After a massive success last year, Marlborough's Summer Concert Series is taking fun to new heights.
Marlborough4Fun will be giving people the bird's eye view of popular spots around the region as part of its new "virtual helicopter tour" attraction.
Punters will be able to slap on a pair of goggles and get previously unseen, 360-degree views of Renwick, Picton and Pollard Park, in Blenheim, thanks to a drone camera.
Marlborough4Fun general manager Krista McGill said the technology, operated and owned by aerial imaging company GCH UAV, was "state of the art amazing".
Garden City Helicopters pilots, from left, Vinnie Hart and Colin Aitchison testing out their drone tech with Marlborough4Fun general manager Krista McGill.
"Participants can put on the latest technology goggles and ... the wearer on the ground will be able to control what view they get from above," McGill said.
"For the one at Picton, people will be able to see from the Picton Marina and into the horizon. It's going to be awesome."
The virtual tour would be available for two hours at each event, between 4pm and 6pm at Renwick, 5pm and 7pm at Pollard Park, and 2pm and 4pm at Picton. Tours were available by donation, she said.
All proceedings would go to the Inspire Foundation, new to Marlborough, which offered grants to talented teenagers looking to further their skills within their chosen field of expertise.
The foundation was handpicked by the Summer Concert Series' naming sponsor, Harcourts, who were showcasing the virtual helicopter tour.
"The virtual helicopter tour is bound to inspire imaginations and minds, which is a nice link in with the Inspire Foundation, which also inspires people," she said.
McGill declined to share how much it would cost Marlborough4Fun to rent out the equipment for the designated six hours, as she said the information was "commercially sensitive".
She said alongside new technology, each event would also include inflatable castles, food trucks and "cool live music".
Headliners included local cover bands Second Sunrise for Renwick, The Stilettos for Pollard Park and Cover Story for Picton.
Punters will be able to use the drone technology to get a new perspective of the Picton Foreshore.
"They're perfect for hanging in the sun with a bean bag and a picnic blanket, just hanging out in a beautiful, safe environment with the family," McGill said.
The Summer Concert Series would be held at the Renwick Domain on February 2 from 4pm to 7pm, at Pollard Park on February 10 from 5pm to 8pm, and at Picton Foreshore on February 24 from 2pm to 4pm.
Marlborough4Fun opted to switch one of its usual sites from Whites Bay, near Rarangi, to Renwick to prevent conflict with More FM's Beach Day at Whites Bay on February 16.
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