0:00:09 > 0:00:11In the far reaches of the Pacific Ocean...
0:00:14 > 0:00:18..lies a land cut off from the rest of the world...
0:00:19 > 0:00:22..since the time of the dinosaurs.
0:00:30 > 0:00:35After 80 million years of isolation,
0:00:35 > 0:00:37nature has gone its own way.
0:00:41 > 0:00:46In this lost world, life plays by different rules.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Penguins in the forests...
0:00:53 > 0:00:55..parrots in the snow...
0:00:57 > 0:01:00..and predators from prehistory.
0:01:03 > 0:01:09Their lives are dominated by the most powerful forces on Earth.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15When humans finally arrived, they discovered
0:01:15 > 0:01:21nowhere is more strange and mysterious than New Zealand.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47There are more species of penguin in New Zealand
0:01:47 > 0:01:49than anywhere else in the world.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01They first evolved here around 60 million years ago.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06And here, in their ancestral home,
0:02:06 > 0:02:08the penguins do things a little differently.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16This Snares penguin has been out with hundreds of others
0:02:16 > 0:02:18catching fish for her chick.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Like all parents here, her commute home to feed him is unusual.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41She follows a path worn by thousands of tiny feet.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Next, a sheer rock face.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55When you have no arms and a swimmer's body,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58it's a bit like scaling a slope in a sack.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07One obstacle conquered, now it's on to the next.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13An expedition into the woods.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30Hidden deep amongst the gnarled trunks and ferns,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33they've established a large woodland colony.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Mum may have scaled cliffs and battled through forest
0:03:48 > 0:03:50but she's not home yet.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01She's just one of the 60,000 residents who make this journey.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08Over centuries, they have worn down a maze of tiny streets
0:04:08 > 0:04:10and miles of crisscrossed pathways.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17She has to remember every twist and turn...
0:04:27 > 0:04:30..while jostling past all the other busy commuters.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47Finally, she reaches her destination,
0:04:47 > 0:04:48half a mile or so inland.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55One of many forest clearings where penguins have their young.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02Her partner and her baby are waiting for her,
0:05:02 > 0:05:03if she can find them.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Other adults are very protective of their territory.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18So returning penguins hold themselves in a peculiar posture
0:05:18 > 0:05:20designed to intimidate.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Home at last.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48And Mum finally delivers a meal of pre-digested krill.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02This woodland lifestyle is only possible for a sea bird
0:06:02 > 0:06:04due to one remarkable fact.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08New Zealand doesn't have any large predators -
0:06:08 > 0:06:12in fact it never had any large land mammals at all.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21The reason lies back in the time of the dinosaurs,
0:06:21 > 0:06:25when New Zealand was one small part of a single gigantic continent.
0:06:29 > 0:06:34Around 80 million years ago, huge geological forces broke up the land.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43One fragment was forced far out into the ocean.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45New Zealand -
0:06:45 > 0:06:49cut-off and impossible for any land animal to reach since.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02The same geological forces that caused its isolation
0:07:02 > 0:07:03are still alive today.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28In this part of the North Island, the ground water boils.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42The Pohutu geyser, New Zealand's mightiest...
0:07:45 > 0:07:48..erupting up to 20 times a day,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51shooting super-heated water 30 metres into the air.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02The geysers form part of a dramatic geothermal landscape.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06With boiling cauldrons
0:08:06 > 0:08:08and corrosive lakes with scalding water.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17It's so acidic that it dissolves the rock itself...
0:08:19 > 0:08:21..into a mineral slurry.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Hundreds of steaming vents breathe eerie life
0:08:39 > 0:08:41into this deadly landscape.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03At its heart, Frying Pan Lake, one of the world's largest hot springs.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13The water here is hot enough to slowly cook your flesh.
0:09:27 > 0:09:32As it flows downhill, it cools and deposits colourful minerals.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Over thousands of years,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40these build up into glistening crystalline terraces.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51Further downstream, the water cools to around 40 degrees,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53the temperature of a steaming hot bath.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59It's too hot for fish,
0:09:59 > 0:10:01so the stream beds are largely predator-free.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06A haven for heat-tolerant insects.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Wisps of geothermal midges.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27They only fly a day or two so they urgently dance in search of a mate.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33But their performance attracts unwelcome attention.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39A mob of fantails, one of New Zealand's smallest
0:10:39 > 0:10:41and most agile birds.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51It's easy to see how they got their name.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01This father has a ravenous family to support.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10His hunting technique is called hawking.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19He leaps from stream-side perches to snatch the midges in midair.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27A fantail's flight isn't just fast, it's unpredictable, too.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40Slowed down 20 times, the secrets of this aerobatic ace are revealed.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53Short, round wings give him the power and manoeuvrability...
