Former Google exec fixes Bob's Cove map problem

Crux published this week details of a dilemma for both tourists and residents at Queenstown's Bob's Cove after a US breakfast TV show recently featured the scenic location.

Google maps showed the location as being closer to local residents' houses than the Cove itself resulting in large numbers of visitors' cars on private residential roads and some very frustrated locals.  One resident told Crux that four out of five cars in the area were now lost tourists using Google maps.

But former Google executive Jeff Huber, who ran the Maps division, is on holiday from the US in Queenstown and experienced exactly the same problem and then read our Crux story.

Mr Huber told Crux:

"!'m a former Google executive who ran Google Maps over a decade ago (and left Google in 2016 to found GRAIL). But I still know more than a few people at Google, so was able to escalate and bring it to the attention of the right people for a quick fix.

"For what it's worth, I'm visiting Queenstown at the moment, and my daughter and I ran into the exact problem when we attempted to do the Bob's Cove hike on the way back from Glenorchy earlier this week!"

So, thanks to Jeff Huber the problem is solved. Good work. 

Nice to bring everyone some good news this Friday. It's one less thing to worry about.