MAJESTIC STRING MUSIC In the far reaches of the Pacific Ocean lies a land cut off from the rest of the world since the time of the dinosaurs. MAJESTIC MUSIC CONTINUES After 80 million years of isolation, nature has gone its own way. In this lost world, life plays by different rules. Penguins in the forests, parrots in the snow and predators from prehistory ` ROAR! their lives are dominated by the most powerful forces on Earth. When humans finally arrived, they discovered... nowhere is more strange and mysterious than New Zealand. BIRDS CALL LOW BOOM ECHOES LOW BOOM CONTINUES This strange sound can be heard in no other wilderness on Earth. It carries through the forest for miles. An extremely loud call from a very unexpected creature ` a young male kakapo. INSECTS CHIRP CURIOUS MUSIC He's been up all night, booming to get lucky, just as he has every night for the last few months. But not one female has answered his resounding calls. TRANQUIL MUSIC BIRDS SQUAWK Now he's rushing back to his roost for a snooze. Maybe tonight his luck will change. BIRD CHIRPS Kakapo are by far the heaviest parrot in the world. In these tangled forests, it is climbing that counts. So it's perhaps no surprise that they can't fly. BRANCH CRACKS, RUSTLING BIRD SQUAWKS This male is just 19 years old, but he could live for a century, which is a very long time to be without a mate. BIRDSONG Cast adrift for 80 million years, life in New Zealand slowed down. So much so that the kakapo's neighbours ` tuatara ` may take only one breath an hour and might not eat for months. Many species here grow slowly, breed rarely and live longer. In this gentle kingdom of reptiles, birds and ancient forests, even plants take their time. The rimu tree can live for nearly a thousand years and produces fruit only two or three times a decade. And it's only in these rare years, where there's plenty of food, that kakapos can breed. Or at least, that's how its been for millions of years. But times have changed. PEACEFUL PIANO MUSIC BIRDSONG And now the lonely kakapo is the only kakapo on mainland New Zealand. The tale of this lonely heart is also the tale of what makes New Zealand the land it is today. It's the story of the discovery of these distant islands and the extraordinary transformation that has followed. It begins in the tropical paradise of Polynesia. These islands were conquered by seafaring people. The invention of double hulls and simple sails turned dugout canoes into ocean-going craft. SERENE MUSIC Less than 800 years ago, these daring explorers set their course south,... SERENE MUSIC CONTINUES ...beyond the horizon and into the unknown, across almost 2000 miles of empty ocean. Exactly how they explored the vast South Pacific is still a mystery, but legend has it they did not navigate alone. SEAGULLS SQUAWK These explorers had expert guides. Sperm whales travel south every year on the same route from tropical Polynesia to New Zealand, in search of some of the richest feeding grounds on earth. As they neared land, flocks of seabirds would've greeted these explorers. New Zealand has almost a hundred species ` more than anywhere else on Earth. WATER WHOOSHES SERENE MUSIC 1 After 80 million years of isolation, the lost kingdom of New Zealand had been found ` the last great land mass to be settled by people. Those first explorers found forests of trees, dense and deep and full of hidden life. Rivers flowing with crystal waters ` some of the clearest in the world. WATERFALL ROARS MAJESTIC MUSIC Giant mountains towering nearly 4000m into the sky. When my ancestors first came to New Zealand, they would've encountered a land untouched by any other human beings. They discovered vast tracts of forests. I would imagine that they would look at these trees, the size of the trees, and imagine that they were literally holding up the vaults of heaven. They realised the bounty that was here, and that took on a spiritual significance for them. Maori story guardian Michael Elkington is offering his thanks to the forest. Manawa mai i te mauri nuku, manawa mai i te mauri rangi. Ko te mauri kai au, he mauri tipua... A proud descendant of those brave pioneers who became the very first people of New Zealand ` Haumi e, hui e, taiki e. the Maori. But, incredibly, they weren't just the first people; they were the first large land mammals to ever step foot here. Life in the slow lane was about to change forever. Domesticated pigs arrived here as food. PIG SQUEALS They bred fast and rampaged through the undergrowth. The tusked weta is New Zealand's equivalent of a mouse and a worthy snack for a foraging pig. PIG SQUEALS WHIMSICAL MUSIC (SNUFFLES) With pigs snuffling close behind, there is only one place to go, and it's the last place you would expect. WHIMSICAL MUSIC CONTINUES SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC BUILDS This weta is an escape artist. The pigs can't see or smell him when he's underwater. TRANQUIL MUSIC (SNUFFLES, SNORTS) He can stay under for up to 10 minutes. TRANQUIL MUSIC CONTINUES (SNORTS) And now the coast is clear. 