Episode 3 Queen's Baton Relay

The Queen's Baton Relay is an epic journey.

It will visit all 70 nations and territories of the Commonwealth...

I want the people to know that

we are not just a tiny dot island.

..and touch the lives of some of the two billion people who make up

-that community.

-I feel so very happy.

It will cross oceans and continents,

visit modern cities and traditional villages.

It is a symbol of what unites people spread across the planet.

Thank you, I hope all these kids will become players for the future.

Adventurer Mark Beaumont is travelling with the baton.

I feel absolutely at home, this is a beautiful way to explore.

On this global route,

he'll experience the Commonwealth at work...

-No, no, harder than that.

-Go!

..at play, and in competition.

The message from the Queen, contained in the baton,

will be read out at the Games in Glasgow in July.

But before that, it's on a journey round the Commonwealth.

A Commonwealth united by the Queen's Baton Relay.

This leg of the baton's journey

takes it to the Commonwealth islands of the South Pacific.

Scattered across the world's largest ocean,

these islands are home to

some of the most remote communities on the planet.

And the baton heads to Papua New Guinea.

Just south of the Equator,

around 100 miles from Australia, lies Papua New Guinea -

a nation with some of the world's most distinctive

cultures and landscapes.

THEY CHANT

THEY CHEER

It is home to more than six million people

and 800 different languages.

And as the Queen's Baton arrives, villagers are keen to give it

a very traditional welcome.

CHIEF WELCOMES VISITORS IN LOCAL DIALECT

We're not allowed past until...

until the village chief has seen the baton,

accepted it, and we're allowed to carry on through.

It's a wonderful welcome,

but it can also be quite an intimidating welcome.

VILLAGE CHIEF SHOUTS

-This is the first time for the Queen's Baton here?

-Yes.

-I feel so very happy.

-Wonderful.

-Wonderful.

Nature is at the heart of village life

and the baton is to be honoured by some very special residents.

The idea is to try and get an eel, which is

famous in the province here, wrapped around the Queen's Baton.

I never thought I'd see that happening!

To the people of the village, these are more than just fish.

They are part of the family.

Basically, it has grown up, it is part of the spirit of the people.

THEY SING TRADITIONAL MUSIC

We have seen incredible celebrations. And in some of the costumes,

I've seen bird beaks, what does this mean?

The songs represent a story,

a legend, or something like that.

So when people sing or dance, you see those beaks,

or animal parts, it represents a legend to us.

Is there still a strong connection between the wildlife and the people?

Exactly. Because the environment is basically our life.

At Port Moresby Nature Park, conservationist Brett

and the keeper introduce Mark to some of the more unusual locals.

-So this is the long-beaked echidna.

-Wow!

And you can see the very long beak on him there.

Hence how he gets his name. This is an egg-laying mammal.

It's a connection between reptiles or birds to the mammal species.

-They're mammals that lay eggs?

-Yes.

I mean, no other mammal, apart from the platypus, does this.

-Are these spikes?

-Yes, they are spikes. Feel them, very spiky.

-Wow, they are really, really sharp.

-Very sharp.

He is one of the most remarkable animals I have ever seen.

So this is the Southern cassowary.

There are three species of cassowary found in Papua New Guinea.

Do you find that the wildlife is different even to

-the rest of the islands in the South Pacific?

-Absolutely.

In New Guinea, each mountain range is almost like an island itself,

because each mountain you go on to, you will find a whole new species

that you won't find across the valley on the other side.

So, what is the connection between the people in Papua New Guinea

-and that wild space?

-Animals are traditionally used as wealth,

so like the cassowary we are looking at here at the moment,

if someone was going to get married,

then the trade-off between giving the village the female as a wife,

the other village would have to give back some sort of compensation.

And so things like the cassowary is one of those things

that would have been an exchange.

So you get a wife for a bird?

So you might get maybe...

for one wife will cost you maybe five to eight cassowaries.

This traditional way of thinking is evolving.

And that can be seen here

in the shipyards of the capital city of Port Moresby.

Newly-found oil and gas reserves

are changing the country's industrial fortunes.

Young women are seizing new opportunities.

