WOMAN: This is my mum, Shirley Maddock. In 1964, she was the creator of New Zealand's first ever documentary series, Islands of the Gulf. SHIRLEY: To visit an island is to leave the mainland behind, even if it is only for the day. Those ground-breaking programmes were all about the islands and inhabitants of the Hauraki Gulf. Are we very lonely out there? So, we've got too much to do to be lonely. The gulf, with its acres of ocean ` 4000km2 ` has always been attractive to holidaymakers. Right on the doorstep of our largest city, it's also provided refuge for those dreaming of an escape from mainland life. Welcome to the yurt. It's so beautiful. Ecologically essential, the islands are also a haven for our most vulnerable flora and fauna. Wow. The rain, presumably, has made the river significantly wider. Over 50 years later, I'm retracing my mother's journey. (SWELLING POP MUSIC) I'm Elizabeth Easther, a daughter on a mission. Voyaging around these extraordinary islands by boat, seaplane and kayak, I want to learn how things have changed since the 1960s. People could exist in a very simple way. On my journey, I look at tales from the past, how islanders make a living,... When we first started, we didn't know anything about wine. the conservation battle,... There she goes. and I'll meet some remarkable people. Because in spite of island life being challenging at times, there's still room for a little whimsy. So, being a mermaid here on the island fits in perfectly. (LAUGHS) My mother was fascinated with island people, what made them tick. And now, so am I. That interview with Mum and Dad outside, and Dad with that fag hanging out of his mouth. (UPLIFTING MUSIC) And thanks to modern technology,... (KIDS SQUEAL) ...we will see the islands in ways that were never possible in the 1960s. Welcome to my Islands Of The Gulf. (ETHEREAL MUSIC) To begin, I'm going to look at how the islands have changed since Mum visited them. SHIRLEY: You can measure Waiheke's 20-mile length from a few hundred feet up. Yet, still, it's hard to believe that nearly 2000 people live here. And that means starting where Mum's series did ` on Waiheke, the Gulf's second largest island and just 30 minutes by ferry from downtown Auckland. SHIRLEY: With large-scale development planned for the gulf, many Waihekeans are strongly aware of the potential of their island's untouched thousands of acres. To get an idea of the development that was planned for Waiheke, Mum talked to local business owner Bob Burns. The only thing that's held Waiheke back has been the absence of fast sea transport. And what better place to meet with Bob's son, Jim, than smack-bang on the exact same wharf at Matiatia. Who would've thought, 54 years later? Yeah. I'd have to say I got quite emotional when I saw the original programme. I mean, I hadn't seen my father moving or heard his voice, let alone both together, in God only knows how long. What sort of picture do you have in your mind of Waiheke 10 years from now? Well, I think it's quite on the cards that it'll turn into a dormitory suburb of Auckland. We have subdivision, at present, to take 40,000 people. And that's only a small part of the island. Bob's dormitory suburb prediction came true. There are now roughly 10,000 permanent residents, close to five times the population in 1964. You must be very proud of your father being so wise with the things he said. Well, he knew, deep down within himself, that if there was a fast boat service, it would be the making of Waiheke. And that's proven to be the case. Not quite` I think he referred to` Waiheke had the potential for 40,000. He wouldn't have been totally in favour of apartments along the foreshore, but he did want as many people as possible to enjoy this place. The other thing, I suppose, my father would find interesting about Waiheke now is there are people from literally all over the world. And he would've loved that diversity. With such an influx of people, both tourists and residents, diversity is a major Waiheke feature. Yet on the surface, the township of Oneroa doesn't appear to have changed much at all since Mum's day. SHIRLEY: This is the main centre of business. There's a chemist here, a cinema, a once-weekly bank. The barber's shop at Oneroa commands from its chair what must be the most splendid view of any in the country. That splendid view is gone, along with the regulation short back and sides. Because these days, it's customised cuts,... Nice. ...groovy music and Andre the Brazilian barber. And how long have you been barbering on Waiheke? For five years. I came to visit a friend here on Waiheke just for a day. Then I fell in love with the island. Then I decide to move. And how is it different from Brazil? From Brazil? I'm from Sao Paulo, where there's 25 million people, so it's pretty different than Waiheke Island, for sure. So, what's your usual clientele coming through the doors? Whole island. All sorts of people, you know? White, blue, yellow, rich, poor, crazy, normal. (BOTH LAUGH) Couple of homeless. Everyone comes here. Do people pay you in, like, chicken's