All language subtitles for Aerial New Zealand 1080p HDTV x264 AAC MVGroup EN Sub

♪

AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD,
DEEP IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC...

LIES AN ISOLATED LAND
WITH A STORIED PAST--

NEW ZEALAND.

ACCORDING TO LEGEND,

A GOD PLUCKED ITS ISLANDS
FROM THE SEA

WITH A MAGIC FISH HOOK.

TODAY, THESE MYSTICAL LANDSCAPES
ARE BEST KNOWN AS MIDDLE-EARTH--

HOME TO HOBBITS.

SHAPED BY FIRE...

CAPPED BY ICE...

NEW ZEALAND IS A NATION

OF RISK TAKERS
AND THRILL SEEKERS.

IT’S WHERE A LEAP OF FAITH
SPARKED A NEW PASTIME...

AND A LITTLE INGENUITY
SAVED A CITY.

NEW ZEALAND IS A PLACE WHERE
PEOPLE THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX...

AND WHERE EVEN A BIKE RIDE
CAN BE BREATH-TAKING.

♪

THIS YOUNG COUNTRY
IS FULL OF RICH HISTORY

AND UNSPOILED BEAUTY

FOR THOSE WILLING TO TRAVEL
ALL THE WAY TO THE EDGE.

♪

♪

[ENGINE WHIRRING]

♪

ON NEW ZEALAND’S SOUTH ISLAND,
ADRENALINE JUNKIES SPEED

THROUGH ONE OF THE NATION’S
BEST-KNOWN CANYONS.

THIS BOAT CARRIES TOURISTS
DOWN THE SHOTOVER RIVER,

THROUGH WHAT’S CONSIDERED
WILD COUNTRY.

THE ADVENTURE--AND THE BOAT--
ARE VINTAGE NEW ZEALAND.

IN THE EARLY 1900s,
A LOCAL BOY NAMED BILL HAMILTON

DREAMED OF TRAVERSING
SHALLOW RIVERS

THAT RAN ACROSS HIS FAMILY FARM.

HAMILTON EXPLORED THESE WATERS.
IN AN OLD TIN WASHTUB.

IN 1954, AT THE AGE OF 55,

HE MASTERMINDED THE WATERJET
THAT PROPELS THIS BOAT

AND REVOLUTIONIZED BOATING
WORLDWIDE.

HAMILTON’S INVENTION USED
A POWERFUL JET OF WATER--

RATHER THAN A PROPELLER--
TO MOVE AND STEER.

THE TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS THIS BOAT
TO MAKE SHARP TURNS

IN WATER AS SHALLOW
AS THREE INCHES

AND REACH TOP SPEEDS
OF OVER 100 MILES AN HOUR.

HAMILTON WAS EVENTUALLY KNIGHTED
FOR HIS INGENUITY...

WHICH TODAY LETS PEOPLE
EXPLORE HIS HOMETOWN RIVERS...

NEW ZEALAND STYLE.

♪

IN THIS NATION, LIFE HAS LONG
REVOLVED AROUND WATER.

ITS FIRST SETTLERS ARRIVED
BY CANOE.

BEGINNING IN THE 13th CENTURY,

ISLANDERS FROM ACROSS
THE SOUTH PACIFIC

PADDLED THOUSANDS OF MILES
TO NEW ZEALAND.

THEY NAMED THEMSELVES MAORI.

DIFFERENT TRIBES SETTLED
ALONG THE COAST

OF NEW ZEALAND’S
TWO MAIN ISLANDS.

TODAY, THEY ARE KNOWN SIMPLY AS

NORTH ISLAND AND SOUTH ISLAND...

AND TOGETHER THEY’RE

ABOUT THE SIZE OF COLORADO.

WHEN THE MAORI ARRIVED,
THE LAND WAS SO BREATH-TAKING,

THEY BELIEVED THEY’D DISCOVERED
THE PLACE WHERE THE WORLD BEGAN.

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

♪

ONE OF THEIR MOST SACRED SPOTS
IS ON THE NORTH ISLAND...

IN AN ANCIENT FOREST
OF KAURI TREES,

NATIVE TO NEW ZEALAND.

TOWERING OVER THE LANDSCAPE
IS A TREE CALLED TANE MAHUTA--

OR LORD OF THE FOREST--
THE TALLEST TREE IN NEW ZEALAND.

ACCORDING TO MAORI LEGEND,
AT THE BIRTH OF THE PLANET,

THE SKY FATHER AND EARTH MOTHER

WERE LOCKED
IN A PASSIONATE EMBRACE.

THEIR CHILDREN, INCLUDING
THEIR POWERFUL SON, TANE MAHUTA,

WERE TRAPPED BETWEEN THEM,
ENGULFED IN DARKNESS.

HE PUSHED WITH ALL HIS MIGHT

AND, AS FATHER SEPARATED
FROM MOTHER,

LIGHT SHONE ONTO THE WORLD.

♪

THE MAORI WERE THE SOLE SETTLERS
HERE FOR MORE THAN 500 YEARS...

UNTIL 1840, WHEN EUROPEANS BEGAN
ARRIVING BY THE THOUSANDS.

THAT YEAR NEW ZEALAND
BECAME A BRITISH COLONY...

AND THE ENGLISH PUT THEIR STAMP

ON NORTH ISLAND TOWNS
LIKE ROTORUA.

THIS HISTORIC CHURCH
CALLED ST. FAITH’S

WAS BUILT
IN THE ENGLISH TUDOR STYLE.

