(GROANS) Suck it up, fat boy. Come on. (COUGHS) Ew, something touched me! (YELPS) We've peaked in life. Whoo-hoo-hoo! UPBEAT MUSIC MUSIC SWELLS Captions by Pippa Jefferies. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016 GENTLE MUSIC Where are we going? Ready? Yeah. Oh choice. Taup-o. Tau-po. Tau-po. It's better than Taw-pou. That's cool. Tau-po. I tried. I'm looking forward to that. Robbie and I have been together five-odd years. We met on Shortland Street. He was Dr Maxwell, and I was a nurse, Jill Kingsbury, and then I got stabbed. Um, but our relationship continued off-screen. One of the things that I do love about Nat is her honesty. She's always honest about everything. She's fearless. She speaks her mind. I've never encountered anyone like that. Really excited to be going away with him to have some downtime and, you know, reconnect, spend some time together. It's gonna be wonderful. GENTLE MUSIC READS: 'Welcome to (MISPRONOUNCES) Taupo. 'Check in to the Hilton and then venture down to the marina for a serene start to your escape.' So can you read to me again, please, honey? Just go to the Hilton. Oh. I reckon there's a reception. No, I reckon reception's over there. OK. (READS) Reception. Welcome. Yes. See? This is what couples do. They get lost, and then they have arguments. But we won't have arguments. Your fault. No, your fault. Here we go. JAUNTY MUSIC Wow. This room. What is this? Is this the executive suite? Ooh. This is, um` This is our one-bedroom apartment, yeah. All right. Nice. This is bloody flash. This is really nice. I'm impressed. Can I do what I usually do? This is really nice. Is it nice? It's good! Rob. See you, Darren. If the neighbours complain about the noise, it wasn't us. Enjoy your stay. > Thanks, mate. (CHUCKLES) UPBEAT MUSIC OK, what was the second part of this clue? Book` I don't know, cos I can't read it. It was, 'Welcome to (MISPRONOUNCES) Taupo. 'Check in to the Hilton.' So, yep, done that. Yeah. 'Then venture down to your marina for a serene start to your escape.' Maybe we're on a rowboat. A rowboat and you're gonna wear a boater's hat and sing to me. We're at the` We're here. We're here already. So I'm totally wrong. It's a` It's a boat. Is it a yacht? One of these`? This looks exciting. One of these yacht things. I wonder if it's one of these yacht things. That'd be cool. FUNKY ROCK MUSIC Hey. Hiya. How are you? You guys are coming sailing with me. BOTH: Are we? You certainly are. Seriously? Yep. Come sailing on a pirate ship. Oh choice! I'm David, anyway. Hi, David. Natalie. David, I'm Robbie. Robbie, good to meet you. Can we do Titanic in the front there when we go? Yeah. As long as I don't have to play the music again. Nah, don't, bro. Just sing it. There'd be a copyright issue. 'Don't let go, Jack.' This is wonderful. I can't wait. She's beautiful. Shall we go sailing? Yes. Go. OK. Whoo-hoo! Never been sailing before. I have to be honest ` I am very very excited about this. So, how long have you been doing this for? Uh, just over 10 years. Right. Two yachts. This is my second one. I've had this one for five. What happened to your first one? Oh, I didn't lose it in a card game. Let's put it that way. When the sharemarket crashed, I lost everything. Right. Oh. That's awful. No. God, I got a beautiful yacht out of it. You do now, yes. Yeah. Do we do anything? Just sit here and` Hey, you can take the helm if you want. Seriously? You can either sit and relax in the bean bags or you can drive. You can adjust the sails. Ooh! Hello! So now if you could aim for the white cliffs... Yep. Oh wow. Oh! This is cool! Here we go. This is so cool! Keep aiming for the white cliffs. Whoa! The th` The thing is` for me is ` is just the wind power. This. Just that nature's doing it and not` Yeah. And not power of man. Not any... Yeah. Ahoy there! LAUGHTER Do you want a turn, babe? Seriously, it's so much` OK, I don't think I'm gonna get quite the same enjoyment, but` Nah, seriously, you just` Go now before the wind` before the wind hits. OK. That's when you go, 'Whoo-hoo!' Eep! Going the wrong way. Yeah, see how the wind`? Take it over. Yep, turn it to the left towards the port. OK. Whoo-hoo! Perfect. She's quite responsive, isn't she? Normally, ladies make better sailors than men because they concentrate. I don't have a good concentration span. Like, I can't find things. I lose things. He's the clean one. He likes to do laundry. I mostly like to drink. LAUGHTER LAUGHS: Oh dear. So, right now we're in 100ft of water, or 30m. That's why I can get you so close to these rocks. Right. So, you've done a cultural experience? Hey? You've done a cultural experience, of course? He is a cultural experience. