1 (MAJESTIC MUSIC) In New Zealand, you're never far from the rumble and grumble of earthly forces. While many long-dead volcanoes crumble away or are very deep below out of sight and mind, in Taranaki, this soaring symmetrical cone is a daily reminder of life's ephemeral touch. This is a region with an explosive past. The volcano at its core is a slumbering giant far from extinct, and it casts a long shadow. The coastline here was carved by the same hand that sculpted the whole of the western seaboard of New Zealand. It's an ever-changing, ever-evolving place. (MAJESTIC MUSIC FADES) (DRAMATIC MUSIC) In Taranaki, marine archaeologist Matt Carter dives into a ghost from the Land Wars. Just so distinctive of a paddle steamer. It's amazing. Geologist Hamish Campbell strikes oil. If we refined this, we'll get, believe it or not, shampoo. Author Riria Hotere bends with the wind. Nothing happens in this place without it being a controversy. Marine biologist Jacky Geurts asks if this unlikely organism has the power to heal. They've got many, um, anti-cancer properties, so a lot of people are interested in using them for human therapeutics. And I get to experience a coast like no other. I think you can regard it almost like a lover. We're in Taranaki, and this is Coast New Zealand. (MAJESTIC MUSIC) Captions by Faith Hamblyn. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017 Our adventure around Taranaki travels from Tongaporutu to the Waitara surf, through the city of New Plymouth, around to the Patea River Mouth, to Waiinu Beach. Coastal shipping was the lifeblood of colonial New Zealand, and in Taranaki, its role was more significant than just trade, after conflict erupted during the Land Wars of the 1860s, when Maori battled Europeans over disputed land sales stemming from the Treaty of Waitangi. (DRAMATIC MUSIC) Matt Carter investigates the fate of a particular steamer that is now a rare archaeological memento. I'm here at the mouth of the Patea River to find out why shipping, and in particular paddle steamers, were so critical to the region at that time. As battles flared in the 1860s, coastal trade switched from supplying settlers to moving troops and weapons. Historian and museum curator Nigel Ogle is an expert on the role of steamers in the Taranaki Wars. So, this was the way in, the way out, of goods in ` goods out. That was the start of it until the military arrived, and for the same reason, started to use the river for the same purposes ` bringing supplies in, bringing men in, um, because there was no railway, no roads. The port was it. This was the doorway into South Taranaki. And so, to bring in the amount of men and supplies that they did, they had to find a way of getting them safely on shore. They wanted to get them right into the river mouth and up the river if they could. Why were paddle steamers so useful in this kind of terrain, this kind of environment? Mainly cos of the shallow draught, they're very manoeuvrable. The sandbar out there shifts, and they never quite knew where the bar was to get over. And the paddle steamers could, sort of, rise up and go over them with, like, say, only 6ft of water underneath them. Manoeuvre with paddles both sides, they could just negotiate it, uh, more easily than anything with a sail on. With the military campaign, we have a good record of that through a Lieutenant Colonel Edward Arthur Williams, who was an artillery officer. We get these wonderful watercolours. One here, right at the mouth of the river shows the two paddle steamers actually into the river, discharging troops here, who are heading on up to the redoubt. And this one is really, I think, my favourite. The busy-ness of just artillery, bullock teams, horse teams. They all had to be brought in by, uh, paddle-steamer, moving 2000, 3000 men, and all came in through the mouth here and discharged just up the river. And the paddle steamers themselves. I mean, elsewhere around the world, they're becoming quite obsolete. But they worked really well in these conditions. They did. Yeah, it was ideal for a coast like this. One of those nimble steamers was the Tasmanian Maid, which, remarkably, lies just off the coast of New Plymouth. I'm on the hunt for what remains of it, beginning at the city's Kawaroa foreshore, with fellow maritime archaeologist Andy Dodd. Morning, Andy. Gidday. It was January 1858, and, uh, there was bad weather. And so the Tasmanian Maid and another vessel, the Storm Bird, it sheltered in the roadstead port here at New Plymouth. And the next day, they left at the same time, and they both took slightly different bearings. And the Tasmanian Maid came closer to the shore, and it just clipped the edge of the reef. It sank very quickly. And Captain Souter was on the deck, loading out the last of the potatoes from the hull, as the vessel went down underneath him. The Tasmanian Maid is one of some 3000 shipwrecks that mark the ominous chapters of New Zealand's maritime history. But unlike most of those, it has endured the unforgiving West Coast currents, and