that tamariki under 15 travel free on public transport on weekends, and was a way to encourage parents to register HOP cards to ensure their children could travel for free on weekends.
The success of the Western Line Explorer has shown the potential for further multi-modal activations across Auckland. The activation could be tailored to different audiences and trialled at different locations.
The Western Line Explorer was a one-day, self-guided activation designed to encourage families to explore Auckland’s Western rail corridor.
The event was organised as a part of Auckland Transport’s (AT) First and Final Leg (FFL) programme which is designed to encourage people to use active modes to travel to train stations by looking at infrastructure changes as well as the human infrastructure associated with each location. The Western Line Explorer was developed to test ways of activating walking and wheeling to train stations in line with AT’s FFL programme.
It promoted local exploration by connecting whānau to nearby destinations within easy walking and cycling distance of train stations, and positioning active and public transport as fun and low-pressure.
The main objective of the Western Line Explorer was to encourage people to use active modes of transport when travelling to Henderson train station.
Starting at Henderson Station, participants began a ‘choose your own adventure’ scavenger hunt. Along the way, participants followed themed clues and discovered local highlights.
The event was designed in a way to encourage active modes of transport by placing activity locations away from the stations. Participants had to use active modes to get around, which aligned with the objective to encourage families to try walking and cycling to and from stations, particularly those who hadn’t before. By offering an incentive for completing a certain number of activities and challenges, participants were eager to visit multiple stations and engaged in active modes of travel. This ensured the activation was in line with AT’s FFL programme, and planted the seed for participants to use active transport in their daily lives.
The Western Line Explorer was the first time an activation of this type had been organised by Crank. There were many variables in planning an activation that involved participants walking, wheeling and catching public transport.
Crank worked on the Western Line Explorer from the initial planning stages through to the delivery of the activation. Working collaboratively with community partners meant local knowledge was utilised, and this also helped to keep the overall costs down.
The activation was planned so families could participate at their own pace and complete as much as was possible for them. This included providing flexible start and finish times so participants could attend around other Sunday commitments. Participants chose which activity locations they wanted to go to and how long they wanted to spend at each one, and weren’t required to visit all the locations to receive a prize.
Partnerships with the local community were vital in the success of the Western Line Explorer. Having a range of community partners ensured activities were varied and multiple destinations were activated. Working with the community is a key focus of Crank’s work, and the Western Line Explorer was a good example of how multiple community partners can be used for one event.
The Western Line Explorer had a mixture of new and old community partners. It was a great way to work with some partners again, and the new relationships developed with the first time community partners was a success. As mentioned, Crank has worked in West Auckland extensively, and the Western Line Explorer further enhanced Crank’s relationship with the local community.
There were also a few community organisations who were keen to participate but couldn’t make the date work. A log of these was kept in case of future activations in the area.
During the planning phase, Crank provided ideas for the activities, but allowed each community partner or business to develop their own. Giving a sense of agency allowed a varied range of activities to be developed. Crank ensured each activity aligned with the wider event, but encouraged community partners to think of unique experiences for their location. This provided participants with unique experiences which they may not have known were available in the area.
On the day, Crank staff were on the ground to facilitate the running of the activation. This included coordinating the volunteers, managing health and safety protocols, as well as having conversations with participants and handling any issues that arose. Alongside Crank, local community groups and organisations ran activities and engaged with participants.
Part of the delivery was ensuring participants could find the activities as they were required to make their own way from the station to the activity location. There were no marshals along the way, but maps were supplied with safe routes to the activities. There were helpers stationed at each location, providing a level of guidance for the participants. Many of the participants were familiar with the area as the target demographic was local tamariki aged five to 10 and their whānau.
Partnerships with the local community were vital in the success of the Western Line Explorer. Having a range of community partners ensured activities were varied and multiple destinations were activated. Working with the community is a key focus of Crank’s work, and the Western Line Explorer was a good example of how multiple community partners can be used for one event.
The Western Line Explorer had a mixture of new and old community partners. It was a great way to work with some partners again, and the new relationships developed with the first time community partners was a success.
During the planning phase, Crank provided ideas for the activities, but allowed each community partner or business to develop their own. Giving a sense of agency allowed a varied range of activities to be developed. Crank ensured each activity aligned with the wider event, but encouraged community partners to think of unique experiences for their location. This provided participants with unique experiences which they may not have known were available in the area.
Promoting the event and communicating how it would run were key factors in the success of the activation. Crank created a new visual identity for the Western Line Explorer that remained within AT brand guidelines. Crank also designed the collateral and ran a promotional campaign.
The campaign included posting the digital collateral to local Facebook groups and advertising the activation on Auckland event websites. Posters were also printed and distributed to local primary schools, community centres and businesses. By running the campaign both online and physically a wide audience was captured, which translated into a high turnout on the day.
Crank also designed and installed wayfinding, which was essential to ensure participants could find the activities. The wayfinding worked in collaboration with the maps on the back of the stamp books, and kept participants on the right track as they made their way to the activity locations from the train stations.
The Western Line Explorer proved to be a popular activation, with over 330 people participating, exceeding the 150 Crank and AT had aimed for. Participants provided feedback after the event via an online survey, reflecting the positive feedback heard throughout the day. Responding to the question ‘What did you enjoy the most?’, responses included:
“We got to see places near the train stations that we didn't know were so close.”
“Seeing the smiles and joy the children were having using the trains whilst having a reason to get to each place and getting us adults back into using the trains and seeing more of West Auckland.”
“Exploring different areas. Really fun idea.”
“The entire thing! It was nice to walk from the station to different craft areas, great to have activities to do!”
“Seeing paths and spots you would not usually see and seeing how close areas are to train stations!”
The activation highlighted local destinations, and gave participants a way to try out using multi-modal transport to make local trips. A number of participants said they weren’t regular public transport users, and for those with bikes, many said they had not taken their bikes on the train before. The feedback received aligns directly with the aims of AT’s FFL programme.
It was also an opportunity to raise awareness that tamariki under 15 travel free on public transport on weekends, and was a way to encourage parents to register HOP cards to ensure their children could travel for free on weekends.
The success of the Western Line Explorer has shown the potential for further multi-modal activations across Auckland. The activation could be tailored to different audiences and trialled at different locations.