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you know what all those markings are saying on the face? No, no idea. All korus on the rock is the face of their ancestor, Ngatoroirangi. So, all the big circles on each side of his cheeks are representing his ancestors. They are his generations of life. JAUNTY MUSIC I had a smile carved into my face the whole time. That whole sailing experience for me was one of the best things I've ever done. Hey, guys, thank you very much for sailing with me. That was so much fun. Thank you. Yeah, come back again. Oh wow. Hugs. Man hugs. There's this smile on my face. That was cool. That was awesome. Enjoy it? Yes. I'm hungry. That was so cool. Shall we head back to the hotel for some food? Sounds good, baby. UPBEAT MUSIC (SIGHS) Oh, I won't have fish and chips. I'm gonna have the lamb rank, actually. The lamb rank? (LAUGHS) The lamb rump. I need food, all right? How are we this evening? Wow. Um, line-caught king tarakihi from our friends at Lee Fish. And we've got a slow-cooked lamb rump on green beans, new potatoes and salsa verde and feta for you to enjoy. Delicious. Yum. Bon appetit. Thank you so much. Enjoy. Thank you. Cheers. That's very good. How's everything going this evening? Mark, we're having a really nice time. Don't hug him. I'm glad you're enjoying the lamb. Thank you. I don't normally give people hugs like that. Strangers, anyway. But this lamb is amazing. And we're friends now. Yeah, we are. Well, enjoy it. Thank you, brother. All right, babe, toast each. I was gonna do a cheers to David, our captain. Yeah. Cos, well, he lost` The losing, yeah. ...all his money in the stock market and now he's got a happy` he's got a boat and a happy life. Yeah. Yeah. Cheers to that. So cheers to David. Cheers to David. JAUNTY FLUTE MUSIC Uh, my one ` Mm-hm. I'll have to say today. You can't cheers the whole day. That's not specific enough. Well, the` Well, the whole day's been pretty good. This, this, David, uh, and of course you, bub, with a double cheers. Cheers to the whole day. Cheers to the whole day. GENTLE MUSIC Be in to win your own NZ escape, including flights, car hire, accommodation and activities. Head to ournzescape.tv to enter. (GROANS) Suck it up, fat boy. Come on. (COUGHS) Ew, something touched me! (YELPS) (LAUGHS) We've` We've peaked in life. Whoo-hoo-hoo! UPBEAT MUSIC TINKLING MUSIC OK, clue time. READS: 'Is it a boat or is it a plane? 'Head to the marina for a unique way to get to...' Oh. (DRAWN-OUT) '...Orakei Korako.' Oh dear. Oh my God. READS: 'Once...' (LAUGHS) READS: Once there, explore the local geothermic wonders and get closer together at The Squeeze. The Squeeze? We're just gonna hug it out, I think. Yes, we're gonna hug it out. It's a plane. It's a plane and a boat. Just got it. I'm a genius. Is that a boat or is it a plane? Cos` It's a ploat. Combo. Hi. Hi, I'm Neil. Hey, Neil. Are we coming with you, Neil? Are we coming with you? You're coming with me, and we're going on a floatplane. Oh! This is very exciting. This is cool! We're in the plane. It's really noisy. We're very excited. We can see right out across Taupo, and it is beautiful. We can see all the little cows. They look like tiny ants. It is just breathtaking. Beyond beautiful. LAID-BACK GUITAR MUSIC Hi! Hello. I'm Richard. Nice to meet you. Hello, Richard. Hi, Richard. I'm Robbie. Is this your sweet boat? This is my sweet boat. So, where are we going? Right, we're gonna take you across the Waikato River... Yeah. ...to a thermal area called Okarei Korako. Orakei Korako? Korako Orakei. And that was what was on the clue card that I couldn't pronounce. Yeah. Um, loosely translated it means 'the place of adorning'. And there's hot pools ` bubbling hot pools. Oh yeah? The Ruatapu Cave has got to be something you gotta see. Right. So it's really got a feeling in there about a` And that's it? Yeah. It's up the top. At the top. We're gonna have a little walk around. W` With all this bubbling water and the smell of sulphur, it's otherworldly. It's just` It's a strange landscape. It's beautiful but eerie. Yeah, you feel a little bit like you're on the Moon. Last time I went to the Moon, this is kind of what it felt like. Hey, bubs, over there. You see it? Where it's bubbling up? What? And then to the left of it has got that natural step, kind of just up` Nah. Do you see it? No. I haven't got my glasses on. I can't see it. OK. Well, it looks amazing. (LAUGHS) < (EXHALES) Nah. Come on. Can you see me? LAUGHS: Yes. (LAUGHS) Holy smokes. Look at this. What did Neil say? Wow! That it's, like, one of two geothermal caves in the world. The other