eggs and silver beet? Yeah, I get a few like that. They do veggies and eggs, yeah. Someone wanted to give me pot as well, but I don't smoke, so I said, 'No, bring some veggies.' (LAUGHS) Waiheke's green dollar. (BOTH LAUGH) (GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC) Being paid in cabbages might work for Andre, but it's hard currency that's preferred when you visit the cafes, restaurants and accommodation that cater to Waiheke's booming tourist trade. And everywhere you go, you'll see people eager to spend. And don't forget those vineyards. Occupying land once devoted to farming, there were 25 at last count. And property prices are always rising, with the small, improvised baches from Mum's day often bowled to make way for flash mansions and not-so-humble holiday homes. But in pretty little Putiki Bay, you can still find locals who resist the tide of change. It does have a great deal of charm, especially where we are right now. It's lovely, isn't it? I mean, I love these higgledy-piggledy boats. And these ones here that we can see that people live on. Unusual, in some places, but they've been tolerated. Author Bruce Ansley lives on Waiheke, and he harbours a deep affection for what these houseboats represent. So, you've got your people arriving by helicopter, and then you've got your houseboat people. That's right. Do they clash a great deal? The lifestyles, I suppose, are so different, you could say they clash. But there's no open warfare or anything like that. But all the money is having an effect. I've only lived on this island for four years, and in that time house prices have doubled. And it's now quite an expensive island to live on. So that's the big problem, I guess. And how many people can the island take? That's the ongoing debate here. You know, because it is an island. And so you can't endlessly cram people into it. No. You will have seen the double-deck busses that are cruising around now. They're totally out of scale with the island. They've had to cut back a lot of the pohutakawas to accommodate them. No! Didn't people get up in arms, chain themselves to the trunks? Well, the letters to the Gulf News have been running hot. (BOTH LAUGH) (LIGHT PIANO MELODY) I'd hate to think there's friction between long-term residents and newcomers with their new money. Because Waiheke has a long tradition of people looking out for one another. SHIRLEY: The peace of the afternoon is sliced in two by a fire siren. The Waiheke Fire Brigade was a voluntary service in Mum's day, and it still is. There's Stan White, the fire chief. Today's fire chief is Bruce Sciascia. And when he's not fighting fires, he's a builder. Bruce, you've been on the island now for almost 40 years. How long have you been a fire fighter in that time? Um, I'm coming up to 32 years in the brigade here. Started when I was at school, 16 years old. And, um, yeah, haven't left. What's the biggest change, Waiheke-wide, for you? Probably just the huge increase in population here on Waiheke, going back from a few hundred people now to close on 10,000 people. And what's changed about the Fire Service? Cos your trucks are looking quite flash. Yeah, yep, yep. We've got some pretty cool toys to play with. But obviously, the volume of incidents we go to has quadrupled in the 50 years we've been operating. What's the main things that you go to? What are the call-outs? Um. 20% of our work is medical. Probably 10% to 15% are actual fires. And, the rest of the time, it's anything from motor vehicle accidents, cliff rescues, chemical incidents, taking cats out of trees. Posing for the calendar? No, that wasn't` No, not my forte. How much time does that take? (BOTH LAUGH) (ALARM BLARES) SHIRLEY: Less than 30 seconds after the alarm has sounded, they're off with a screech and a roar and a slip-stream of thick, white dust. (SIRENS WAIL) As the fire engines head off, I'm moving on to another island ` the island that ignited my mum's love affair with the gulf. It's, um, best-kept secret in the gulf, so... Ooh, I hope we don't spoil it. 1 It's not OK to say she was asking for it. It's not OK to punch a hole in a wall to show your family who's boss. Or think you can demand their love and respect. And it's not OK to look the other way and say it's not our problem. Because it is our problem. And it's not OK. Ever. But it is OK to ask for help. 1 I'm continuing to follow in my mother's wake around the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. Leaving Waiheke, I head to the much smaller and more sparsely populated island of Rakino, just 7km to the west. When my mother was making her series, the thing that started her off was a random visit to Rakino. Yes. So I always have a slightly warm feeling about Rakino. Oh, yeah. It's, um, the best kept secret in the gulf, so... Ooh, I hope we don't spoil it. I've thumbed a lift with Stephen Wong and his dog, Lex. Stephen's the local real estate agent, and he's owned a property on the island for 21 years. So, how did Rakino become your island? Went to visit a friend out there one time and just fell in love with it. Put an offer in, same day, without Linda looking at it, my wife. Wow. 