IT SITS IN A KIND OF TOWN SQUARE

THAT BEGAN AS A MAORI VILLAGE
IN THE 1200s--

AND REMAINS AN IMPORTANT
GATHERING SPOT.

TODAY, THE MAIN STREET HERE IS
A TIDY STRIP OF BUSINESSES...

BUT ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN
ARE HINTS OF A STEAMY PAST.

♪

THE CITY SITS
ON "THE LINE OF FIRE"--

A VOLCANIC PLATEAU

THAT COVERS MOST OF
NEW ZEALAND’S NORTH ISLAND.

DEEP UNDERGROUND,

TWO SHIFTING TECTONIC PLATES
PRODUCE VOLCANIC ACTIVITY,

WHICH ERUPTS IN DIFFERENT WAYS
AT GROUND LEVEL.

THE ENERGY PRODUCES
A GEOTHERMAL WONDERLAND.

LONG BEFORE TOURISTS CAME HERE,

THE MAORI USED THE COLORFUL MUD
FOR PAINTS AND DYES.

THEY RELIED ON THE HOT SPRINGS
TO COOK, CLEAN AND BATHE.

JUST OUTSIDE TOWN IS THE LARGEST
HOT SPRING IN THE WORLD--

FRYING PAN LAKE.

♪

ITS WATER TEMPERATURE
CAN REACH 140 DEGREES--

LONG BELIEVED TO BE TOO HOT
TO SUSTAIN LIFE.

THE ONLY CREATURES THAT CAN
SURVIVE HERE ARE THERMOPHILES...

THE OLDEST LIVING LIFE FORMS
ON EARTH...

MICRO-ORGANISMS THAT THRIVE
IN THE EXTREME TEMPERATURES.

♪

TODAY, VOLCANIC LANDMARKS,
LIKE THIS CONE,

ARE REMINDERS OF THE DANGERS
THAT LURK BELOW.

IT TOWERS OVER NEW ZEALAND’S
BIGGEST CITY, AUCKLAND--

HOME TO 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE.

THE METROPOLIS WAS BUILT
IN A VOLCANIC FIELD--

140 SQUARE MILES MADE UP
OF MORE THAN 50 VOLCANOES.

MOUNT EDEN IS ONE
OF MANY CONES--

OR SHORT-LIVED VOLCANOES--
IN THE AREA.

THE FIELD IS DORMANT NOW,

BUT SCIENTISTS ARE CONSTANTLY
MONITORING IT.

THEY SAY AN ERUPTION IS LIKELY
IN THE NEXT FEW HUNDRED YEARS.

♪

THE COUNTRY’S WIDESPREAD
VOLCANIC ACTIVITY

STEMS FROM THE ISLAND’S LOCATION
ON THE SOUTHWEST END

OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC
RING OF FIRE.

90% OF THE WORLD’S EARTHQUAKES
AND ERUPTIONS OCCUR

ALONG THIS
HORSESHOE-SHAPED ZONE,

WHICH SURROUNDS
THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

GEOLOGIC ACTIVITY DEEP BELOW

HAS LED TO VOLCANOES
ON THE NORTH ISLAND...

AND MOUNTAINS ON THE SOUTH.

♪

THESE ARE THE SOUTHERN ALPS,

WHICH FORM A MASSIVE SPINE THAT
RUNS THE LENGTH OF THE ISLAND.

TECTONIC PLATES PUSHING
AGAINST ONE ANOTHER

FORCED THIS LAND UPWARD
OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS.

THEIR MAJESTY IS PROOF
OF THE POWER DEEP BELOW--

POWER THAT ALWAYS THREATENS
TO UNLEASH NATURE’S FURY.

ANOTHER PART OF NEW ZEALAND
EXPERIENCED THIS

WITH NOT JUST ONE
VOLCANIC ERUPTION,

BUT THREE AT THE SAME TIME.

♪

IN THE HEART OF NEW ZEALAND’S
NORTH ISLAND,

TRANQUIL SURROUNDINGS
HIDE AN EXPLOSIVE PAST,

CAUSED BY
THE MOUNT TARAWERA VOLCANO.

IN JUNE OF 1886,

VILLAGERS AWOKE AT MIDNIGHT
TO VIOLENT EARTHQUAKES.

UNBEKNOWNST TO THEM,

THEY WERE LIVING IN THE SHADOW
OF AN ACTIVE VOLCANO.

AFTER THREE HOURS OF SHAKING,

THEY LOOKED UP IN HORROR TO SEE
NOT ONE PEAK BUT THREE ERUPTING.

THE SMOKE AND FIRE
SHOT A MILE INTO THE SKY.

SHOCKED ONLOOKERS
STOOD OUTSIDE AND WATCHED--

UNTIL MUD AND ASH
BEGAN RAINING DOWN.

SURVIVORS RAN FOR COVER

AND HID INSIDE THESE BUILDINGS
TO SEEK SHELTER.

♪

120 PEOPLE DIED,
BURIED IN DEBRIS,

MAKING IT ONE OF THE WORST
NATURAL DISASTERS

IN NEW ZEALAND’S HISTORY.

♪

VOLCANOES WILL ALWAYS BE
A THREAT IN NEW ZEALAND.

BUT TODAY, THE COUNTRY HAS
A SOPHISTICATED WARNING SYSTEM

TO TRY AND PREVENT
ANOTHER MAJOR TRAGEDY.

♪

TWO HOURS NORTHEAST
IS A FAR DIFFERENT LANDSCAPE.