one's in Italy. That is amazing. So that must be hot. Look at that. Listen, it's so quiet. Feels quite sacred. It's quite moving and eerie and feels like something's happened here. Something that just came over me, I can't explain what it was. It was almost voices telling us what used to be here, that I just sensed something. I don't know. There was just a strong energy in there. Well, we were just interested if there was, um, any history of` of that cave. There's quite a bit of history, actually. There was a lot of wars on the Waikato River. Yeah. < And the women and children were taken up to the cave and hidden in there so they couldn't be found. Wow. But unfortunately they were found. Instead of waiting for them to die of starvation or anything like that, they smoked them out and they suffocated most of them. And, um, quite a few women, um, when they go in there, they feel quite a lot of stuff, eh, you know? It did feel quite... They feel, yeah. A lot of females` Not wanting to be cliche but spiritual. One lady came out, and she was bawling her eyes out. She doesn't know why. Yeah. And then, well, I just imparted to her, you know, what I knew. And, yeah, she just kind of had a feeling that something sad happened in there, so, yeah, there's still spirits in there... Wow. ...type of thing. Yeah. But, yeah. You gonna be OK? Yeah, I'm gonna be OK, babes. OK. You cry all the time. You cried in The Notebook. (LAUGHS) It's beautiful. See you, guys. Bye, Lise. I'm very happy to learn that I'm going in a kayak. Brother going in, babes. I'm not responsible for any turning, am I? And as soon as we're on the water being that low down to the surface with the, you know` When you're in a boat and you can hear the engines, it takes something away from the serenity of the landscape, but the kayak is just` it's so quiet, and the pace of it, you get to see things that you wouldn't see on a boat. It's beautiful. It's some of the most stunning scenery I've ever seen in the world, without a doubt. And the water is warm. It's` It's so bizarre. It's amazing. So, we're walking up this little hot-water stream, but it's getting narrower and narrower. And to think the water carved this pathway is just phenomenal. How are you gonna get through here? Can you fit? I don't know. I don't know. Suck it up. Oh. (GROANS) Oh, honey, it feels quite good. (LAUGHS) (GROANS) Oh. (SIGHS) Wait. Listen. DISTANT BIRDSONG You thought I was gonna fart, didn't you? Oh, I just can't` This is out of this world. Oh, can you imagine`? This is so amazing. Yeah, but how many wetas are there? Well, don't` (LAUGHS) Don't worry about the wetas. I didn't realise I was such a wuss. I really thought I was, um, a much braver girl than this. It's getting darker and darker, and it's kept closing in at the top even now, and, yeah, yeah, I'm feeling the squeeze. I am feeling the squeeze, um, outside and inside in my chest. Holy moley! Ew, something touched me! (YELPS) (LAUGHS) OK, we know why it's called The Squeeze now. (GROANS) Suck it up, fat boy. Come on. (COUGHS) BOTH LAUGH Check this out! Let's go, baby. And so we're pressing on, and when we come out of The Squeeze and the light pours back in and we can see all the scenery in the bush either side of us, it's spectacular. It's like you merge into the sunlight. It's beautiful. GENTLE MUSIC And then we stop and we can hear this thunderous water, and a massive smile comes across Robbie's face. A small but powerful waterfall just thundering into this little pool of water. It's warm. Where in the world do you have a hot waterfall? Standing with my back against it, it is amazing massage. I can just feel all of the tension coming out of my shoulders, and it's` it's unbelievable. Whoo-hoo-hoo! I was blown away by what I saw. I was blown away by what was created. It's absolutely ridiculous. I kept on thinking in my head that gas was providing this somewhere up the river. It was just absolutely ridiculous. It was mind-blowing being in there. I didn't wanna leave. Just keeps on getting better. Look at this. It's like a private spa pool. Oh my God. Oh my gosh. (SIGHS) I'll never leave this. BOTH SPEAK INDISTINCTLY But it was funny coming through there. Every` Every bend you expected something ` some sort of surprise. And every time there was a bend, there was a surprise. And this is like the climax. (LAUGHS) The waterfall. This is definitely the climax. It's definitely the climax. Yeah. We've` We've peaked in life. GENTLE MUSIC We're starving after a massive day, and I couldn't be happier. I've got a glass of wine, and there's a roaring fire, and Robbie's here. It's... It's perfect. GENTLE MUSIC CONTINUES Hey, here we go, neighbour. It's` It's the lamb. Ooh, yum. Yeah, that's a really nice cut, that lamb neck. And the pork. Pork. Thank you, Baxter. Thank you. Mine is very tasty. Well, we've had an amazing time. It's beautiful, and, God, the scenery today was just... I'm not joking when I say it was going through The Squeeze and up there on the kayaks, that was some of the most beautiful scenery (LAUGHS) in the world. And to coming back and moving here with all of our families. Cheers. (LAUGHS) Oh, I'm gonna cry. (LAUGHS) I am gonna cry. This is not funny. This is not funny. 