it's close to shore, which means a good opportunity to have a look. We're hitching a ride out with local legend David 'Chaddy' Chadfield on his lovingly maintained 80-year-old lifeboat. So, where are we going, Andy? Uh, we're going on to the Kawaroa Reef. Um, the shipwreck's about 500m off the point, and the wreck is in about 7m or 8m of water. In New Zealand, shipwrecks from the 1860s are considered rare, and those associated with the Land Wars, even rarer. (MYSTERIOUS MUSIC) (WATER BUBBLES) And soon enough, a ghostly presence takes shape. (MUSIC CONTINUES) Here is the, uh, engine block. (MUSIC CONTINUES) (WATER BUBBLES) Here's, uh, two pistons... either side. Um, and they powered the paddle wheels... in the centre of the ship. You can just see how intact it is. It's really quite impressive, isn't it? Yeah. It sits about 2m above the seabed. It's really quite a prominent feature. Pipes, hull plates ` it's a haunting metallic memorial. Talk about ghosts in the machine! Scattered over 50m of reef, and at its edge, the steamer's distinctive feature. This is the paddle wheel and, uh, one of the paddle-wheel frames. Uh, you can see the hub in the centre of the wheel and the spokes radiating out from that. And then the circular pieces around the outside, with the frames that house the paddle wheel. Oh, that's just such a fantastic piece to see. It's just so distinctive of a paddle steamer and of this particular ship. It's amazing. So there she lies, a fragile relic from a turbulent time in the early colonial history of Taranaki ` a short but eventful life that ended unfortunately, close to port and yet so far from our busy lives. (POIGNANT MUSIC) Next ` Are these just natural on the beach? That's amazing. Gosh, you'd swear that had been made by people polishing and grinding. It's like a wind vane from the past. 1 (DRAMATIC MUSIC) Here's a question ` what do the planet Mars, the continent of Antarctica and Taranaki have in common? Well, the word is ventifact. It means made by the wind. Intrigued? I think so. It's a proper Taranaki mystery worth investigating. I'm on Waiinu Beach to meet Ngati Rauru elder Marty Davis. Marty. Tena koe, Neil. So, tell me ` what are these stones that I've heard so much about? So, uh, they are called ventifacts. Uh-huh. But in our reo, they are kohatu taonga. What does that mean in English? Well, they... In English, they are a special type of stone. Special stone? And, um... Can I see? Certainly. Oh yes. That's amazing. Gosh, you'd swear that had been made by people polishing and grinding. Sure, yeah. So, these are just natural on the beach? These are natural, uh, in the area around here. Many, many millions of years ago, we had naturally forming dunes. And the west coast of the North Island here is quite windy. Uh, blowing sand across stones that have been sitting in the valleys of the dunes have caused this. So it's just gradually being ground away, blasted away? Sandblasted. Sandblasted, essentially. Over... ...hundreds of thousands or millions of years. Yes. That's fantastic. Yes. I love that. That stone has been in one place... One place. ...for so long. And that's showing the way the wind was blowing... Exactly. ...at that time. Exactly. It's like a wind vane from the past. These stones, like giant brazil nuts, characterised by their distinct three-sided form, are found in only five places ` Death Valley in California; the Sahara; Antarctica; Mars; and, um, South Taranaki. Have people been collecting these, taking them away? Yes, they have been collected and, um, fossicked. We had a family who took quite a number of them to their residence in Whangarei ` 10 metric tons of it. 10 tons? I don't know the full story. I understand that the family` one of the family members became quite ill. And, uh, the extended family said, 'What are those things you've got outside? 'They don't belong here. I think they should go home to where they belong.' Really? So the feeling in the family was that by having objects that didn't belong in that place and didn't belong to him ` ill fortune. Maybe contributed to his,... uh, sickliness. Gosh. So they were repatriated back here. To prevent any further illicit removals, they have been buried at an unknown marae until a suitable final resting place has been chosen. I have to admit if I was walking along this beach and I saw this, I would be sorely tempted to pick it up and keep it. Yes, and so have a number of people. But, uh, being a taonga, uh, it's protected in... in the view of the iwi, and they should remain where they are. How wonderful. Ventifact. I've learned something. Every day's a school day. (CHUCKLES) Good. (CHUCKLES) New Zealand ` blessed with good rain, this country's wealth from agriculture has been handmade, unlike the windblown ventifacts. But here in Taranaki, nature has bestowed another gift rich and rare. Geologist Hamish Campbell wants to know how black gold came to be a New Zealand coastal phenomenon. Oil. And the Taranaki coast is so steeped in it that it literally oozes out here. Oil and gas