THIS IS COW COUNTRY...
DOWN UNDER.

NEW ZEALAND IS THE WORLD’S
BIGGEST DAIRY EXPORTER...

AND THE BULK OF ITS PRODUCTS

COME FROM A FERTILE AREA
CALLED WAIKATO.

TRUCKS PICK UP MILK
FROM LOCAL FARMS TWICE DAILY.

THEN THEY TAKE IT
TO SPRAWLING FACTORIES,

LIKE THIS ONE NEAR THE TOWN
OF CAMBRIDGE.

INSIDE, MILK IS TESTED,
PASTEURIZED AND PROCESSED--

MUCH OF IT STORED
IN MASSIVE SILOS.

FINALLY, THE PRODUCTS
ARE MOVED TO PORTS

WHERE THEY’RE SHIPPED
TO MORE THAN 100 COUNTRIES

AND CUSTOMERS LIKE PIZZA HUT.

THE CHAIN SPRINKLES
ALL THEIR PIES WORLDWIDE

WITH MOZZARELLA MADE FRESH
FROM NEW ZEALAND MILK.

DAIRY COUNTRY IS ALSO
WHERE CHAMPIONS ARE MADE.

♪

LAKE KARAPIRO FEEDS
THIS FERTILE AREA

AND SERVES AS A TRAINING GROUND
FOR OLYMPIC ROWERS.

IN 2010, THIS TRANQUIL WATERWAY

HOSTED THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
OF ROWING.

THIS IS ALSO WHERE
NEW ZEALAND ATHLETES

HAVE WORKED THEIR WAY
TO 24 OLYMPIC MEDALS.

AMONG THOSE HERE TODAY
IS MAHÉ DRYSDALE,

WHO BROUGHT HOME GOLD
IN THE 2012 AND 2016 GAMES.

HE’S ALSO A FIVE-TIME
WORLD CHAMPION.

♪

NEW ZEALANDERS ARE KNOWN
FOR THEIR GRIT...

AND THEIR GENIUS.

THIS SOUTH ISLAND MEMORIAL

HONORS NOBEL PRIZE WINNER
ERNEST RUTHERFORD,

WHO FIRST SPLIT THE ATOM.

THE STATUE,
LOCATED NEAR HIS HOMETOWN,

PORTRAYS RUTHERFORD AS A BOY

CLUTCHING HIS FIRST
SCIENCE BOOK.

HE GREW UP HERE IN THE 1870s

NEAR THE COASTAL CITY
OF NELSON,

A TOWN KNOWN
FOR ITS PANORAMIC VIEWS...

AND THE BIRTHPLACE

OF NEW ZEALAND’S
NUMBER ONE SPORT--RUGBY.

TODAY, KIDS GATHER TO PLAY
CRICKET, SOCCER AND OTHER GAMES

HERE AT NELSON’S
BOTANICAL RESERVE.

BUT ON MAY 14, 1870,

THIS WAS THE SITE OF
THE COUNTRY’S FIRST RUGBY MATCH.

THE GAME HAS ITS ROOTS
IN ENGLAND

AND WAS BROUGHT HERE
BY A 19-YEAR-OLD NELSON NATIVE.

THE SPORT SPREAD RAPIDLY
THROUGH THE 1800s...

AND BY THE TURN OF THE CENTURY,

IT WAS NEW ZEALAND’S
NATIONAL PASTIME.

LOCALS GROW UP PLAYING THE GAME

ON BEACHES AND FIELDS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY...

AT PLACES LIKE
AUCKLAND GRAMMAR SCHOOL.

THIS 150-YEAR-OLD INSTITUTION
SITS ON THE NORTH ISLAND

AND WAS ONCE
THE STOMPING GROUNDS

OF OSCAR WINNER RUSSELL CROWE.

BUT THE SCHOOL IS BEST KNOWN
FOR ITS RUGBY STARS.

SINCE 1893,
MORE THAN 50 OF ITS ALUMNI

HAVE GONE ON TO PLAY
FOR NEW ZEALAND’S NATIONAL TEAM,

THE "ALL BLACKS."

THEY ARE THE WINNINGEST TEAM
IN SPORTS HISTORY.

SOME SAY THE ALL BLACKS
OWE PART OF THEIR SUCCESS

TO THIS INSTITUTION--

NOW NICKNAMED
RUGBY’S FINISHING SCHOOL.

♪

NEW ZEALAND IS A NATION
OF AMBITION,

BOTH ON THE GROUND
AND IN THE AIR.

THIS BIPLANE IS FLYING
OVER CANTERBURY FARMLAND,

WHERE A CONTEMPORARY
OF THE WRIGHT BROTHERS

MADE STUNNING ACHIEVEMENTS
IN FLIGHT.

IN THE EARLY 1900s,

A SOUTH ISLAND FARMER
NAMED RICHARD PEARSE

BUILT WHAT LOOKS
LIKE A FLYING BICYCLE.

THIS REPLICA STANDS
NEAR HIS HOMETOWN OF WAITOHI,

WHERE PEARSE BUILT
THE MACHINE IN A HOME WORKSHOP.

THOUGH HE FLEW
AFTER THE WRIGHT BROTHERS,

PEARSE’S DESIGN IS NOW REGARDED
AS VISIONARY.

HIS IDEAS--FROM WING FLAPS
TO TILTING ENGINES--

ARE STANDARD IN MODERN PLANES.

HIS GENIUS WAS NEVER RECOGNIZED
IN HIS LIFETIME,

BUT HIS VISIONS
FOR THE FUTURE OF FLIGHT

HAVE BEEN REALIZED.