0:11:54 > 0:11:55..of a stunt plane.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06But it's his enormous tail that gives him the edge.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Fanning it out turns it into a giant airbrake,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15creating the equivalent of a handbrake turn.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41The midges are tiny, so to feed his growing chicks,
0:12:41 > 0:12:46this dutiful dad undertakes more than 300 sorties an hour.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59These fantails have turned this uninhabitable landscape
0:12:59 > 0:13:01into an opportunity.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17In New Zealand, hostile environments are part of everyday life.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24The entire country sits astride a massive tectonic plate boundary,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27where two shifting fragments of the earth's crust meet.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Just off the coast of Kaikoura,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34this boundary takes the form of an underwater canyon,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37a trench that brings the deep sea near to the shore.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57The depths of the ocean are full of nutrients and here,
0:13:57 > 0:14:02close to the coast, winds and currents force them to the surface,
0:14:02 > 0:14:04creating a rich feeding ground.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13Bull sperm whales come to bulk up on deep-sea squid.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21And there's plenty of prey for their smaller, more agile cousins.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Dusky dolphins live here in their thousands.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46All dolphins communicate with each other using a complex range
0:14:46 > 0:14:49of underwater sounds and clicks,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52but Dusky dolphins can speak in another way, too.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02As a species, they are some of the most
0:15:02 > 0:15:06acrobatic dolphins in the world, and researchers have discovered
0:15:06 > 0:15:09that leaping is part of their communication.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Some jumps and splashes may have their own particular meaning.
0:15:30 > 0:15:36A high leap and a clean re-entry can be a signal there are fish below.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51A jump and a sharp tail slap is loud and far-reaching underwater,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54so may help coordinate large pods.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02It appears to be one of the easier moves,
0:16:02 > 0:16:04and youngsters are keen to learn.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Mum shows him how an expert does it...
0:16:16 > 0:16:18..and now it's baby's turn.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30Young dolphins can stay with their mothers for up to three years,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32so they get plenty of time to practise.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52Synchronised leaping is more difficult to master.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Leaping may encourage dolphins to work together,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04a vital skill for rounding up fish.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13But the most spectacular jump and perhaps the hardest to master...
0:17:14 > 0:17:16..is the acrobatic leap.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28This one may be just for fun.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59On the land beyond the Kaikoura coast, the shifting plates
0:17:59 > 0:18:04which drive the canyon downwards now thrust the land upwards.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11This creates a mighty chain of mountains
0:18:11 > 0:18:14which form the spectacular backbone of the South Island.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18The Southern Alps -
0:18:18 > 0:18:20New Zealand's greatest wilderness.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Reaching almost 4,000 metres,
0:18:27 > 0:18:29the mountains are still growing...
0:18:31 > 0:18:35..despite the weight of some 3,000 glaciers slowly grinding them down.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42This is New Zealand's most challenging terrain
0:18:42 > 0:18:44with a climate to match.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Animals have to be tough and resourceful to survive here.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Sheep were introduced to New Zealand over 200 years ago.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06With expert help, they can live in even the most extreme conditions.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19But farmers must adapt to the violent swings of alpine weather,
0:19:19 > 0:19:20and know when to act.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25For sheep farmer Kate Cox,
0:19:25 > 0:19:30protecting her precious flock is an extreme challenge.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33So the property here's about 40,000 hectares, which is pretty big.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37It stretches from the lake right through the mountains behind us,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39through a couple of ranges of mountains.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43So it would take maybe a couple of days to walk across it.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51This is one of the biggest days in Kate's calendar.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Hey, girls. Are you excited?
0:19:54 > 0:19:56The autumn sheep muster.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Good girl. Sit down. So basically an autumn muster...
0:19:59 > 0:20:02They've been going on for about the last 150 years on this property,
0:20:02 > 0:20:04and really all it entails is bringing down the sheep
0:20:04 > 0:20:07from all the high summer's grazing in the mountain tops,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09and bringing them down to lower levels
0:20:09 > 0:20:12where they're going to be safe from snow during the winter.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18For more than 100 years, the muster would have meant two days
0:20:18 > 0:20:23of hard hiking. But Kate's team of shepherds have a helping hand -
0:20:23 > 0:20:28a helicopter and some of the very few flying sheepdogs in the world.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Their goal today is to muster at least 4,000 sheep if they can.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Her brother Davie is the pilot.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Their family have been working these hills for 40 years.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Even for farming in New Zealand, this isn't your normal farming.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02It's in the harshest environments that you can farm in New Zealand.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04So yeah, it's a bit on the edge.