80 million years of isolation have endowed this ancient creature with extraordinary survival skills. New Zealand's wildlife doesn't give up easily. But in 1642, something appeared on the horizon the likes of which had never been seen before. The first European ship had entered New Zealand's uncharted waters. HORN BLARES The explorers on board were as astonished by this fairy-tale kingdom as the tourists who flock here today. MAJESTIC MUSIC Dutchman Abel Tasman, captain of that first ship, noted a very fine land ` large and uplifted high. His discovery would be named after the Dutch region of Zeeland. Reports of a New Zealand soon spread. By the 1860s, tens of thousands of Europeans had made their way here. Most would never see home again, so they brought it with them. European-style gardens flourished in New Zealand's temperate climate. A pukeko chick and his family might find that they are some of the only authentic New Zealanders left in a garden like this. He's old enough to set off on his own voyage of discovery. His huge feet are adapted for traversing swamps but they also equip him to step out into an exotic new world,... TRANQUIL MUSIC ...where imported flowers from India and China are pollenated by British bees. Ornamental trees from Japan and America are home to birds from Europe, like blackbirds and chaffinches. (SINGS) Gardens the length and breadth of New Zealand are home to life from all around the planet. TRANQUIL CHORAL MUSIC The pukeko may encounter strange beasts never seen by his ancestors. (SNUFFLES SOFTLY) Hedgehogs flourish here. A few dozen founding individuals became millions. Their population exploded. For some native creatures, new arrivals meant new opportunities; especially those prepared to expand their diet. WHIMSICAL MUSIC The weka. He may be flightless, but he's quick to seize an opportunity. He's assembling his own picnic,... WHIMSICAL MUSIC CONTINUES ...and inviting the whole family. These young wekas are growing up in a world full of new opportunities. PEOPLE CHATTER, DANCE MUSIC PULSATES They've been on the sauce. They've been on the sauce. Your party! They've been on the sauce. Your party! That's Mary's boy, isn't it? Yeah. Maybe you should say something. Maybe you should say something. Nah. I'm crap at that kind of thing, Barry. Yeah, but they're just kids. If we don't say something... (GROANS) Hey, boys? Boys? Why don't you get a lift home tonight? Oh, whatever, mate. I've only had a couple. No, no, no, no. It's too late now. I've spoken to you and I know your mum, so that means our fates are aligned. You get into that car and you get yourself killed or you kill someone else, I become part of it too. How? How? Well, it's like, um, my balls are in your hands. BOYS LAUGH, SNORT BOY: Oh, you want the balls! BOY: Oh, you want the balls! Nobody wants that. Hey, how about I drive you? What? Oh. What? Oh. BOYS LAUGH, DANCE MUSIC PLAYS ON RADIO (SWITCHES RADIO STATION) (SWITCHES RADIO STATION) YODELLING MUSIC PLAYS I like it. 1 SOFT, INTRIGUING MUSIC Life can be very good in New Zealand. SERENE MUSIC And so some new arrivals have grown in more than just numbers. SERENE MUSIC CONTINUES Brown trout were first introduced to these pristine rivers for sport in the late 1800s. With little competition and few predators, they grew to enormous proportions. Today New Zealand's trout can reach lengths of almost a metre and weigh up to 5 kilos. These prize fish have monstrous appetites and surprisingly blood-thirsty tastes. So some fly fisherman opt for something a little more substantial. Here, the insect imitations have been replaced with fluffy imitation... mice. House mice first arrived in New Zealand as stowaways on European boats. This youngster is looking for his next meal. But first, he'll have to run a gauntlet. WATER SLOSHES SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC BUILDS REEL CREAKS For mouse, or man, opportunities come to those who take them. New Zealand is a modern paradise for newcomers from around the world. BIRDSONG ECHOES They thrive here, but they've not all had it easy. SERENE MUSIC SHEEP BLEAT MAN WHISTLES, DOG BARKS The story of New Zealand's famous sheep is not one of overnight success. SHEEP BLEAT Neil Gardyne is the descendant of an early sheep-farming pioneer. My great-grandfather came from the east of Scotland in 1860 and purchased some land. All of this area would've been in scrub. Um, there would've been mudflats. They would've been extremely tough years. Their first flocks struggled on New Zealand's meagre grazing. The determined pioneers then tried richer grasses imported from Europe. SHEEP BLEAT But these new grasses began to wither and fail. It took the lowly British earthworm to revive the soil. At last, the pastures improved and New Zealand's famous sheep population grew. At their peak in the 1980s, sheep outnumbered people 20 to one. Today's pioneers are not resting on their laurels. They're continuing to innovate. Neil's son Mark is upgrading sheepdog Eve for a drone. This robotic sheepdog in the sky monitors, herds and counts their flock across miles of rugged terrain. Through sheer ingenuity and perseverance, New Zealand's pioneers have achieved something incredible ` creating an agricultural landscape that is now the envy of the world. EPIC MUSIC And sheep were just the beginning. Its position on the planet and clean air gift New Zealand some of the brightest sunshine anywhere on earth. EPIC MUSIC CONTINUES Wheat yields here have broken records. An obscure Chinese vine does so well, we now call it the kiwi fruit. And some consider New Zealand's Sauvignon Blanc the very best in the world. With the right kind of help, everything that is brought to New Zealand flourishes. But the effect of this rapid change on the slow-paced native wildlife is just beginning to be fully understood. 