PEARSE IS ONE OF MANY
NEW ZEALANDERS

WHOSE FORWARD THINKING
WOULD GO ON TO CHANGE THE WORLD.

♪

IN THE MIDDLE
OF NEW ZEALAND’S SOUTH ISLAND

IS THE SPRAWLING CITY
OF CHRISTCHURCH,

WHERE ONE WOMAN IS CREDITED

WITH THE WORLD’S FIRST WAVE
OF FEMINISM.

♪

THIS HOUSE,
NOW A PRIVATE RESIDENCE,

WAS HOME TO THE PIONEERING
SUFFRAGETTE KATE SHEPPARD.

FROM HERE, SHE LAUNCHED
A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN

FOR A WOMAN’S RIGHT TO VOTE.

IN 1893, NEW ZEALAND BECAME

THE FIRST SELF-GOVERNING COUNTRY
IN THE WORLD

WHERE WOMEN COULD VOTE--

BEATING THE U.S.
BY NEARLY 30 YEARS.

♪

ANOTHER NEW ZEALAND WOMAN
IS REMEMBERED HERE

AT AUCKLAND AIRPORT.

VISITORS TAXI DOWN THE RUNWAY

TO THE JEAN BATTEN
INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL.

SHE FLEW ONTO THE WORLD STAGE
IN 1934

WHEN SHE SHATTERED
THE WOMEN’S FLYING RECORD

FROM ENGLAND TO AUSTRALIA.

BATTEN BEAT THE PREVIOUS FASTEST
TIME BY FOUR FULL DAYS,

SAFELY LANDING
AFTER A TWO-WEEK JOURNEY.

THE 25-YEAR-OLD BEAUTY BECAME
AN OVERNIGHT SENSATION

AND WAS DUBBED
"THE GARBO OF THE SKIES."

TWO YEARS LATER, BATTEN BECAME
THE FIRST PILOT EVER

TO FLY FROM ENGLAND
TO NEW ZEALAND--

A FEAT SHE ACCOMPLISHED
IN 11 DAYS

WITH LITTLE SLEEP
AND MINIMAL STOPS.

BATTEN KEPT FLYING UNTIL
WORLD WAR TWO BEGAN IN 1939.

THAT YEAR, SHE RELINQUISHED
HER BELOVED PLANE

TO THE ROYAL AIR FORCE

SO IT COULD BE USED
FOR THE ALLIED CAUSE.

♪

THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVED
IN THAT WAR AND OTHERS

ARE REMEMBERED TODAY AT THE
AUCKLAND WAR MEMORIAL MUSEUM.

IT WAS BUILT
AFTER WORLD WAR ONE,

WHICH DEVASTATED
THIS SMALL NATION.

100,000 MEN WENT
TO THE EUROPEAN FRONT--

A STAGGERING 10% OF
THE COUNTRY’S ENTIRE POPULATION

AND THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE
OF ANY ALLIED NATION.

AUCKLAND’S MUSEUM ENSURES
THAT THEIR SACRIFICES--

ALONG WITH ALL NEW ZEALAND’S
WAR HEROES--

WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.

♪

LESS THAN TWO MILES
FROM THE MUSEUM

IS THE CITY’S
BEST-KNOWN LANDMARK.

♪

THE AUCKLAND SKY TOWER IS
THE TALLEST MAN-MADE STRUCTURE

IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE.

THE 1,000-FOOT TOWER
OPENED IN 1997.

IT HAS THREE
OBSERVATION LEVELS,

OFFERING 360-DEGREE VIEWS.

BRAVE SOULS CAN ALSO TAKE
A CASUAL STROLL

A QUARTER MILE
ABOVE THE GROUND--

TETHERED FOR SAFETY.

♪

BUT FOR THOSE WHO WANT AN EVEN
STRONGER ADRENALINE RUSH,

A SKY JUMP OFFERS
A 15-SECOND FREE FALL.

♪

AND IT ONLY COSTS $160.

♪

♪

FOR PEOPLE WHO PREFER
TO STAY AT SEA LEVEL,

THERE’S ANOTHER WAY TO SEE
THE SKY TOWER--

BY YACHT.

♪

THE SHOWSTOPPERS
IN AUCKLAND HARBOR

ARE BOATS LIKE THIS--

RETIRED TRAINING VESSELS
FOR THE AMERICA’S CUP.

♪

TODAY, TOURISTS
HELP MAN THE CRAFT.

BUT IT WAS ONCE USED
BY TEAM NEW ZEALAND,

KNOWN FOR WINNING THE WORLD’S
MOST FAMOUS YACHTING RACE

AGAINST THE ODDS.

THE YEAR WAS 1995;

THE VENUE, SAN FRANCISCO.

THE U.S. HAD DOMINATED
THE AMERICA’S CUP

FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY--

LOSING JUST ONCE IN 144 YEARS.

♪

IN 1995, THE U.S. HAD
TWO BIG ADVANTAGES:

EXPERIENCE AND DEEP POCKETS.

TEAMS SPENT UP TO $300 MILLION
ON THE EVENT--

DESIGNING HIGH-TECH BOATS,
TRAINING THE CREW,

AND PAYING
THE $3 MILLION ENTRY FEE.

IN SAN FRANCISCO, NEW ZEALAND’S
CASH-STRAPPED TEAM

CHALLENGED THE U.S. WITH A BOAT
CALLED BLACK MAGIC...