0:21:14 > 0:21:15Right.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27Kate has 29,000 merino sheep up here,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30one of the very few breeds tough enough to survive.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37But the winters are severe and too many would die in heavy snows
0:21:37 > 0:21:39if they were left to roam all year round.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Today, Kate's team consists of five shepherds and ten dogs.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50I'll head down that track to the grain.
0:21:52 > 0:21:53Come with me...
0:21:53 > 0:21:56The tactic is to start at the very top,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59looking for the most adventurous sheep.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02So up on the tops of the mountains, it's quite rugged.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06A lot of rock, cliffs and a bit challenging at times.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09A good rule of thumb is if your dogs don't want to follow you,
0:22:09 > 0:22:11you shouldn't be going there either.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15- RADIO:- Have you just popped out on that ridgeline?
0:22:15 > 0:22:16Can I see you up there?
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Yeah, we are out on the ridgeline, but there's a bit of fog coming through.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22You need to be able to look after yourself, look after your dogs,
0:22:22 > 0:22:24and look after the stock, because, generally,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26no-one's coming to help you.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31The first sheep are soon flushed down from the high slopes.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33Here's a mob coming down as well.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Kate and her dogs, Fudge and Fred, must intercept them.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39We have a huntaway, which is a New Zealand breed,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42which has got a bit of all sorts of things in it.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46And they generally are big, noisy, rambunctious.
0:22:46 > 0:22:47You're such a showboat, Fudge.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49They get things moving.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52So you bark your dogs and then everything
0:22:52 > 0:22:54starts running off in front of you.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Fred, behind, Fred, behind.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00As more sheep join the flock,
0:23:00 > 0:23:06the challenge is to keep them moving without triggering a stampede.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08Get down.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10Get out of there, Fred.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13They've had no contact with people or dogs for the past four months.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20And a panic on these slopes would be a disaster.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Good girl, good girl.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Hey, hey, hey.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Nowhere else are such huge numbers of sheep
0:23:27 > 0:23:30herded over such distances on foot.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Been gathering up a lot of sheep -
0:23:33 > 0:23:36we've probably got about 800 or 900 now, which is good.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38We'll collect a lot more as we come a bit further.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41But, yeah, they're walking really well
0:23:41 > 0:23:43and making good progress and going quite quick.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45Quiet.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Kate's record is mustering 10,000 sheep in a single day.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04A flock like this can stretch for over a mile.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08Wahoo! Ho, ho, ho, ho!
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Hold it, Fred, hold it there, Freddie.
0:24:14 > 0:24:21After 12 hours and a 13-mile hike, this part of the muster is complete,
0:24:21 > 0:24:25and the sheep are safe in their winter pastures by the lake.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Yeah, no, it's great, getting the job done.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Especially when you have a few hiccups during the day,
0:24:31 > 0:24:34it's always good to get done and have everybody home in one piece.
0:24:36 > 0:24:37He's timed it just perfectly -
0:24:37 > 0:24:40just before dark, home in time for tea.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56There are places where New Zealand's sheep have never reached.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04The wild, mountainous heart of New Zealand hides
0:25:04 > 0:25:06some of the most ancient secrets on earth.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15Far beyond the reach of people
0:25:15 > 0:25:19are hidden valleys, full of prehistoric life.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37Huge trees and giant tree-ferns,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40whose ancestors lived 100 million years ago,
0:25:40 > 0:25:45still thrive here today thanks to New Zealand's long isolation.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54These are forests that a dinosaur might recognise,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57living links to New Zealand's primeval past.
0:26:07 > 0:26:12Around 16 months ago, a mother laid these eggs, buried them,
0:26:12 > 0:26:13and then left them to their fate.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26Only in a special filming burrow
0:26:26 > 0:26:29can we capture intimate details like this egg tooth.