have been produced in Taranaki for more than 150 years. In fact, it's the world's second oldest oilfield after Canada. One question ` why here? I'm at the dramatic Waihi Beach cliffs at Hawera, which offer the first clue about the origins of Taranaki's hydrocarbons. Two main rock strata ` massive grey muddy sandstone at the bottom, with a softer, brown layer above ` a distinctive feature that can be seen for kilometres along the coastline. So, how do these sedimentary layers help create oil and gas? I'm asking GNS Science Geologist Dr Greg Browne. So, Greg, this sandstone ` would this be a suitable reservoir for oil and gas? It would be if it was buried deeper in the basin. How do we get a formation like this down to that sort of depth, 2km to 3km beneath us? You need, basically, the area to subside, to drop. Right. So we do that just through the tectonic processes that occur in New Zealand. Uh, so parts of the country are going down and forming these sedimentary basins, but other parts of the country are coming up, to form the ranges. So as the ranges come up, they're providing the sediment, like this sand, that then flows into these sedimentary basins that, of course, sometimes contain oil and gas. How do oil and gas form? In simple sense, it's the organic material from previous environments. So it's the plants and the shells that used to live in ancient worlds, uh, that get buried, and they get buried, uh, many kilometres deep. Um, but in the process of being buried, they also heat up. So it's the burial and the temperature that changes those simple organic materials into the oil and gas that we can pull out of the ground. Right. And it takes 40 million-odd years or more. And then it gets migrated as fluids upwards, because of buoyancy, into some sort of a reservoir structure ` sandstone, typically. Most people think that oil exists in pools or ponds deep within the earth, but it doesn't. It actually resides in sandstone just like this. Hard to believe, but these liquids, oil and gas, fluids, just reside between the sand grains. And when a drill is dropped into a sandstone reservoir, the intense pressure is released, forcing the liquid oil out and up to the surface. Up to New Plymouth, and it was on Ngamotu Beach that New Zealand's first oil deposit was discovered, by accident. In the 1860s, the early settlers complained about the oily scum on the beach that required them to wipe their boots and lift their dresses as they walked along the sand. Rainbow-hued slicks often covered the water around the Sugar Loaf Islands. Local Maori told of an atua, or spirit, who drowned there and was still decomposing. The first oil well was dug by hand in 1865. Derricks sprang up around Ngamotu as oil pioneers rushed to cash in on the black gold oozing from the sand. Just one beam pump, or nodding Neddy, remains today as a reminder of the heydays. So, is Taranaki still producing oil and gas? New Zealand Energy Corp's Mike Adams should know. So, Taranaki Basin ` how big is it? It's very substantial. It's about 5.5km, maybe a bit more, to the very bottom. And there's about 400, 500 wells drilled offshore and onshore. Maui is the second offshore well drilled in New Zealand. And Maui-1, the gas field is so big, in the time it was discovered, it was one of the 10 biggest in the world ` 1969. Can you describe New Zealand as an oil-producing nation? Yes, we can. We produce probably 15,000 to 20,000 barrels a day. How do we stack up compared with other countries? We're tiny. If you go and look at Saudi Arabia, they're at, sort of, 10 million a day. What are the oil and gas reserves today? We've got enough gas, for what we're using at current, sort of, levels, to run us out another 20, 25 years. So, Mike, I've seen crude before, but I've never seen it that colour. No, it's, um, called McKee Blend. McKee Blend? And it's called McKee after the first really big onshore oil field. It's solid because it's waxy and it's cooled down. See what it feels like. All right, Mike. Well, it smells like grease. Oh yeah. It feels waxy. Yeah, it's more like a molten candle wax. So, if we refine this, we'll get a range of product out of it. The simplest one that everyone will know is lube oil. It will also make some petrol and some diesel and some plastics and products. This is, uh, believe it or not, shampoo. So, what are the challenges hunting for oil and gas along this coastline? The main challenge is that it's actually quite an aggressive coastline. And there's high levels of erosion, there's high levels of movement of the rocks and the sand round the coastline. So you always want to avoid harming the wildlife, impeding any sort of coastal movement of sand. And when you go drilling offshore, you put a platform out there. And there are some real challenges around that, because the waves get quite nasty around this coastline. 40 million years in the making, it's not a lot, and it won't last much longer. But for 150 years, oil and gas have been a rewarding and transformative resource for Taranaki and New Zealand. Coming up ` but is it art? So many people against the Wind Wand. Nothing happens in this place without it being a controversy. 