When you both started here,

were all the guys surprised that you were welding?

Why do you find this interesting?

The baton moves on to its next stop in the Pacific Ocean.

The Solomon Islands.

These 992 islands are known for their sandy beaches

and relaxed way of life.

But it is surprising that just ten years ago, the country was

gripped by a civil war which had a lasting effect on the economy.

THEY SING TRADITIONAL MUSIC

With a peace deal and international aid, things are changing

and its people are full of optimism.

Everywhere Mark looks, he sees coconut trees.

Could these hold the answer to some of the island's challenges?

That's a big one.

Coconuts, also known as copra,

are used in everything from food to soaps.

But local entrepreneur John Vollrath is turning them into liquid gold.

-Clean, pure coconut oil?

-Clear, plain coconut oil.

Where has that idea come from?

Eight years ago,

I started developing this because diesel was so high a price

that we were running out of it and I needed to run my engines

and my truck on coconut oil,

because I couldn't buy diesel, because it was too expensive.

The Solomon Islands are heavily dependent on fuel imports.

But John believes that coconut oil could change all of that.

We are only picking up 25% of the coconut that falls on the ground.

And if we harvested every coconut that was under the tree,

we would not be dependent on aid donors and we would be

nearly independent on renewable energy for our power supply.

So do your family work with the copra?

Yes, and sell it to some

small outlets in the village.

Do you think the copra will be important

-for the Solomon Islands in the future?

-Yes, very important.

-Yes.

But the coconut oil business is a hard nut to crack.

This is tough work.

That's good, good exercise in the morning.

-Can I have a go?

-Sure, you can have a go, try it.

OK.

No, no, no, harder than that.

-One chop and it should split open.

-OK.

Now, let me just explain something to you.

When it's like this, you don't cut it,

-you turn it around like that and you put the axe right there.

-OK.

-That's the difference.

-So, more force.

-Yes, see that?

Yes. Throw it over here.

-I'm not quick enough, am I?

-No, that's good.

To meet the growing demand,

farms like this process over 2,000 coconuts a day.

And in terms of the final product,

-everything from cooking to driving your car.

-Everything -

from cooking, from cutting the coconuts

to drink the nice, good water, cut it open to eat the flesh,

cooking the copra to make oil,

putting the oil in your car and you drive around with it.

So, it's coming from the tree all the way down

back to your car in a cycle.

A car is one thing, but can the coconut power a huge bulldozer?

That, I find incredible -

the coconut, as big a nut as it is, can power a beast like this.

-That's right.

-And it's a lot of fun.

The next stop in the Pacific is the island nation of Nauru.

Nauru is one of the smallest countries in the world.

It is just over eight miles squared,

which makes the coastal road just over 12 miles long.

There's not many countries in the world that you could run around

in a couple of hours. So, that's what I'm going to try and do.

I'm just halfway around now,

and I don't mind saying that I've underestimated this challenge.

It might be late in the day, the palm trees are casting long shadows

across the road, but it is hot.

I feel like I've run a marathon already.

I did ask, but I couldn't find any locals

who wanted to run around the island with me.

I can see why now.

But I am getting lots of support from them, lots of cheers.

They obviously think I'm mad.

-I've run around a country!

-Yeah!

I've run around Nauru.

It may be small...

..but that was tough.

And Nauru has some big achievements under its belt.

With just 9,500 citizens, Nauru is the world's smallest republic.

This makes its 28 Commonwealth Games medals a major success.

-Were you excited to see the Queen's Baton?

-I'm very excited.

-Why were you excited?

-Because...

-The Queen will see our island.

-Oh, yeah.

And what sports is Nauru good at?

Weightlifting. Weightlifting and...

-Weightlifting.

-..powerlifting.

-Powerlifting.

Compared to other Commonwealth nations,

Nauru is tiny and very remote.

But that doesn't stop its people from dreaming big.

Deamo Bagugo is a fireman, but he's also a powerlifting champion.

It's the most rustic gym I've ever been in, it's like a Rocky gym.

All the gyms in Nauru are all like this.

But this is a bit cleaner one, because it's a fire station.

So, what are the different disciplines in powerlifting?

Well, there's three - squats, bench press and the deadlift.