'A bold move that paid off.' But it's a tricky island. The ferry service doesn't go very often and there's no shops at all. How do you manage? Well, I've got my own boat, so it doesn't worry me. But people get used to it. You take a whole lot of rations over there, long-life milk, a whole lot of tinned foods. The restrictions on the island, I actually enjoy that because it keeps a lot of the riff-raff off the island. People that really want it ` they'll go out there and spend the weekend. SHIRLEY: We were the guests of the island's most recent owners. When Mum visited Rakino, the island was owned by a philanthropic cult, the United People's Organisation. SHIRLEY: They've decided to settle further north, and have offered Rakino for sale in 31 blocks. Now there are around 200 sections on this 150ha island. Power, water and sewerage are all do-it-yourself, The roads are pretty basic, and a flat white or a Rose are a boat trip away ` although Rakino-ites know to stock up. On the plus side, few people bother with warrants on their vehicles; neighbours are quick to help out; and wherever you look, the views are magical. Does this road have a name? Yeah, so, this one here's Marine Park Avenue. Uh, we call this part here 'Remuera on Rakino'. (LAUGHS) Woody Bay's 'Takapuna on Rakino'. If you're not from Auckland, that means it's the posh part of Rakino. Right. I like it already. I briefly dream of owning a property on the island my mother fell for. Who wouldn't? Oh man! Pretty good, isn't it? Yeah. You know? Easy enough to put a little track down to the beach. Could you do that? You'd be quite easy just to` Yeah, easy enough to go down there. It's not too steep. Steven said this house was in the 'Remuera of Rakino'. And its sale price is very Remuera ` $900,000. Oh, goodness! (LAUGHS) There goes my dream of owning a slice of heaven. No, OK. Well, I'm afraid I can't. SHIRLEY: A narrow promontory divides the Homestead Bay from Sandy Bay. Its terraced slopes are signs of ancient Maori habitation. Back in Mum's day, Rakino was mostly farmland. Following subdivision, there was a lot of planting, which brought birds back to the island ` tui and kereru. And if anything, it's more beautiful than it was in the 1960s. When we came to the island, it was like, 'Oh, this is like New Zealand how I remember as a kid growing up.' It's just wonderful. Wim and Jo found their house on the internet. Well, we got back from Europe after our tour there. And we just googled, for fun, 'Cheapest house in NZ.' That was it. 'And it was love at first sight. Four years on, they combine their island life with work in Europe, 'where Wim is in demand as a public speaker and physical therapist.' It's quite a thing, coming from Europe ` you spend part of the year in Europe ` and then living on Rakino. Right. How do you change gears? Well, we don't have to, really. Cos when we go to Europe we have a campervan, which we live in, basically, for a couple of months. Because everything's so small, right? You've got a limited amount of water; you've got not-so-much power and solar. So it's very much like living in a tiny wee bach which you drive around in. It's back to basics, and that's what we like. And so coming here, it's just, actually, we've got this big house now, which is still set up like a campervan. So, you know... (INDISTINCT CHATTER) 'After hearing about the $900,000 bach, Wim and Joe suggest I look at a more affordable place... 'with views to die for.' I feel like my heart's just stopped. Oh, it's going again. (LAUGHTER) That was close. Thank God for that! 'I'm not surprised Mum fell in love with Rakino. And I can see why Wim and Jo love calling it home, 'because it really does steal your heart.' And it feels like that influx of new people that have arrived in the last two years, bringing with them their families, are presumably looking for the upbringing they had in the '70s. I'm absolutely sure of it. Yeah. Because they're not putting in big houses, they're arriving and they're putting tents on sections, and small cabins and things like that. So it's not` It's just, 'keep it simple'. There's a lot of wealthy people on the island. But if you look at their houses, they're just like little containers, really. It's so reassuring to hear this. I'd like to hope Rakino can hold fast to its rustic charm. Change has come slowly to Rakino. But what about the Hauraki Gulf's biggest and most remote island? (SOARING, INTENSE MUSIC) Aotea Great Barrier, where the inhabitants' roots run deep. Is there much feuding in a small community? Oh yeah. So, who wants Nova's great-value energy? Heaps of people. I knocked at Dr Knox and Jock the Lock's. Doc ` check. Jock ` check. Checked the Chuck's Charcoal Chicken? Uh, checked Chuck's Charcoal Chicken Tuesday. Chook ` check. BOTH: Choice. Hey, did you ring at Kings'? Uh, yep. Kings; Keatings; Kipling's Couplings; Werring's Herrings. Rang at Huang's? I rang Huang and the gang. Met Fang. (GROWLS, YAPS) Dang. Let's nip to Nick's Taranaki Knick-Knacks next. (KNOCKS) Knock-knock, Nick. No Nick? Ah! 