0:26:34 > 0:26:39Tuatara are the last survivors of an ancient dynasty of reptile
0:26:39 > 0:26:42which flourished during the Jurassic age.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54These baby predators need to eat to grow quickly.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00But for youngsters this small, it's eat or be eaten.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12There is the threat of prehistoric predators.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19Adult tuatara are more than 50 times as big.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24They are known to be cannibals.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32If you want to avoid being dish of the day
0:27:32 > 0:27:35then the trick is to stay absolutely still.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44Fortunately, a cockroach is a tasty distraction.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53But even the bugs can be deadly.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Giant centipedes more than six inches long
0:28:00 > 0:28:03would make short work of a baby tuatara.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10And velvet worms have digestive saliva.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14They've been on patrol for 500 million years.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18Best give her a wide berth.
0:28:26 > 0:28:27He's still hungry...
0:28:29 > 0:28:33..and this fat and juicy insect is packed with protein.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42Another prehistoric New Zealand specialty, a weta.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58In this topsy-turvy land,
0:28:58 > 0:29:03a baby tuatara needs to learn the bugs can be bigger than the beasts.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31The trees here are as prehistoric as the wildlife.
0:29:33 > 0:29:37And the most spectacular are an ancient family,
0:29:37 > 0:29:38the podocarps.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50These mighty conifers are of special significance
0:29:50 > 0:29:54to the first settlers of New Zealand, the Maori.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57Hey, that one's a beauty.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59- Yeah.- It's not bad, eh?
0:29:59 > 0:30:03Mike Bradley is a chief of the local Rangitane tribe
0:30:03 > 0:30:07from the Marlborough Sounds, and a distinguished Maori carver.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09Well, this is a native called totara.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12This tree is about 40 metres high
0:30:12 > 0:30:17and I would think it's about 700 to 1,000 years old.
0:30:17 > 0:30:18It's in good nick.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23Mike and his son Joel have one of the largest private collections
0:30:23 > 0:30:26of Maori woodcarvings in the world.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33The wood of these native podocarps is especially prized.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41These trees are now protected by law and even if I could
0:30:41 > 0:30:43cut one of these down, I wouldn't,
0:30:43 > 0:30:47because I have far too much respect for these big old giants.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54Mike and Joel have come up with an ingenious and sustainable way
0:30:54 > 0:30:57of sourcing this rare and precious material.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04Well, what we do is we go fishing for trees up the Pelorus River
0:31:04 > 0:31:07and then through time they've fallen down into the river.
0:31:07 > 0:31:12They eventually get washed down into the tidal estuary here, where we've
0:31:12 > 0:31:17been going for the last 25 years to collect some of these logs.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25Some of the logs are huge here, some of them are 30-50 tonnes.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28You know, as big as a big truck.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31This looks good.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34When we first started removing the logs from the river,
0:31:34 > 0:31:37recovering them, it was quite challenging,
0:31:37 > 0:31:38all of the things we had to do.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40Do you want these side-by-side or what?
0:31:40 > 0:31:42No, I want this one right under.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44Over the years, we've just worked out a technique
0:31:44 > 0:31:48where we just use fishing floats and the tide.
0:31:53 > 0:31:57The Pelorus River has a two-metre tidal range,
0:31:57 > 0:32:00easily enough to lift the old tree from the riverbed.
0:32:06 > 0:32:12Now, these podocarps, some of them are up to 1,000 years old
0:32:12 > 0:32:15before they even fall into the Pelorus.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21And they can stay lodged in the mud for hundreds of years.
0:32:23 > 0:32:27So these logs would have been standing where humans weren't even
0:32:27 > 0:32:31in New Zealand and there would have only have been birds and insects.
0:32:31 > 0:32:32Some of these trees,
0:32:32 > 0:32:37you sit back and you look at them and you wonder what they saw
0:32:37 > 0:32:40in their lifetime when they were standing in the forests.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42It must have been paradise back then.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58Mike uses the logs to record Maori history and tradition.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02Because Maori hadn't developed a written language,
0:33:02 > 0:33:07and so the only language we had was really carving in wood.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13The Maori were the first people here,
0:33:13 > 0:33:18they had to pass on their knowledge to the next generation,
0:33:18 > 0:33:21and so the only way of recording all that was in wood.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28It was a record of important events and places.
0:33:40 > 0:33:45The piece that Mike has been carving today tells of the most bizarre
0:33:45 > 0:33:47of the New Zealand's forest spirits.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51A creature that almost no-one ever sees.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02These are extremely rare and only come out at night.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08One of the few places to glimpse them is at the Otorohanga sanctuary
0:34:08 > 0:34:09in the North Island.