Deamo is determined to succeed on the world stage.

But for the moment he continues to break local records.

I want the big world to know that we're not just a tiny dot island.

We will be recognised in lifting heavyweights,

like weightlifting and powerlifting.

With the demonstration over,

it's time for Mark to show what he's made of.

All right, without killing myself,

what's a good challenge on the squat?

Maybe 90, 100 kilos?

Let's go for 90.

90 kilos, that's what I weigh,

so if I can do this, that's my own body weight.

-This is under half what you lift, isn't it?

-Yup.

He's not going to be impressed.

Control all the way down,

then explosive power when you breathe out.

Wish me luck.

Show 'em, Mark!

You can do it, Big Mark.

Push!

Strong!

Yeah!

CLAPPING

I'm going to stick to cycling.

Nauru has a strong history when it comes to weightlifting.

Marcus Stephen was one of the country's

most successful weightlifters, with seven Commonwealth gold medals,

and he is also Nauru's former president.

But his moment in the Commonwealth spotlight

was only confirmed at the last minute.

In 1990, we weren't a member of the Commonwealth Games back then.

And we applied the night before.

I was the only athlete back then.

We were accepted in the Commonwealth Games family the night before

the opening ceremony,

and of course we also won our first ever gold medal

and silver medals there.

From such a small pool of potential athletes,

how do you get so many competing at the top level?

You know, we don't have very big gyms.

But we have four, five good lifters, we try and persevere

and make sure that these athletes get all the assistance

that they need to get them at a level that we want them to get to.

But for us, we don't look at excuses.

If we've got to train, we've got to do something, that's what we do.

We tend not to find excuses

and that's like a teaching we have down to the young athletes.

Nauru's success is all the more extraordinary

given its small population and limited facilities.

And that real success is something the people on the next leg

of the journey also hope to achieve.

The baton arrives in Tuvalu,

the fourth smallest country in the world.

Made up of nine atolls, and with a land area of just ten square miles,

every bit of space on the islands is incredibly precious.

And even the nation's only runway has other uses.

Just amazing, in the evenings,

to see what a sociable place it is - everything from volleyball,

touch rugby and soccer is being played here.

I've never, ever seen in the world an airfield

being used for sports like this.

I wonder if they ever have to jump out of the way

with the planes coming in.

Sport is everywhere in Tuvalu.

And even though land is in short supply,

people have made room for a national sports ground

to encourage local talent.

Our hope is to give our young people

a chance to develop their skills,

and to teach and educate our youth to become best players

and to be ambassadors of Tuvalu for

playing in other countries in the world.

Since 1998, Tuvalu has been competing at the Commonwealth Games,

but is yet to take home a medal.

And it's hoped that this will change with future generations.

Thanks very much for our chance to touch this.

Thank you, I hope all these kids

will become players for the future of Tuvalu.

Thank you.

From the islands of Tuvalu,

the baton heads across to the country of Samoa.

At the heart of the Pacific Ocean,

almost halfway between the US and New Zealand,

lie these volcanic islands.

As the baton touches down, there's a warm welcome.

TRIBAL MUSIC PLAYS

Samoa's friendliness is matched by its competitive spirit.

Currently ranked seventh in the world,

the Samoan rugby sevens team have achieved a lot.

Australia 10, Samoa 12.

It's the upset the Commonwealth Games sevens has been waiting for.

But a Commonwealth medal is a prize they have yet to bring home.

I believe that we haven't been fortunate enough to achieve

any medals in the past,

so that is our ultimate goal, is to make sure we get to that level

and not miss out again, and wait for another four years.

I saw in the training session there,

there seems to be a real bond between the players.

Does that go back to the family and the culture here in Samoa?

Oh, definitely. Brotherhood and that togetherness we have,

it's drilled and it's...our upbringing from our families.

So, it's not something new that you come into rugby and you do it.

It's when you come from your families you already know.

ALL CHANT

The power behind the Samoan team is more than big build

and intimidation.

The squad put Mark through his paces.

OK. OK.

SHOUTING

HE LAUGHS

During the game

we go as one unit, as one family,

so we play the game as one heart as well.