1 In 1976, under Honeycomb Hill in the South Island, forestry workers discovered a portal into New Zealand's ancient past, a time capsule. FOOTSTEPS CREAK The remains of giant creatures lay where they fell. Single vertebrae the size of a child's head, leg bones as thick as a man's arm ` these were the remains of giant birds. The moa. Some of the biggest and most extraordinary birds to have ever walked the earth. The mightiest could reach nearly 3.5m and weighed almost a quarter of a ton. But these are not fossils from the Jurassic age; these are still bones. These extraordinary birds were still here when humans first arrived. In a sheltered overhang, we can see the evidence. Tracing the fading charcoal lines reveals drawings etched by eyewitnesses. BIRD CALLS Not just of Moa but their predators too. The Haast's eagle ` the largest, most terrifying eagle that has ever lived, large enough to prey upon human children. BIRDSONG ECHOES For hundreds of thousands of years, New Zealand had been a world ruled by these giants. BIRDSONG ECHOES Within two centuries of human arrival, they'd all been driven to extinction. But many of New Zealand's smaller creatures did survive,... BIRDSONG ...witnesses to an incredible transformation. He would've seen the coming of the Maori. He would've seen the coming of the English. They would've seen the decline of the birds, their domain slowly shrinking in about them. He would've seen many, many changes. Throughout it all, the kakapo was clinging on. But in 1883, the arrival of one frenetic creature threatened everything, a mischievous, rocket-fuelled rascal from the other side of the world ` the European stoat. Where he comes from, survival is a race. WHIMSICAL MUSIC Life at this speed requires regular meals ` up to five or six a day. WHIMSICAL MUSIC CONTINUES It was the stoats' voracious appetite that won them a ticket to paradise. A few hundred were imported by Victorian farmers to control rabbits. But that same appetite caused chaos in their new home. Native birds had no defence against this nimble newcomer. Their nests were exposed. And adult birds were at risk as well. The red-crowned parakeet ` the kakapo's little cousin. Mother birds refuse to abandon their nests, so they are often the first to be targeted. What's more, stoats will tackle much larger prey, up to 10 times their own body weight. Like the kakapo. In less than 150 years, kakapo have been driven to the very edge of extinction. New Zealand's slow and gentle creatures were struggling with this new pace of life. But there is now the chance to save what was once nearly lost. It's a movement with a very unlikely figurehead. This lonely kakapo has never found a mate, but that doesn't mean he's alone. And he even has a name. Sirocco was hand-reared as a chick and adores people. And they adore him. Now Sirocco has a very important job ` he is the ambassador for his species and a conservation icon in New Zealand. Hello. Fantastic. We've also been able to confirm a seat for Sirocco. OK. Thank you. Thank you. As a government official, he has an aide to handle the admin. And to carry his bags. Welcome. Hi. Welcome to Sirocco. He may be a slow, bumbling parrot, but he has a jet-set lifestyle. It seems this kakapo can fly after all. His strange, charmed, hectic life has become one long conservation mission... all the way to the most powerful seat in the country ` New Zealand's houses of Parliament. Today is his chance to charm the politicians, meet his public and raise awareness for New Zealand's world-leading conservation efforts. PEOPLE CHATTER Sirocco is definitely one of a kind. Uh, he's an online star. He has over 100,000 Facebook fans. Keeps him busy. (LAUGHS) Well, it keeps someone busy. And of course he's New Zealand's official spokesbird for conservation. So it's about time he paid a visit to Parliament. Sirocco's colleague Deidre Vercoe does the talking... No one else has kakapo. ...while he laps up the attention. We just can't afford to lose what remains of our natural treasures or we really risk losing a big part of our identity. And so it's up to each of us in this room tonight to make sure that they never die out. The fight to save New Zealand's wildlife has begun. 