AND TRIUMPHED.

THEY WENT DOWN IN HISTORY

AS THE FIRST NON-AMERICAN TEAM

TO WIN, AND LATER DEFEND,
THE COVETED CUP.

♪

♪

THREE HOURS NORTH OF THE HARBOR

IS A PLACE CALLED
THE WAITANGI TREATY GROUNDS--

CONSIDERED THE BIRTHPLACE
OF NEW ZEALAND.

HERE IN 1840, BRITISH SETTLERS
MET WITH MAORI CHIEFS

AND NEGOTIATED TERMS
FOR A NEW NATION.

THE RESULT WAS
A CONTROVERSIAL DOCUMENT

CALLED THE TREATY OF WAITANGI.

♪

BEFORE EUROPEANS ARRIVED,

THE ISLANDS WERE DIVIDED
AMONG MAORI TRIBES.

NEW ZEALAND’S SHORES
WERE SO REMOTE

THAT BY 1820 ONLY ABOUT
200 PEOPLE HAD SETTLED HERE,

MOSTLY FROM ENGLAND, SCOTLAND,
IRELAND, AND SOME FROM THE U.S.

FEW WERE WILLING TO MAKE
THE PERILOUS 100-DAY JOURNEY

AND LIVE IN SUCH ISOLATION.

BUT IN THE MID 1800s,

EUROPEANS LOOKED AT THIS LAND
WITH NEW EYES.

ENGLAND ANNEXED NEW ZEALAND, AND
BRITISH IMMIGRANTS FLOODED IN,

SEEKING A BETTER LIFE.

THE TREATY WAS MEANT

TO UNIFY THE MAORI
AND THE BRITISH CROWN,

BUT IT WAS NEITHER RATIFIED
NOR FOLLOWED.

♪

THE MAORI LOST
FOUR MILLION ACRES OF LAND.

♪

IN THE 1970s,
UNDER PUBLIC PRESSURE,

NEW ZEALAND’S GOVERNMENT
BEGAN WORKING

TO RESTORE MAORI TREATY RIGHTS--

A PROCESS THAT CONTINUES
TO THIS DAY.

♪

THE NORTH ISLAND
IS HOME TO A BEACH

THAT ATTRACTS VISITORS
FOR ITS BEAUTY AND ITS WILDLIFE.

THIS IS MURIWAI,

WHERE VOLCANIC DEPOSITS
HAVE LEFT BEHIND BLACK SAND.

IT’S ALSO THE NESTING GROUNDS
OF AN UNUSUAL SEA BIRD

CALLED A GANNET.

EACH ONE IS ABOUT
THE SIZE OF A GOOSE,

AND THEY’RE FOUND ONLY
IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND.

[BIRDS SQUAWKING]

1,200 PAIRS NEST HERE
EVERY YEAR,

WITH EACH FEMALE LAYING ONE EGG.

AT FOUR MONTHS,
THE CHICKS EMBARK

ON A 14-DAY SOLO FLIGHT
TO AUSTRALIA.

THREE YEARS LATER, ABOUT
A QUARTER WILL RETURN HERE

TO LAY EGGS OF THEIR OWN.

[BIRDS SQUAWKING]

♪

AN HOUR DOWN THE COASTLINE
IS ANOTHER BLACK SAND BEACH

FAMOUS FOR BEING
ON THE BIG SCREEN.

MOVIE BUFFS MAY KNOW IT

FROM THE OSCAR-WINING FILM
THE PIANO,

BUT LOCALS CALL IT
KAREKARE BEACH.

IN 1992, ACTRESSES HOLLY HUNTER
AND ANNA PAQUIN

SHOT THE OPENING SCENE HERE.

IN THE MOVIE,
HUNTER IS A PIANIST

SOLD IN MARRIAGE
TO AN EARLY NEW ZEALAND SETTLER.

SHE ARRIVES ON THE BEACH
WITH HER PIANO AND HER DAUGHTER,

PLAYED BY PAQUIN.

THE MOVIE WAS WRITTEN
AND DIRECTED

BY NEW ZEALANDER JANE CAMPION.

THE FILM WENT ON
TO WIN THREE OSCARS

AND LAUNCHED A NEW CHAPTER
FOR THIS COUNTRY...

AS ONE OF HOLLYWOOD’S
FAVORITE FILM SETS.

[SHEEP BLEATING]

IN 1998, THIS NORTH ISLAND
SHEEP FARM CHANGED FOREVER.

ONE DAY DIRECTOR AND
NEW ZEALANDER PETER JACKSON

ARRIVED AND ASKED THE OWNERS
ABOUT FILMING A TRILOGY

THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

TWELVE ACRES OF THE FARM
BECAME "HOBBITON,"

HOME TO BILBO AND FRODO BAGGINS
ALONG WITH THEIR FELLOW HOBBITS.

JACKSON MASTERMINDED THE SHIRE,

WHICH IS NOW THE COUNTRY’S
TOP TOURIST ATTRACTION.

HE FILMED ALL THREE MOVIES
IN NEW ZEALAND,

AND TODAY VISITORS CAN STILL
FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS

OF FRODO’S EPIC JOURNEY.

♪

♪

IN OCTOBER 1999,

HOLLYWOOD STARS BEGAN DESCENDING
ON THE FARMS OF NEW ZEALAND

AND LANDING
ON ITS TALLEST PEAKS.

THE CAST AND CREW OF
TRILOGY

FILMED ACROSS THE COUNTRY
FOR 18 MONTHS.