0:34:17 > 0:34:18In the dead of night,
0:34:18 > 0:34:23a brown kiwi leaves his burrow for the pitch dark
0:34:23 > 0:34:25of the primeval New Zealand forest.
0:34:51 > 0:34:56A kiwi is a most distinctive and peculiar type of bird.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03He's about the size and weight of a stout chicken,
0:35:03 > 0:35:06but he's more closely related to an ostrich.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19To help them locate underground prey in the soil,
0:35:19 > 0:35:21kiwis are the only birds in the world
0:35:21 > 0:35:24to have nostrils at the tip of their bills.
0:35:26 > 0:35:27It's more like a snout,
0:35:27 > 0:35:30perfect for rooting around for grubs.
0:35:35 > 0:35:40But, right now, the kiwis here have something else on their minds.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45A female sings an alluring serenade.
0:35:48 > 0:35:49Love is in the air.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57These birds are a part of a habituated group,
0:35:57 > 0:36:01which means we can film intimate details of their private behaviour.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13Brown kiwis often mate for life and females are very fussy.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25In kiwi couples, the ladies are normally the ones in charge,
0:36:25 > 0:36:28but he's happy to follow her around.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32He flirts by grunting and tapping her bottom with his beak.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40She takes a lot of persuading, but eventually succumbs to his charms.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51The female lays an egg in her mate's burrow,
0:36:51 > 0:36:53but she leaves him to care for it alone.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59He'll spend most of the next three months sitting right here.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11A kiwi egg is enormous.
0:37:11 > 0:37:17It weighs in at almost half a kilo, most of which is yolk.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21It's one of the largest eggs in proportion to body size for any bird
0:37:21 > 0:37:24and it needs one of the longest incubations.
0:37:28 > 0:37:29It can take three days
0:37:29 > 0:37:32for a chick to battle its way out of the thick shell.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43By the time baby hatches,
0:37:43 > 0:37:46Dad may have lost a quarter of his body weight through incubating
0:37:46 > 0:37:50his giant egg, and his work is not over yet.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56He's taken great care to hide the nest entrance,
0:37:56 > 0:37:59but Junior just won't be left behind.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04Kiwis can't see well in the dark,
0:38:04 > 0:38:08so he's taking his first tentative steps into a pitch-black world.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20He still has the remains of the giant yolk inside him,
0:38:20 > 0:38:23which means he won't have to eat for the first few days.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29But he's very unsteady on his feet,
0:38:29 > 0:38:33and, in the darkness, his anxious dad never lets him out of reach.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41His beak serves as an excellent toddler's rein.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50This little bundle of fluff will stay with his dad
0:38:50 > 0:38:53until he is steadier and able to fend for himself.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16New Zealand's ancient isolation
0:39:16 > 0:39:20allowed many strange creatures to evolve here.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25But the geological forces which created so much life in this land
0:39:25 > 0:39:28also have the power to destroy it.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36The country is fissured and fractured by underground faults
0:39:36 > 0:39:38that can rupture without warning.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50At 12.51 on 22nd February, 2011,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53one city's future was changed forever.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03Elisabeth Pitcorn worked in the city centre of Christchurch.
0:40:03 > 0:40:04So many memories.
0:40:04 > 0:40:08I remember the whole day, I remember every single detail of that day,
0:40:08 > 0:40:11and I will for the rest of my life.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14On the day of the earthquake I was working up on the first floor
0:40:14 > 0:40:18of the old Post Office building in Cathedral Square in Christchurch.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22It was about lunchtime that the first tremor struck.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25It was actually really terrifying.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39After the shaking stopped, we just grabbed everything that was handy
0:40:39 > 0:40:41and just left the building.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45Unfortunately, we walked past some pretty horrific scenes.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50One of my colleagues just said, "Oh, my God, the cathedral."
0:40:55 > 0:40:59I happened to have my camera in my bag with me that day and I guess
0:40:59 > 0:41:03I naturally started taking some photos and it was at that point that
0:41:03 > 0:41:08I really realised how serious this earthquake actually was.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13It was one of New Zealand's largest and most devastating earthquakes.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23It occurred unexpectedly close to the Earth's surface, so the ground
0:41:23 > 0:41:26under the city was shaken in a particularly violent way.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32The movement of the ground accelerated faster
0:41:32 > 0:41:35than any other earthquake ever recorded in New Zealand,
0:41:35 > 0:41:37resulting in huge damage.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42There were buildings crumbling all around us
0:41:42 > 0:41:45as all the aftershocks rolled through.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51I remember I looked down at the ground and the cracks started
0:41:51 > 0:41:54opening up and they were moving backwards and forwards
0:41:54 > 0:41:57and at that point I actually had this thought of,
0:41:57 > 0:41:59"This ground is going to open up and swallow me."