1 (MAJESTIC MUSIC) Architectural innovation ` tick. Award-winning ` tick. Awe-inspiring ` tick. This cleverly engineered bridge perfectly framing Mt Taranaki is all of the above. Opened in 2010 as an extension of New Plymouth's renowned Coastal Walkway, the 70m-long Te Rewa Rewa Bridge is a triumph of form and function that so vividly represents a sacred tribal relationship between land, sea and wind. It's a wonderful creation, and it evokes so many images ` everything from the uncurling fern, a breaking wave, even the exposed bones of a whale's carcass. And it also creates an archway that provides the gateway leading to the sacred ground of the local tribe, Te Ati Awa. It's undeniably a feat of engineering innovation, and it follows a proud legacy. Indeed, New Plymouth is home to one of New Zealand's most important creative minds, kinetic sculptor Len Lye. Author Riria Hotere is here to investigate an unusual marriage between art and engineering in a town that didn't want to know about it. Coastal walkways ` always refreshing and invigorating. And here in New Plymouth, there's an amazing array of diversity ` from lush farmlands in the east to wild surfing beaches in the west. But the most talked-about feature is that. The spectacular totem stands 45m tall and was constructed using state-of-the-art America's Cup yacht-mast technology. The slender pole with weighted ball atop is so delicately balanced that, when a breeze catches it, it has the capacity to swing up to 20m in any given direction. Mechanical engineer and philanthropist John Matthews explains. We're looking at a Len Lye Wind Wand. It's a kinetic work of art. And it's designed that if there's no wind, it just stands absolutely vertically. And as Len said, if a bumblebee came along and just parked himself on top, it would lean over. In wild winds, it's really going crazy. Len Lye was a controversial figure in New Zealand art. Internationally renowned and influential, he was judged by some as an outsider whose art has little relevance to the local tradition. Described as the unsung maverick of modern art, Len Lye was a creative one-man movement whose work spanned several countries and multiple media until his death in 1980. Unknown at home, he moved to London in 1924 and then on to the post-war New York avant-garde art scene, where he mapped a unique course through Modernism. John Matthews was captivated by Len Lye and his dynamic, seemingly impossible-to-build ideas. I volunteered to design and build the works. I mean, he was the conceptualist. A little bit towards` towards this way. He was the genius who said, 'This is the way it's gonna work,' and it was my job to put it together. What was Len Lye like? Oh, marvellous guy. Huge personality. He was not only a kinetic artist; he also made films. He developed direct on-film technology, so he painted and etched directly on to the film. So he was the world pioneer. What's his legacy? It's the works. We're still building his works. Cos he realised that at the time that he was alive, the technology wouldn't be around to enable these sort of giant pieces to be built. So our role is now to produce those to the way he explained he wanted them to look and to perform. Besides the aesthetic, does it have any practical use? Yeah, because people use it as a place to converge. So they say, 'We'll meet you at the Wind Wand.' It's certainly a beacon. It was a $300,000 project designed to mark the new millennium, but the now-revered landmark had something of a rough start. It was hugely contested before it arrived. We opened it on millennium night, and then about two weeks later, there was a colossal wind came in and a whole lot of abhorrent behaviour, and the clear sphere fell off ` a very unfortunate moment for those of us in engineering. But we took it away and reworked that. It's been fine ever since. When it came down, there was a competition. And we had in the order of 450 Wind Wands went up around Taranaki ` you know, all sorts of wonky ideas. And they were just a huge laugh. While you could say that everyone here has an opinion on the Wind Wand, no one else can claim writer Virginia Winder's special moment in history. Well, amazingly, I won the raffle to turn on the Wind Wand at midnight of the new millennium. CROWD: Three, two, one! (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) So, when you went to flick the switch, how did you feel? I felt very emotional, actually. It was just, like, so momentous, and there had been so many people against the Wind Wand. Nothing happens in this place without it being a controversy. (LAUGHS) And then, when the Wind Wand went up, people fell in love with it. It's funny how things like that happen, isn't it? Yeah. People started looking at it and loved how it waved in the wind. And they actually connected with it. What do you think the Wind Wand means to this community now? I think it's part of who we are. We