Whanganui is the first place in New Zealand to get a visit from Dora, the digital bus.
She has rolled into the Whanganui area and stays until September 13 to give free classes in online banking. Whanganui got first dibs because it has such a good network of digital enthusiasts and because it is near Wellington, where the bus refurbishment was done.
Dora had an open day on July 29, on the Whanganui War Memorial Centre forecourt. The rest of the week she will be tried out as a venue and used for training the three Whanganui District Library staff and volunteers who will teach the classes.
After that the bus will move around libraries, retirement villages, marae, council flats and supermarkets in Whanganui, Marton and Bulls, offering free two-hour classes in the Stepping UP training module.
"We are already booked into a number of retirement villages. Each of them has been really enthusiastic and welcoming," Whanganui digital ambassador Alistair Fraser said.