♪

DIRECTOR PETER JACKSON
DID SOMETHING UNPRECEDENTED

BY SHOOTING ALL THREE MOVIES
HERE SIMULTANEOUSLY.

HE CHOSE 70 SITES NATIONWIDE
TO CREATE

WRITER J.R.R. TOLKIEN’S
MIDDLE-EARTH.

FOR THE CLIMAX,
JACKSON FLEW HIS ACTORS

TO THE TOP
OF THIS ACTIVE VOLCANO,

WHERE FRODO DESTROYS THE RING
AND SAVES THE WORLD.

♪

NEW ZEALAND IS HEAVEN

FOR MOVIE LOVERS.

THE SOUTH ISLAND
IS HOME TO QUEENSTOWN

ON THE BANKS OF LAKE WAKATIPU--

WHERE THIS STEAMBOAT MADE
A CAMEO WITH HARRISON FORD.

THE T.S.S. EARNSLAW APPEARED IN
THE 2008 INDIANA JONES MOVIE,

THE FOURTH
IN THE FAMOUS FRANCHISE.

BUILT IN 1912, THE EARNSLAW IS
THE ONLY COAL-FIRED STEAMSHIP

STILL OPERATING
IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE.

THE SHIP HAS FERRIED PASSENGERS
ACROSS THE LAKE

FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY,

INCLUDING THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND
AND PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON.

BUT HER PASSENGERS WEREN’T
ALWAYS SO GLAMOUROUS.

BEFORE MODERN ROADS,

THE EARNSLAW WAS THE MAIN FORM
OF TRANSPORTATION

IN THIS PART OF THE ISLAND.

SHE MOVED GOODS, PEOPLE
AND LIVESTOCK

TO FARMS ON THE SOUTH END
OF THE LAKE,

INCLUDING THIS
PICTURESQUE SHEEP FARM.

WALTER PEAK HIGH COUNTRY FARM

EXTENDS 64,000 ACRES
INTO THE SURROUNDING HILLS.

VISITORS LINE UP
TO TOUR THE PROPERTY,

HOME TO 18,000 SHEEP.

MERINO WOOL IS
THE SOFTEST SHEEP WOOL

AND A TOP NEW ZEALAND EXPORT.

BUT LIVESTOCK DIDN’T WORK OUT
FOR ONE LOCAL

WHO SAW BETTER OPPORTUNITIES
WITH GOLD.

♪

THIS RIVERSIDE GHOST TOWN
STILL STANDS

150 YEARS AFTER NEW ZEALAND’S
GOLD RUSH.

♪

IN 1862,
FARMER WILLIAM GILBERT REES

WATCHED PROSPECTORS FLOOD IN,

HOPING TO GET RICH FROM GOLD
IN THE NEARBY ARROW RIVER.

BUT FOOD AND SUPPLIES
WERE SPARSE,

AND MANY MINERS
FACED STARVATION.

THEY TURNED TO REES,

WHOSE FARM BECAME
THE CITY OF QUEENSTOWN,

NOW A LAKESIDE TOWN OF 30,000.

REES THREW HIMSELF
INTO HELPING THE MINERS.

HE HAD THE ONLY BOAT FOR MILES

AND TRANSPORTED SUPPLIES
ALONG WITH GOLD

IN AND OUT OF THE AREA.

THE GOLD RUSH ENDED
150 YEARS AGO,

BUT IT LEFT A PERMANENT MARK
ON THIS LAND.

♪

THIS SUSPENSION BRIDGE WAS BUILT

TO LINK GOLDFIELDS TO TOWNS
ACROSS THE KAWARAU RIVER.

THE BRIDGE IS NOW FAMOUS

FOR BEING THE LAUNCHPAD
AND BIRTHPLACE

OF COMMERCIAL BUNGEE JUMPING.

AFTER A NUMBER OF TEST JUMPS,

A DEATH DEFYING ACT OF BRAVADO
IN PARIS, FRANCE,

CAUGHT THE WORLD’S ATTENTION.

IN 1987, A NEW ZEALANDER
NAMED A.J. HACKETT

LEAPT OFF THE EIFFEL TOWER

ATTACHED TO WHAT APPEARED TO BE
A GIANT RUBBER BAND.

PARIS POLICE IMMEDIATELY
ARRESTED HIM,

BUT THE FEAT MADE HEADLINES
WORLDWIDE.

A YEAR LATER, HACKETT
AND HIS PARTNER HENRY VAN ASCH

OFFERED BUNGEE JUMPING
TO THE MASSES--

HERE ON THE SOUTH ISLAND.

THEIR FRANCHISE IS NOW
AN INTERNATIONAL PHENOMENON,

WORTH UP TO $100 MILLION.

[SCREAMING]

♪

NEW ZEALAND HAS A REPUTATION
FOR OFFBEAT PURSUITS.

AND ONE OF ITS LATEST INVENTIONS
IS THIS BALL ROLLING--

NOW A FIXTURE
ON THE NORTH ISLAND.

THE ACTIVITY DEBUTED IN 1998

AND WAS THE BRAINCHILD
OF TWO NEW ZEALAND BUDDIES.

THEY ENVISIONED A SPHERE

THAT WOULD ALLOW PEOPLE
TO WALK ACROSS WATER--

BUT IT TURNED OUT PEOPLE
COULDN’T CONTROL IT.

SO THE INVENTORS BROUGHT
THEIR SPHERE TO LAND.