1 QUIRKY MUSIC Hey, bubbalicious. Hey, matey. Do you see that? What? Ooh. Clue. Shall I read it? (LAUGHS) Yes. Would you like me to read it? Go. READS: 'How are your hunter-gatherer skills?' Uh-oh. 'Go catch yourself some lunch. 'But don't be shellfish.' It's a beautiful pun right there. Fishing? Fishing's my bet. All right. Let's go. Let's go. JAUNTY MUSIC Hey, guys. Welcome to Huka Prawn Park. Hi. Ah. How you doing today? Shell...fish. (LAUGHS) We had a bit of a pun earlier. I'm Nat. Kerry. Nice to meet you. Hi, Kerry. Robbie. All right. So, we've never been prawn fishing before? Never. Well, what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna take you on tour. You'll learn a little bit about it, how to catch prawns, then you'll head out to the fishing park and hopefully you'll be pros, catch yourself some lunch, and then we're away. All right? Fantastic. 42cm? 42cm? We just saw that. Oh yeah. So, like, every week we have a competition. The biggest one ever found at the Prawn Park ` 68cm. Are you serious? 68? Yeah. Follow me. We'll head on tour. So, what's in here? Um, so, yeah, in here you've got that 68cm prawn I was talking about. He's actually just preserved in a jar. Oh. Ew! Wow! Look at the size of his claws. He's like a dinosaur prawn. So possibly` There's possibly another one down there? Could possibly be, yeah. We might catch one. You could possibly catch one, yeah, hopefully. I mean, there are some big ones in the ponds at the moment, so... Yeah. QUIRKY MUSIC Let's go fishing. You ready, bubs? Yeah. Born ready for prawn fishing. (LAUGHS) QUIRKY MUSIC Go further, honey. Go further. Wouldn't this be embarrassing if we caught nothing? (CHUCKLES) I can really see that happening. I've already prepared myself for the humiliation. So if we don't catch any, does that mean we don't get any lunch? Yeah. Do you wanna make the call? Shall we go somewhere else? Well, this is` This is hardly a hotspot, is it? Wait, wait, wait, wait. Sorry, sorry. Are you serious? Yeah. I can feel it. No, let's go. Yeah, let's go down there. At what point do we give up? Um, when you catch one. No. (LAUGHS) I felt something. I felt something. Really? Yeah. It's definitely something. Have you got something? Pull it up, then. No! I've gotta make sure it's hooked. Look, look, look, look, look. OK. Whoa! (SCREAMS) BOTH SCREAM No! No! (LAUGHS) We have been here forever! (CONTINUES LAUGHING) No. I'm gonna cry. (LAUGHS) I am gonna cry. This is not funny. This is not funny. QUIRKY MUSIC Oh! Oh, that's gold! (LAUGHS) UPBEAT MUSIC Now I'm happy. Look at the chippies. Aha! (LAUGHS) OK. Well, I have to say it's been... It's been a phenomenal trip. Yeah. > Well, today was just` it was perfect. It was nice to finish off with this. Wh` What was it? Relaxing? Yeah, because it's relaxed. We got, you know` cos we gotta go back, and it's nice to have something relaxing and then` And we get to eat all these delicious prawns. And we get to eat that. The prawns are amazing. The prawns ` these prawns are incredible. They're very delicious. Babe, it's been really nice spending time with you, but when we get back to Auckland, I don't wanna see you for, like... (LAUGHS) No, joking. It's been lovely spending time with you. Has it? Yeah, genuinely. Cheers to us and to (PRONOUNCES CORRECTLY) Taupo. Yay! Success. Yay! You said Taupo. It was so good to get away from the city with Robbie. We really needed some time out, some QT. And seeing him be so excited and so happy like a little boy, he's just gorgeous. UPBEAT MUSIC Will I come back to Taupo? Yes, definitely. I'll bring my family down here. I'll bring my kids, and I'll bring my brothers. It was beyond what I expected, and I've enjoyed every moment of it. I'm really sad to be going home. I really underestimated Taupo. It's a fantastic destination. Couldn't have asked for a better` better holiday. It's been the perfect escape. Explore more of the country with Air NZ with over 400 daily flights across 21 destinations. Book now at Air NZ. Captions by Pippa Jefferies. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016