0:42:12 > 0:42:18185 people lost their lives and the damage is estimated at £17 billion.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21But five years on,
0:42:21 > 0:42:24the people of Christchurch are learning and rebuilding.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35Liz is part of Christchurch's recovery.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37Shall we start at the window and come back around,
0:42:37 > 0:42:38right around to the front?
0:42:38 > 0:42:42She works with drones to survey areas of the city
0:42:42 > 0:42:44ruined by the quake.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48Honestly, I think the people of Christchurch now are all geologists.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52I certainly know a lot more about earthquakes than I ever needed to or
0:42:52 > 0:42:57even wanted to, but I guess we all know how to be safe in one as well.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04It's vital work, which is part of the rebuilding of the city.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11You think, that stuff doesn't happen in my city, you know?
0:43:11 > 0:43:17But I guess it did, so we've got to be real about it and move forward
0:43:17 > 0:43:19and build a new Christchurch.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29The earthquake wasn't a freak event.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33Around 20,000 are recorded in New Zealand every year.
0:43:33 > 0:43:35Most are small tremors,
0:43:35 > 0:43:39but the threat of another major quake is never far away.
0:43:41 > 0:43:45Nowhere here is immune to the country's active
0:43:45 > 0:43:47and sometimes violent geology.
0:43:50 > 0:43:56Even Auckland, the country's largest city and home to 1.5 million people,
0:43:56 > 0:43:58is built on an active volcano field.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09The volcano Rangitoto dominates Auckland Harbour.
0:44:12 > 0:44:16Although it last erupted 600 years ago,
0:44:16 > 0:44:20many of its lava fields are still black and almost barren to this day.
0:44:24 > 0:44:28But hidden beneath the lifeless surface is one of New Zealand's
0:44:28 > 0:44:30most unusual natural features.
0:44:40 > 0:44:46Thousands of tonnes of liquid rock once raced through these lava tubes
0:44:46 > 0:44:48at more than 1,000 degrees Celsius.
0:44:52 > 0:44:57Cavers have mapped a network of over 200 of these tubes under Auckland,
0:44:57 > 0:44:58stretching for miles.
0:45:01 > 0:45:07The air here is humid, carrying just enough moisture to spark life.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28These are aerial roots.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32They attract and absorb moisture directly from the air.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47The roots power fresh green growth in the lava above.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01A pohutukawa tree,
0:46:01 > 0:46:05a miracle of life from almost nothing...
0:46:17 > 0:46:20..providing a midsummer feast for the birds.
0:46:25 > 0:46:29The tui's curved beak is perfect for sipping nectar.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31The kaka opts for the pollen.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48Pohutukawa trees can live for more than 1,000 years.
0:46:53 > 0:46:55They bloom in December,
0:46:55 > 0:46:58so they're often called New Zealand's Christmas tree.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02Each has the miraculous ability
0:47:02 > 0:47:07to transform a barren volcanic wasteland into a garden of life.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17Of all the species that have flourished in New Zealand,
0:47:17 > 0:47:22perhaps it's the pohutukawa tree that has best met the challenges
0:47:22 > 0:47:24of this demanding and beautiful land.
0:47:36 > 0:47:38All across New Zealand,
0:47:38 > 0:47:42life battles the geological forces which give this land its power...
0:47:44 > 0:47:45..and its beauty.
0:47:50 > 0:47:52From the pioneers of the high country
0:47:52 > 0:47:55to dolphins leaping over the deep...
0:47:58 > 0:48:01..and tiny aerial aces who dare to hunt...
0:48:02 > 0:48:04..in sizzling volcanic steam...
0:48:06 > 0:48:09..New Zealand is magnificent and mysterious.
0:48:13 > 0:48:18A land apart, shaped by its extraordinary past
0:48:18 > 0:48:20and facing a restless future.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38Of all the locations the New Zealand team filmed,
0:48:38 > 0:48:39perhaps the most magical...
0:48:41 > 0:48:42..were the Snares Islands.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48A shoot cameraman Mark MacEwen is very much looking forward to.
