Driving Creek - Where art, conservation, engineering and adventure come together

Client: Driving Creek — Driving Creek Railway, Coromandel Zipline Tours, Driving Creek Pottery, Driving Creek Conservation Tours
Location: Coromandel, New Zealand
Services: Website Design, Website Development, eCommerce Integration, Booking System Integration, SEO Optimisation, System Integrations

Driving Creek is one of New Zealand’s most unique tourism destinations, offering scenic railway tours, pottery experiences, conservation projects, and creative workshops. Located in the Coromandel, they provide immersive experiences that combine art, nature, and heritage. Their offerings include train rides through regenerating native forest, hands-on pottery classes, and educational experiences for visitors of all ages.

What the Client Needed

Driving Creek needed a modern, scalable website that could handle multiple parts of their business in one place while improving the user experience and online conversions.

They required:

• A redesigned website that better reflects their brand and visitor experience
• Integration with Rezdy for booking railway tours and experiences
• An online shop powered by WooCommerce
• Integration between WooCommerce and Lightspeed Retail (POS system)
• Secure online payments via Stripe
• Clear navigation for multiple services (railway, pottery, conservation, workshops)
• Mobile-friendly design for tourists browsing on the go
• Improved performance and SEO to attract more visitors

What We Delivered

Strategic Website Redesign & User Experience

We redesigned the website using WordPress to better reflect Driving Creek’s identity — blending nature, creativity, and tourism into a visually immersive experience. The layout was carefully structured to guide users from discovery through to booking or purchasing, with clear calls-to-action and storytelling woven throughout.

Seamless Rezdy Booking Integration

We integrated the Rezdy booking system directly into the website, enabling real-time availability and instant bookings for railway tours, pottery classes, and experiences. This removed friction from the booking process and significantly improved conversion rates by keeping users within a single, consistent interface.

Robust eCommerce with WooCommerce

A fully customised WooCommerce store was built to showcase and sell pottery, merchandise, and gifts. The store was designed with a strong focus on usability, ensuring customers can easily browse products, view details, and complete purchases with minimal effort.

Lightspeed Retail Integration (POS Sync)

To bridge the gap between online and physical retail, we integrated WooCommerce with Lightspeed Retail. This ensures real-time synchronisation of inventory, product data, and sales, reducing manual admin and eliminating discrepancies between in-store and online stock levels.

Secure & Scalable Payments with Stripe

We implemented Stripe as the primary payment gateway, providing a secure, fast, and reliable checkout experience. This supports multiple payment methods and ensures customer trust across both bookings and eCommerce transactions.

Clear Information Architecture & Navigation

Given the complexity of Driving Creek’s offerings, we designed a structured navigation system that clearly separates key areas such as Railway, Potteries, Conservation, and Experiences. This makes it easy for users to explore the site and quickly find relevant information.

Mobile-First Optimisation

Recognising that a large portion of users are tourists browsing on mobile devices, the entire website was optimised for mobile performance. This ensures fast load times, intuitive navigation, and a smooth experience across all screen sizes.

Performance, SEO & Technical Optimisation

We optimised the site for speed, search engine visibility, and overall performance. This included improving page load times, structuring content for SEO, and ensuring best practices were followed to increase organic traffic and online visibility.

The Result

The new website provides a seamless experience for visitors, combining bookings, shopping, and information into one cohesive platform. This resulted in improved user engagement, increased online bookings, and a more efficient system for managing both digital and in-person sales.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why was WordPress chosen for this project?

WordPress was selected for its flexibility, ease of content management, and strong ecosystem of plugins. It allowed us to efficiently integrate key systems like WooCommerce and Rezdy while giving the client full control over updating content.

2. How does the booking system work?

The website integrates directly with Rezdy, enabling customers to view real-time availability and book experiences such as railway tours and pottery classes instantly. This ensures a smooth and reliable booking experience.

3. How are online and in-store sales synchronised?

WooCommerce is connected to Lightspeed Retail, allowing inventory, product data, and sales to sync automatically between the online store and physical retail system. This eliminates manual updates and reduces errors.

4. What payment methods are supported?

Stripe is used as the payment gateway, providing secure and seamless transactions. Customers can pay using major credit cards and other supported payment methods.

5. Can the website be expanded in the future?

Yes, the platform was built with scalability in mind. It can support future integrations, new features, and even migration to more advanced technologies if the business grows or requirements evolve.