As part of its support for Cabox Aspiring Geopark, in September 2020 the federal and provincial government announced funding for Cabox VR, a virtual reality project begun under the EU-funded Drifting Apart project. The funds are to be used to develop the website NLinVR, which will provide an online platform to share 3D virtual reality images and videos of representative scenes across Newfoundland and Labrador.

Of course in order to share the photos and videos, they must first be filmed using a 360-degree video camera. Once posted online, they may be viewed as webVR, or downloaded to a VR headset – such as oculus rift – and viewed in “virtual reality”.

During summer 2021, Cabox continued its program of filming significant vistas, or geosights, throughout the proposed geopark, including the Blow Me Down Mountains

lower Humber Valley

Pond Point in North Arm, Bay of Islands

and Trout River Pond and Tablelands from the Elephant Head.

During summer 2020, Cabox undertook a project to film significant Newfoundland and Labrador vistas outside the boundaries of the proposed geopark, beginning with Sandbanks Provincial Park near Burgeo

and Campbell’s Pond and Little Codroy Valley, as viewed from the Starlite Trail.

In August 2021, the project extended to the Connaigre Peninsula on the island’s south coast, from Harbour Breton

and Cluett’s Pond

to Pool’s Cove

and Belleoram.

In September 2021, VR filming continued on the Avalon Peninsula, from St. John’s

Quidi Vidi

and Cape Spear

to Brigus

Placentia

and Cape St. Mary’s.