soar, like the Wind Wand. It symbolises creativity,... art, technology and the wild west coast. Good art is meant to be provocative. And whether you love it or hate it, this is now an emblem of this town. (TRANQUIL MUSIC) It's not just the abundance of hydrocarbons that have bestowed Taranaki with the title of New Zealand's energy hub. Parininihi Marine Reserve, an hour north of New Plymouth, has been deemed by marine scientists as high-energy due to a constantly changing environment. Amid massive tidal flows and churning seabeds, there's a reef upon which are anchored a collection of rare and exotic sponges which are potential lifesavers. Marine biologist Jacky Geurts is joining a high-powered team from the University of Waikato in search of the miracle sponges of Pariokariwa Reef. In 1986, scientists found an ingredient, Halichondrin B, in a deepwater sea sponge off the Kaikoura coast, which led to the development of a drug released in 2010 to treat metastatic late-stage breast cancer. Today's team is hoping they will find similarly promising sponges here in North Taranaki. Marine biologist Chris Battershill is a world-renowned expert on marine sponges and believes this area is nothing short of a natural wonder. It's one of the most diverse, most complex sponge gardens I've ever seen. Why are the sponges here? That's a very good question, cos in a way, they shouldn't be. By all sense of the word where sponges like to live, which are hugely pristine environments, not much sediment, they shouldn't be there at all. Here, you have a lot of river input, a lot of mud and stuff coming out of the rivers. And also, usually, unlike today, it's a pretty violent coast. And we think that the water movement, as well as something in the water, creates this vibrant growth. So, what's so special about them? Uh, sponges are our lowest multicellular animal on the planet. They've been round for about 800 million years. Wow. And what they haven't made up in terms of their ability to, sort of, do things, like move, uh, they've made up in a very complex chemistry. And so, that chemistry protects them, and it's probably why this area is so unique as well. We've picked up on quite a varied chemistry that they must be using for their own defence. And that defensive chemistry is what attracted PhD student Sam McCormack. I'm really excited to look for, um, some mycalids. So, mycalids in New Zealand are known for their bioactivity, so their, um, anti-cancer and anti-microbial properties, so I'm really hoping we can find some of these along there, along the coast. (ETHEREAL MUSIC) Of all marine species, sponges have developed the highest number of toxic chemicals to protect themselves from constant attack by bacteria, viruses and other predators. That makes them a valuable resource for research. Why? Because sponges share a similar molecular structure to us, which means chemicals produced by these bizarre and colourful creatures can also be used to treat humans. So, how did you go, Sam? That was so awesome, yeah. We found exactly what we're looking for. I'll show you. So, these are Callyspongia ramosa, and these are really unique, because they've got interesting chemistry. Why are these so hard to find? Well, I didn't think that they would be here, due to all the sedimentation and the high current. Mm. So you'd think that the sediment would kill them all off. But, yeah, they're quite abundant here. So, was there anything else that you found down there? Yeah. So, um, I actually found some of these. So, these are pillow sponges, Ancorina alata. Basically, these are really, um, interesting because they have really long spicules, or glass crystals, that are found inside of them. So, if you can see along here, the glass actually sticks out along the surface of the sponge, and this is, kind of, a form of defence against predators from biting them. I feel like it's a new superhero. Yeah. Like, Sponge-guy, and he shoots out glass. Yeah! So it's really exciting to see all these potentially new species. In reality, developing a drug, particularly one that could conquer a cancer, takes a very long time. But here is where it begins, on the cutting edge of a coastline in Taranaki. Coming up ` the Wave Warriors of Waitara. Can anyone surf in Waitara? Nah, you've gotta be, um, tough, pretty resilient. You've gotta be pretty hard-core. 1 (BRIGHT MUSIC) Flax, or harakeke, grows abundantly across New Zealand, favouring the coast and low-lying wetlands. See the way these leaves split into very convenient fibres. And this material has been used by the Maori for centuries, for making everything from clothing to baskets to fishing lines. With European settlement, flax milling became an important part of Taranaki's economy for about 60 years from 1869. Most of the fibre was exported to Australia, Britain and North America, where it was used for making rope and twine. There's one New Zealander who spent the summers of his young life milling flax, but he went on to split the atom, to win New Zealand's first Nobel Prize. His