INSIDE, PASSENGERS
ROLL AROUND IN A BALL

THAT’S SUSPENDED INSIDE
A HIGH-PRESSURE AIR POCKET.

THE THRILLING RIDE WAS FEATURED
THE AMAZING RACE

AND IS NOW UP AND RUNNING
IN TEN COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE

AND IN SEVERAL U.S. STATES,

INCLUDING TENNESSEE,
PENNSYLVANIA AND OHIO.

♪

NEW ZEALAND ADVENTURES OFTEN
TAKE PEOPLE OFF THE BEATEN PATH.

A POPULAR PURSUIT HERE IS BIKING
ALONG ITS NATIONAL CYCLEWAY--

A NETWORK OF TRAILS THAT
STRETCHES ACROSS BOTH ISLANDS.

THESE "GREAT RIDES" ENCOMPASS
MORE THAN 1,500 MILES OF TRAILS.

MANY BIKE TRAILS FOLLOW
OLD ABANDONED TRAIN TRACKS,

LEFT OVER FROM THE EARLY 1900s,

THE GOLDEN AGE
OF THE NEW ZEALAND RAILWAY.

TODAY ONE OF THE FEW TRAIN TRIPS
STILL IN OPERATION

IS THE TRANZALPINE RAILWAY.

200,000 PASSENGERS
RIDE THIS TRAIN EVERY YEAR...

BETWEEN GREYMOUTH IN THE WEST

AND CHRISTCHURCH IN THE EAST.

ON THE NORTH ISLAND’S EAST COAST

IS A TOWN RENOWNED
FOR ITS STYLE.

THIS IS NAPIER, A CITY HELD UP

AS ONE OF THE FINEST EXAMPLES
OF ART DECO IN THE WORLD.

THE PRISTINE BUILDINGS AND
STREETS WERE REBUILT IN 1931

AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE
DEVASTATED THE REGION.

BUT THE TOWN RECOVERED...

[BIG BAND JAZZ PLAYING]

THANKS IN PART TO AN EVENT
THEY CALL ART DECO WEEKEND.

♪

TODAY, LOCALS ARE PREPARING
FOR THE EVENT,

WHICH FEATURES CLASSIC CARS,

PARADES AND
MUSICAL PERFORMANCES.

IN 2011 NEW ZEALANDERS FACED
ANOTHER DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE,

THIS TIME IN THE MOST POPULATED
AREA OF THE SOUTH ISLAND.

THE SOUTH ISLAND’S BIGGEST CITY
IS CHRISTCHURCH--

HOME TO NEARLY 400,000 PEOPLE.

ESTABLISHED IN 1856, IT’S ALSO
NEW ZEALAND’S FIRST CITY

AND STEEPED IN HISTORY.

CHRISTCHURCH IS HOME

TO THE NATION’S OLDEST
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL,

CHRIST COLLEGE, THE ALMA MATTER
OF NEW ZEALAND ACTOR SAM NEILL.

♪

A FEW MILES AWAY
IS ST. ANDREW’S COLLEGE.

IT WAS FOUNDED IN 1917,
WITH JUST 19 STUDENTS.

TODAY, GRADUATES INCLUDE
RUGBY STARS,

MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT

AND TV PERSONALITY PHIL KEOGHAN,
THE AMAZING RACE.

♪

BUT IN 2011, THIS HISTORIC CITY
WAS SHAKEN TO ITS CORE.

ON FEBRUARY 22nd,
A MAGNITUDE 6.3 EARTHQUAKE HIT,

CRUMBLING
THE CITY’S CENTERPIECE,

CHRISTCHURCH CATHEDRAL.

IN ALL, THE EARTHQUAKE TOOK
THE LIVES OF 185 PEOPLE.

RESIDENTS HERE, FOLLOWING
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF NAPIER,

BEGAN TO REBUILD.

IN THE CENTRAL
BUSINESS DISTRICT,

ENTREPRENEURS USED
SHIPPING CONTAINERS

TO QUICKLY REOPEN STORES.

THE EYE-POPPING DESIGN
CAUGHT ON--

AND THE AREA GREW
FROM 30 BUSINESSES

TO MORE THAN 50.

TODAY, RECONSTRUCTION CONTINUES

IN A CITY NEW ZEALANDERS BELIEVE
HAS A BRIGHT FUTURE.

125 MILES WEST OF CHRISTCHURCH

IS THE COUNTRY’S HIGHEST PEAK,
MOUNT COOK.

THIS WAS THE PROVING GROUND

FOR MOUNTAINEERING LEGEND
SIR EDMUND HILLARY,

THE FIRST PERSON TO SUMMIT
MOUNT EVEREST,

ALONG WITH SHERPA
TENZING NORGAY.

HILLARY BEGAN CLIMBING HERE
IN THE 1940s

TO HONE HIS
MOUNTAINEERING SKILLS.

MOUNT COOK HAS BECOME A MECCA
FOR CLIMBERS

AND TOURISTS WHO HELICOPTER
TO SURROUNDING GLACIERS.

TO SUMMIT, MOUNTAINEERS
CLIMB 10,000 FEET,

A VERTICAL RISE COMPARABLE
WITH THE WORLD’S HIGHEST PEAKS

AND MAKING IT AN EXCELLENT
TRAINING GROUND.

ADDING TO THE TREACHEROUS CLIMB

ARE SNOW, ICE
AND UNPREDICTABLE WEATHER.

THE AREA LIES IN THE PATH
OF PIERCING WINDS

KNOWN AS "THE ROARING FORTIES,"
NAMED FOR THEIR LATITUDE.