Coming together as a family is at the very heart

of the Samoan way of life.

So, do you go through this process every Sunday?

Yeah, we have to do this every Sunday.

And who is it in the family that does this?

Mainly me and my brother that does this every Sunday.

And is it the boys' job to prepare the food?

Yeah, it's always the boys' job.

And it seems all the rugby training comes in handy

when breaking a coconut.

There's your coconut.

You should give it a try.

You just push it down. Put all your weight on it.

I can't do it. HE LAUGHS

I can't do it. That's tough.

-Yeah, it's really tough for you.

-Yeah, for me.

Sunday is the only day that the Samoan family all get together,

so that's why we do this every Sunday.

It's like a special meal for us.

The link from one player to another,

it's very, very closer than you think.

They're not going in there as players.

They're going in there as warriors, as a war team.

ALL CHANT

ALL CHANT

This is amazing to see close up...

and it's what Samoa is known for.

I mean, the rugby team has got a fierce reputation around the world

and you can see why.

I would not want to be standing

on the other side of the pitch facing that.

So far on this leg of the journey across the vast South Pacific,

the baton has clocked up more than 5,000 miles

and has visited five islands nations in 24 days.

Now the next stop - New Zealand -

to Auckland, known as the city of sails.

Perched between two harbours, and home to over a million people,

Auckland is New Zealand's largest city.

And to celebrate its arrival, the baton is taken to

one of the city's most iconic buildings.

At over 1,000 feet tall, the Sky Tower is the highest man-made

structure in all of New Zealand.

The view is impressive,

but in a country that loves extreme sports

there's also another way to see the sights.

192m down to the ground.

Honestly? SHE LAUGHS

-Honestly?

-Honestly. Honestly. Tell me.

SHE LAUGHS

I am lost for words.

That is a very... A very long way down.

New Zealanders are known for adrenaline sports, so...

..it's a must try.

At moments like this, I think you're meant to say something profound.

I'm just trying to keep my lunch down.

All right, everyone, here comes Mark. Three, two, one, go!

Oh!

HE LAUGHS

-Well, how was that, Mark?

-That was awesome.

-That was fantastic.

-Fantastic.

BELLS CHIME

But Mark's not on firm ground for long.

Auckland's heritage is built on a seafaring tradition.

This city of sails has welcomed sailors for hundreds of years.

HORN BLOWS

I'm on a waka, a traditional Polynesian vessel.

I though this would be a canoe

because that's what wakas are often described as.

This is unlike any canoe I've ever been on.

It's huge. Absolutely huge.

Feels incredible strong with some big sails.

You can see how you could go a long way on these.

For generations,

Polynesians have used the waka to explore the Pacific.

There's lots and lots of stories of certain ancestors

of ours who are known throughout...

not just in Polynesia, but Pacific-wide, in journeys that

took place over a thousand years ago,

maybe even 1,500 years ago.

New Zealand has picked up a really good reputation as sailors,

especially competitive sailors,

as boat builders.

The maritime industry here is a really big industry and I think...

the modern examples of the technology behind building

and sailing and all those types of things are part of this huge

genealogy of boat design and boat sailing that stems from the Pacific.

Are we tacking around?

Bit more of a breeze out here.

Surprisingly heavy work.

This is awesome.

I feel absolutely at home. This is a beautiful way to explore.

This journey has taken me

through a fascinating pattern of Pacific islands,

through to here in New Zealand, which is

about as far as I could get from the Commonwealth Games back in Glasgow.

Most of these islands are incredibly minute compared to

the Pacific Ocean, which they share,

and include some of the smallest populations

and remote nations in the world.

But that doesn't stop them dreaming big.

As well as aspiring to sporting greatness,

I've seen a real passion to protect what is unique.

That includes ancient family traditions

as well as a natural diversity.

As the Queen's Baton continues around the Pacific Ocean

there is so much more to look forward to.

Join Mark next month, as he continues

his epic Commonwealth journey.

In the second part of his Pacific adventure,

he'll go toe-to-toe

with some sporting hopefuls...

..and visit more of most isolated and colourful nations on the planet,

before heading onto a whole new continent...

to share in the Queen's Baton Relay.