0:48:50 > 0:48:53Sometimes you get very, very lucky as a wildlife cameraman
0:48:53 > 0:48:56and you get asked to go to some places that are completely unique.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59The Snares Island, which is found between New Zealand and
0:48:59 > 0:49:01the Subantarctic, is just one of those places when you know
0:49:01 > 0:49:04you're going to have this amazing adventure getting there.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07I mean, what's better? What beats that?
0:49:10 > 0:49:13There's never been a human settlement on the Snares,
0:49:13 > 0:49:17so its wild residents should behave in a totally natural manner.
0:49:19 > 0:49:20In theory, anyway.
0:49:22 > 0:49:24But the first hurdle is getting there.
0:49:28 > 0:49:30Between the mainland and the Snares
0:49:30 > 0:49:33lie the Southern Ocean's infamous Roaring Forties.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40These are rough and unpredictable seas -
0:49:40 > 0:49:41an alarming prospect.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45When you hear that you're going down towards the Subantarctic,
0:49:45 > 0:49:49it kind of... Thoughts of the Roaring Forties
0:49:49 > 0:49:52and boats being lost at sea enter your mind.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55I mean, they really do. I know what the weather's like down there,
0:49:55 > 0:49:57I know what the seas can be like down there,
0:49:57 > 0:50:00and they're marginally terrifying.
0:50:00 > 0:50:04To make matters worse, there will be eight people and all this equipment
0:50:04 > 0:50:06on board this little yacht.
0:50:06 > 0:50:10Tiama was our boat and it was a fairly small yacht,
0:50:10 > 0:50:12not quite as large as I'd expected, I have to say.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20Fortunately, the man in charge is veteran yachtsman Henk Haazen,
0:50:20 > 0:50:23who built Tiama to withstand this ocean.
0:50:29 > 0:50:33You put an awful lot of trust in this one man, who is pretty amazing,
0:50:33 > 0:50:35I would give him his dues.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38But I'm not a fan of huge, rolling, open ocean
0:50:38 > 0:50:41and that's kind of what we spent the next few days in.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49I had a small window and all I could see was the sea raising and lowering
0:50:49 > 0:50:50itself over the side of the boat.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55I lay there slightly fearful, waiting for it to be over.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05After 120 gruelling miles,
0:51:05 > 0:51:09the first to spy land is producer Mark Flowers.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12Well, this is what we've come to see -
0:51:12 > 0:51:1624 hours over the Southern Ocean in the Roaring Forties
0:51:16 > 0:51:18and this is Snares Island.
0:51:23 > 0:51:27The relief of actually getting to Snares is short-lived.
0:51:27 > 0:51:29Well, the journey's only part of it.
0:51:29 > 0:51:33It's when you get there that the next problem starts, and the thing
0:51:33 > 0:51:36we've found with Snares is it's such a steep-sided island.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39None of us had quite anticipated how we were going to get on it.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46One of the key filming locations,
0:51:46 > 0:51:50known as Penguin Cliff, is simply too steep to land on in a swell.
0:51:57 > 0:51:58Then, a stroke of luck.
0:52:04 > 0:52:09The weather unexpectedly clears and the crew can finally get onshore.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13I came to Subantarctica to get a suntan.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21Now they can start filming.
0:52:21 > 0:52:23Just one problem -
0:52:23 > 0:52:24the penguins.
0:52:26 > 0:52:30I'm sat here trying to film the penguins in between the water,
0:52:30 > 0:52:34so one minute they're teetering on the brink and I'm ready to go
0:52:34 > 0:52:37and the next minute they're running backwards,
0:52:37 > 0:52:38then they go forwards again.
0:52:38 > 0:52:42I'm just waiting for one to start going and the rest will follow,
0:52:42 > 0:52:44but at the moment it's just backwards and forwards,
0:52:44 > 0:52:46backwards and forwards.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52Because nobody has ever lived on the Snares,
0:52:52 > 0:52:57the penguins have no fear of people and they are very curious animals.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01One of the things with being a wildlife cameraman
0:53:01 > 0:53:04I've spent most of my career doing is trying to creep up
0:53:04 > 0:53:06or get really close to animals without being observed,
0:53:06 > 0:53:08and Snares was the complete opposite.
0:53:08 > 0:53:11I couldn't get the animals to stop looking at me.
0:53:11 > 0:53:13It was like I was television for a change.
0:53:13 > 0:53:15It was almost impossible at times
0:53:15 > 0:53:18to get them to do anything other than stand there.