MORE THAN 200 CLIMBERS
HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES

ON THESE UNFORGIVING SLOPES.

IN 1991, THE ENTIRE EAST FACE
COLLAPSED.

THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN
THUNDERED DOWN--

50 MILLION TONS
OF SNOW, ICE AND ROCK,

ENOUGH TO FILL
TEN FOOTBALL STADIUMS.

♪

THE DEBRIS ROARED
INTO THE VALLEY BELOW

AT SPEEDS EXCEEDING
250 MILES AN HOUR.

THE WAVE OF DESTRUCTION NARROWLY
MISSED A GROUP OF CLIMBERS,

INCLUDING THE LEGENDARY GUIDE
ROB HALL.

TRAGICALLY, HE DIED FIVE YEARS
LATER ON MOUNT EVEREST--

AN EXPEDITION RECOUNTED

IN JON KRAKAUER’S BESTSELLING
INTO THIN AIR.

♪

SOUTHWESTERN NEW ZEALAND IS HOME
TO TRULY WILD COUNTRY.

THREE NATIONAL PARKS
STRETCH ACROSS THE COASTLINE.

THE CROWN JEWEL IS
FIORDLAND NATIONAL PARK,

HOME TO MILFORD SOUND.

IT’S ONE OF 14 FIORDS HERE--

SEA INLETS CARVED BY GLACIERS
OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS.

♪

THE AREA RECEIVES 250 INCHES--
OR 20 FEET--

OF RAINFALL EACH YEAR.

♪

THE RAINWATER FEEDS
THE SURROUNDING RAINFOREST

AND THE SEA BELOW,
WHERE WILDLIFE THRIVES.

IT’S EASY TO SEE WHY AUTHOR
RUDYARD KIPLING CALLED THIS

THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD.

THIS IS ALSO HOME

TO NEW ZEALAND’S
MOST FAMOUS HIKE,

CALLED THE MILFORD TRACK.

THE 33-MILE TRAIL STARTS INLAND
AND STRETCHES TO THE SOUND.

♪

IT WAS FIRST FORGED
BY THE MAORI,

WHO CROSSED THIS TERRAIN
IN SEARCH OF PRECIOUS GEMS.

♪

THE MILFORD TRACK’S HIGHEST
POINT IS MACKINNON PASS,

WHERE A MEMORIAL TO EXPLORER
QUINTIN MACKINNON NOW STANDS.

IN 1888, HE SPENT A MONTH
IN EXTREME WEATHER

BLAZING A TRAIL THROUGH
THE WILDERNESS TO MILFORD SOUND.

MACKINNON BECAME
THE FIRST OFFICIAL TOUR GUIDE

LEADING VISITORS
ALONG THE PATH HE FORGED.

♪

SEVEN MILES AWAY FROM THE PASS
IS SUTHERLAND FALLS.

FED BY A MOUNTAIN LAKE,
THE WATER PLUMMETS 2,000 FEET,

A DISPLAY SOME HIKERS SAY IS THE
HIGHLIGHT OF THE ENTIRE TREK.

[FALLS ROARING]

IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE NORTH ISLAND,

A PEACEFUL SCENE HIDES
AN EXPLOSIVE PAST.

THIS IS LAKE TAUPO--

NEW ZEALAND’S BIGGEST LAKE
AND A POPULAR PLAYGROUND.

MUCH OF IT IS ACTUALLY
A COLLAPSED VOLCANO.

DEEP UNDERWATER ARE REMNANTS

OF WHAT’S BELIEVED TO BE
THE WORST ERUPTION

IN THE LAST 5,000 YEARS.

EXPERTS SAY IT WAS
A THOUSAND TIMES MORE POWERFUL

THAN THE ERUPTION
OF MOUNT ST. HELENS IN 1980.

♪

VOLCANIC ACTIVITY IS STILL
BUBBLING BENEATH THE SURFACE.

JUST 600 FEET DOWN,
VENTS EXPEL ASH AND DUST.

THE ONLY PROTECTION
FROM THE NEXT CATASTROPHE

IS A MAORI CARVING
OF AN ANCIENT NAVIGATOR...

ETCHED HERE TO PREVENT
ANOTHER ERUPTION.

♪

ON THE SOUTHERN SHORE
OF THE LAKE,

VOLCANOES SPRING FROM THE EARTH.

THEY’RE PART
OF TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK--

NEW ZEALAND’S FIRST
PROTECTED LAND

AND HOME TO ACTIVE VOLCANOES.

ONE ERUPTED
A STAGGERING 70 TIMES

IN THE LAST 70 YEARS.

A SECOND ERUPTED TWICE
IN 2012 ALONE.

THIS PARK IS A STARK REMINDER

THAT NEW ZEALAND
IS A LAND OF EXTREMES...

♪

A PLACE WHERE FIRE
CLASHES WITH ICE...

♪

AND PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS
PUSHING THE LIMITS.

♪

FROM PEAKS IN THE SOUTH...

♪

TO THE HILLS IN THE NORTH...

♪

THESE ISLANDS SHOWCASE NATURE
AT ITS BEST.

♪

NEW ZEALAND IS A PLACE
WHERE YOU CAN PIERCE THE SKY

AND SWAN DIVE INTO ADVENTURE.

♪

THIS IS A COUNTRY OF DREAMERS...

AND DOERS...

A SMALL NATION
WITH A MIGHTY HEART

BEATING AT THE BOTTOM
OF THE WORLD.

♪