1 New Zealand is more than two main islands. Offshore are nearly 600 smaller islands ` life rafts for New Zealand's native species. Some escaped invasion by predators, and others have been carefully cleared. Just four decades ago on this small, uninhabited, windswept rock, some charming and unassuming creatures were clinging on. Just seven Chatham Island black robins remained on Earth, and the fate of their species would lie with a single female. A daring rescue relocated those last birds to the safety of a nearby island. Melanie Massaro is the caretaker for the black robins today. It's a job which takes a certain dedication and specialist footwear. The robins' home is honeycombed by three million burrowing seabirds. Jose! Jose! Come over here. (HISSES) Come on! It's now been more than 30 years since the black robin was given its second chance, and that single female became the mother of her entire species. We're now 30 years on, and the species is still here. Um, that's actually very, very special. Today there are hundreds of black robins, which Mel locates and monitors with the help of a tasty bribe ` a mealworm. BIRDS CHIRP And Jose is putting his reward to good use. He's hoping to win the affections of his partner, Maria, for another season. If she accepts his gifts, there will be another precious generation of black robins. Jose! It takes extraordinary effort to save a species on the very brink of extinction. In the wake of this success story, New Zealand is now the word leader in a unique brand of intensive care conservation. HELICOPTER WHIRRS Today a specialist team are heading to Codfish Island ` the world headquarters of another pioneering project, one that would impress Sirocco above all else. Dozens of scientists and volunteers from all over the globe are arriving. And this remote island, cleared of introduced predators, becomes a hive of activity. And the reason for all this ` INDISTINCT RT CHATTER an egg. It's due to hatch tonight. SOFT CRACKLING The mother is a mile away in a nest beneath a tree that has been wiretapped and camera bugged. A kakapo female. Sirocco might be the lone ambassador on the mainland, but here on Codfish Island, 69 kakapos, half of those on Earth, are slowly rebuilding their numbers. Every single bird has a name. This is Rakiura. She doesn't know it, but this egg is a porcelain replica. Mother kakapos have been known to break their eggs, so this is the safest way to ensure they hatch. Daryl Eason is caring for one of the most delicate and precious babies in the world. I've worked with these birds now for 17 years, and it's kinda special, because it's not often you get to meet every individual of a species. I'm passionate about them, and I'll do my best to ensure their survival. When Daryl first started working with kakapo, they were at their lowest ebb. The last 50 birds on Earth required intensive care. TRANQUIL MUSIC Kakapo only breed two or three times a decade, so nothing can go wrong tonight. Ensuring the species survives takes care, commitment and a healthy dose of underhand cunning. OWL HOOTS, INSECTS CHIRP Rakiura has no idea that she is under surveillance. Codfish Base. Codfish Base. This is Rakiura's nest on 17. Copy? RT: Codfish base receiving. Go ahead. Good evening. Rakiura has left the nest, so... RT: ...you can send him on up. Over. RT: Thanks for that, Tim. He'll probably be with you in about an hour. Over. Rakiura's departure starts the clock ticking. SOFT, SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC It's time for this chick to meet its mother. BIRDS CHIRP OWL HOOTS SOFT, SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES They need to make sure Rakiura isn't nearby. If she sees them, she might desert her nest. One final warm meal and the chick is ready. I think she's coming back. That's a nice nest. CHICK CHIRPS This might be the most vulnerable moment in its life. CHICK CHIRPS Kakapo mothers, surprised by the sudden new arrival, have been known to attack their own baby. CHICK CHIRPS Hey, she's feeding it. Yeah. It looks like it. Yeah. CHICK CHIRPS I see her accepting it straight away. It's just magic. Just gotta wait now. (CHUCKLES) Wait and see how well she goes. Rakiura's chick is one of just five hatched on Codfish Island this year. But every new arrival is a small step on the long road to kakapo recovery. MAJESTIC MUSIC This is a land that has undergone many transformations, but at its heart remains a world apart, an awe-inspiring wilderness, which is why every year people flock here in their millions to marvel at its splendour. MAJESTIC MUSIC BUILDS Today 2000 passengers are on board the largest ocean liner ever built. More than three times the weight of the Titanic, and yet completely dwarfed by the sheer majesty of New Zealand's Milford Sound. Unknowingly, they sail past the entrance of a very special valley ` one that represents hope of a better future. INSPIRING MUSIC This is Sinbad Gully on the southern edge of Milford Sound. It's one of the very last places on mainland New Zealand where wild kakapo were heard to boom. Hidden and protected by ramparts of high mountains, perhaps one day, when Codfish Island's kakapo are numerous enough, this is where they will first return, home at last to boom again.