name was Ernest Rutherford, and this is him right here on the hundred-dollar note. Born in 1871, near Nelson, Ernest Rutherford became one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century, considered the creator of modern atomic physics and the forerunner of the nuclear age. The stories of Rutherford's Taranaki connections, his work and colonial life here at the time, are told in a gallery on the ground floor of the replica Cape Egmont Lighthouse. It's a fitting place, because the Rutherford family lived in Tipoka Rd, Pungarehu, just a few kilometres away. Over a lifetime of scientific pre-eminence, Rutherford earned 21 honorary degrees and was featured on the stamps of more than a dozen countries. In 1908, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. While the discovery of heavy hydrogen has given us a new projectile... And with a nod to his beginnings, on accepting a peerage in 1931, he chose the title Baron Rutherford of Nelson. ...the rise of a new department of fundamental knowledge ` nuclear chemistry. He died in 1937, aged just 66. Albert Einstein described him as a second Newton, a man who tunnelled into the very material of God. And, in fact, his ashes were interred at Westminster Abbey, near Newton and Lord Kelvin. Taranaki's wild and rugged coastline is home to more than 12 world-class surf breaks. With surfing tracing its origins to Polynesia, Riria Hotere is at the opening of the 13th Aotearoa Maori Surf Championships to investigate whether that heritage gives Maori surfers an edge. We're here at Owae-Whaitara Marae for the welcoming ceremony for a surf competition like no other, because it's as much about bringing together Maori surfers as it is about high-performance surfing and competition. (ALL CHANT WAIATA) Taranaki has a staunch history of Ngaru Toa, or wave warriors, many of whom have dominated the New Zealand surfing scene ` a scene which in turn is dominated by board riders with tribal affiliations. Ricardo Christie, Ngati Kahungunu, is our best Maori surfer, consistently ranking inside the top 50 surfers in the world. And so the tradition continues ` tomorrow's competition in Taranaki will be fiercely contested by surfers at every level. It's early morning, and it's cold, but the decision has to be made about which shoreline offers the best breaks for the day's competition. It can be anywhere between Mokau and Patea, which is a coastline of about 200km. Local surfing stalwart Pip Ngaia is determined the event will be held on his home turf, and it's his decision. So, how's it looking? This is, like, a 10 out of 10, pretty much. Conditions are perfect. The winds are just pristine at the moment, and looking at the swell, the swell's probably as big as we want it. Yeah, it feels pretty special here today. It does. And over on the wall is our kaitiaki. A 'kaitiaki' is our ancestor. He's a seal, and when I saw him earlier this morning, I knew that, 'Thank you, Lord. God bless.' So he's given us our blessing, so kia ora to him. So, have you decided where you're gonna put the competition? Yeah, it's in my home town. Yeah. Where it should be. You know, and that, for me, was everything. I wanted to bring it back here, to bring it back where it first began. The Waitara Bar Boardriders Club is the oldest surf club in Taranaki. They initiated the first Aotearoa Maori Surfing Titles in 1993. The event has gone from strength to strength, but club president Jamie Andrews is quick to warn the motto round here is ` 'Go hard or go home'. Can anyone surf in Waitara? Uh, nah, it's not anyone. You've gotta be pretty hard-core. Why? It's quite serious here. We've got the river. Um, that's quite dangerous. A lot of water moves down through there, and so you've gotta be tough, pretty resilient. The staunch Waitara attitude ` no crybabies allowed ` echoes the pre-European Hawaiian surfing code, where the best beaches were reserved exclusively for chiefs and their handcrafted wooden longboards of up to 24ft, while commoners were left to wallow in the less desirable waters on boards half that length. Back then, there was no greater crime than a commoner dropping in on a royal wave. Tehei Mauriora. All right, all right, welcome along to the Aotearoa Maori Nationals 2016 here in the beautiful Waitara, Taranaki. Onshore it's about family and community spirit, but out here it's every man and woman for themselves. Competition is fierce, particularly among the younger set, because this year alone, seven of 12 New Zealand Junior Surfing Team members were Maori. Zhana Hutchieson is a rising star on the New Zealand Women's surfing circuit. At just 16, the Taranaki teen has notched up a number of national titles and is looking to defend her Open Women's Title today. How long you been surfing for? Um, I've been surfing for around 10 years now. 10 years? Yes, 10 years. Far out. Your whole family surfs, eh? Yes. And we even have two dogs that actually like to come out on the longboards and come for a little paddle. Yeah. This Maori event is pretty amazing, just to see