0:53:18 > 0:53:20"Oh, yeah."
0:53:30 > 0:53:33The only thing that makes this island accessible
0:53:33 > 0:53:36are the miles of track that the penguins
0:53:36 > 0:53:38have created through the forest.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53But the crew quickly realise that this is an island more suited
0:53:53 > 0:53:55to penguins than to people.
0:53:57 > 0:53:59Very few people have ever set foot on Snares
0:53:59 > 0:54:02and one of the things with that is it means there are no paths,
0:54:02 > 0:54:05there's no real access to anywhere on the island.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07But the island is covered in these really gnarly,
0:54:07 > 0:54:09dense old trees everywhere.
0:54:09 > 0:54:11And the floor falls away from bird burrows
0:54:11 > 0:54:14and it's a really difficult place to navigate,
0:54:14 > 0:54:16particularly if you're my size.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19Because it's designed for things that are that big...
0:54:27 > 0:54:31The crew must struggle up to the top of the island because a key scene
0:54:31 > 0:54:33is to film the birds climbing Penguin Cliff.
0:54:38 > 0:54:39This is it?
0:54:39 > 0:54:42Well, no, there's...
0:54:42 > 0:54:43You've got to go down there.
0:54:43 > 0:54:47Down there? That does look quite a sheer drop.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50It's hard to explain the scale
0:54:50 > 0:54:53and the sheer, steep sides of those cliffs.
0:54:53 > 0:54:57The camera doesn't really do it justice a lot of the time,
0:54:57 > 0:55:00but looking down you could suddenly start to feel your heart-rate going.
0:55:03 > 0:55:08Mark does a recce to find a safe ledge on the cliff for the camera.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10The director said it would be fine to send me down there.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14Looking at it, it is quite steep.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18If the penguins can do it, so must the crew.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30Before the trip, the team had assumed that penguins
0:55:30 > 0:55:34are ill-equipped for cliff climbing, but in reality,
0:55:34 > 0:55:37their low centre of gravity and sharp, gripping claws
0:55:37 > 0:55:39make them surprisingly adept.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43I'm amazed penguins can do this.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46Who would have thought it? It's incredible.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48Look at them.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56The team stayed for ten days with no accommodation.
0:55:56 > 0:56:01Each evening they returned to the Tiama, which has its drawbacks.
0:56:02 > 0:56:05One of the problems with sharing a boat with that many people is that
0:56:05 > 0:56:07there is a real lack of privacy when you need it.
0:56:08 > 0:56:12But on the island there was a very small basic loo next to a little hut.
0:56:14 > 0:56:16I headed in that direction, but sadly found
0:56:16 > 0:56:19someone else had beat me to the queue.
0:56:19 > 0:56:22A young male New Zealand sea lion.
0:56:26 > 0:56:28And he's standing between me and the toilet,
0:56:28 > 0:56:32which is an emergency situation.
0:56:32 > 0:56:33That's it, go on.
0:56:36 > 0:56:40Like a truculent teenager, he seems to resent being disturbed.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43And a desperate cameraman is an easy target.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48One of the big things with sea lions is that they are large,
0:56:48 > 0:56:52they are slightly aggressive and they really smell,
0:56:52 > 0:56:56I mean really smelly, stinky fish, it's horrendous.
0:56:56 > 0:56:57Any hints or tips?
0:57:00 > 0:57:04The crew have to gang up on him and eventually he backs down.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13All right, there we go, ten minutes later.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19Despite the dangers and discomfort,
0:57:19 > 0:57:23the team finally get what they came for - an intimate glimpse
0:57:23 > 0:57:29into the lives of these remarkable birds and their unique home.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32For me, what has been so special about Snares Island
0:57:32 > 0:57:36is it's where the Subantarctic meets the forest.
0:57:36 > 0:57:40And these two worlds collide and it's just wonderful.
0:57:40 > 0:57:43I'll miss it, actually.
0:57:45 > 0:57:47How could you not miss this?
0:58:00 > 0:58:04Next time, we voyage deep into the dramatic landscapes
0:58:04 > 0:58:07of New Zealand's wildest places
0:58:07 > 0:58:12to discover their strange and surprising wildlife -
0:58:12 > 0:58:15secret dells lit by mysterious fairy lights...
0:58:17 > 0:58:19..sneaky snails with a killer bite...
0:58:21 > 0:58:23..and death-defying insects.
0:58:28 > 0:58:31Animals who face the most extreme conditions in the land.