♪
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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...
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TO THE HILLS IN THE NORTH...
♪
THESE ISLANDS SHOWCASE NATURE AT ITS BEST.
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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.
♪