all the new faces, all the people at my home turf. And I don't think I've ever seen this much people here before. Yeah. So, how competitive are you? I'm pretty competitive. Like, when it comes to comps, I'm really, like, determined to win. Good luck with that. Thank you. (CHUCKLES) Three, two, one. (HORN HONKS) Third at the moment, red surfer. He requires 784 to move from third to first. Currently sitting at second place, blue surfer, Sophia Moor. Right, so our positions at the moment. Green surfer, Zhana Hutchieson, you've extended your first position. You currently have a two-wave total of 14.43. And out the back, surfer three. (HORN HONKS) Whoo! Shot, babe. Wicked. I think you got that. When final scores are tallied, Zhana has blitzed the waves and takes out the Women's Open. So, what does the future hold for you? Um, the future holds more comps, maybe the New Zealand team next year. So, will this coastline be home to you for a while, then? Yeah. Yeah. (CHUCKLES) Everybody's heading back to the marae for the prize-giving. It's been a fantastic day. Do Maori surfers have an edge? Well, with the family and community support I've seen here today and the skills of the people carving up the surf on their home coastline, I'd believe it. Up next ` an extraordinary coastline going, going... All of this is all gone. 'What a bloody dork,' people must think, you know, 'mourning a piece of rock.' 1 (POWERFUL MUSIC) The New Zealand coastline ` dramatic, diverse, dangerous. And as much as were drawn to it, it's littered with stories of loss ` loss of life, loss of cargo and loss of the coast itself as it succumbs to constant wear and tear. Tongaporutu, on the North Taranaki coast, is famous for its towering sea stacks. But this area has forfeited more than most. Constant battering of soft sandstone cliffs by the turbulent Tasman Sea makes this coastline extremely vulnerable, but nothing can take away what it means to the ancestral caretakers of this fertile land,... led by kaumatua Haumoana White. This bit of coast... is a very, very... tapu place,... sacred place for us as a hapu ` your people call it clan. There have been many, many very serious battles... fought along this coast. It was coveted by... many different tribes. A lot of blood was lost defending it, holding it. The thing I always get from a place like this is that sound. The sound of the sea, that ever-present sound, gives a place an atmosphere. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The name of this area here is Tongaporutu,... and that means... the sound of the sea hitting the cliffs. If you listen to the waves on a real rough night, you'll hear the crashing against` Boom. Boom, boom. And that's Tongaporutu. Oh wow. How are you? Good. How's yourself? Photographer Pat Greenfield has been documenting the coastline for the past 16 years. What drew you to this particular stretch of coast? Because I was photographing down at Pilot Point Cave, had great light and everything, and the tripod had packed up. All the purple prose in the world didn't make it better, so I thought, I'll come back in a fortnight and re-photograph it. And when I did, everything had changed ` the huge boulders I'd sat on had gone. And I thought, if things were changing so quickly, perhaps I should record them. So I then determined to come back at least once a month for a whole year and document the changes. Has this place become your favourite place? Yeah, I think you can regard it almost like a lover. So the more you love a person, the more you love a place, the more you get to know their moods, their nuances, and eventually become... you become as one. The changes that Pat has witnessed have shocked her. Having taken hundreds of photographs, she's witnessed Elephant Rock losing its trunk, the birth of so-called Archway Rock... All of... All of this is all gone. ...and seen the rock stacks she lovingly dubbed the Four Sisters become three. I stood there and cried, and I thought, 'What a bloody dork,' people must think, you know, 'mourning a piece of rock.' But she was a family member. And I'd, sort of, got used to her different moods and different colours in the different lights and everything. What does this place mean to you now, having visited it so many times and seen all the moods and colours and atmospheres? Well, it's just a part of me. I suppose it's like food or something ` it sustains me. Uh, yeah. Pat says that beaches are the highways of the coast. She says their malleable mantles of sand ebb and flow with the prevailing currents and weather conditions. Each tidal cycle creates a fresh canvas, one never to be repeated. I couldn't have put that better myself. The volcano here, Mt Taranaki, is a reminder to the people that all things are temporary. But in spite of that, they also know that they have a coastline of rich natural resources, of creativity and durability. And that quality is perhaps best symbolised by the wand at New Plymouth, which, however much it bends to the storm, always finds the strength to stand back up again.