'Back in a tick.' It's Greg Grover from Nova. CHUCKLES: Oh, don't start that all over. Every five years, we all do the census, but don't expect a knock on your door, because... Look out for your access code in your letterbox this week, then use it to... 1 (SPARSE BLUEGRASS GUITAR MUSIC) My mother's explorations took her right to the very edge of the gulf. Aotea Great Barrier covers 285km2, making it the largest island. Being the furthest flung, it does get hit by wild weather and lots of rain ` around 1.7m a year. A four-and-a-half-hour ferry ride from Auckland helps keep the riff-raff out. In Mum's day, the population was around 300. Today, it's closer to 900. So, is this the same building that would've been here when Mum was here? Yes. It was built in 1956. 'When Mum was on Aotea Great Barrier, she accompanied Pia, the district nurse, on her rounds.' SHIRLEY: She's out of her front gate at Fitzroy pretty early most mornings; she's got a large parish to cover. Today, I make a similar journey with nurse and midwife Adele. So, aside from you having a very different vehicle, how much would nursing have changed from Pia's day? The roads have changed. They're still narrow and windy, but they are sealed ` most of them. SHIRLEY: The road to Katherine Bay is an experience, not just a ride. It's like careening down a dried-up mountain creek bed. The other thing is the telecommunications has changed. She just had a crank telephone and a radio in the clinic; nothing with her. So once she was out, she was on her own; whereas we've got cell-phone coverage now. When I first came here, all of the visits that I had with families were in the home. In those days a lot of people didn't have vehicles, even. So we had to go to them. But now it's kind of easier for people to access us. Many patients will travel to the clinic. But today, Adele is making a house call. SHIRLEY: This morning, Nancy's daughter Raewyn was 2 weeks old. Mother and child have just come home from the mainland. As with many island infants, baby Manuka was born on the mainland. She's looking good. Yeah. You're looking happy. Are you giving us smiles? Are you? Having made home visits for the last 25 years, Adele has seen big changes in the way many islanders live. 'When I first came here, I'd go to someone's house with a new baby. 'And they would have maybe one room that they were sleeping in, 'and they might even be cooking outside in a lean-to.' Hey. You're a big girl. (MANUKA GRIZZLES) 'And people would get work, and then they would go into Auckland 'and bring back a load of demolition materials. 'And then, the next baby, I'd go and there'd be a kitchen and another room.' So, I should just do another check of her when she's 9 months old. (MANUKA FUSSES) OK, cool. Thanks, Adele. A lot of the houses were built over a number of years, as they could afford them. They didn't have mortgages, or if they did, they had very small mortgages. And it set the families up. When Auckland council took responsibility for the island in 1989, residents had to become more mindful of big-city regulations; pesky things like building laws. That sort of stopped that whole being able to do things cheaply. Now you have to actually have some money behind you and you have to have jobs. And it's kind of sad in a way. Because it just meant that people could exist in a very simple way. (SOFT ELECTRIC FOLK GUITAR) You can still live a simple, uncomplicated life here. Around 50% of locals live on their own. And between 2006 and 2013, the population grew by just 45. Up until April last year, there hadn't been a burglary reported on the island for 17 years. (POLICE SIREN WAILS) With so little crime, the police have time to stop for a chat. We do everything. So we do coastguard. Myself and my husband, who's the other police officer, are both the skippers for the coastguard boat. We both do rural fire. Up until a couple of years ago, we were the ambulance for the island. 'Kylie and husband Roger are the islands only police officers.' Is there anything you don't do? Get cats out of trees? (BOTH LAUGH) They just have to deal with it. Yeah. 'So what sort of crime does occupy the local constabulary?' Unlawfully taking of cars. We had a couple of those last year. I mean, it's always been that sometimes the cars got borrowed. So somebody didn't want to walk over the hill when they'd come out of the pub at night. And, nine times out of 10, the person's got up next morning, and had the phone call ` 'Aw, sorry mate, I grabbed your car last night.' But last year we had a couple of young people take cars that weren't able to put them back because they had accidents in them. Which was really different for the island. Is there much feuding? You know, in a small community? Oh yeah. Yeah. Small communities just lead to feuding. And some of the feuds here have gone back for generations. You know, 'My family's seventh generation and your family's only sixth generation.' Or this sort of stuff. But it's really minor stuff. And they actually really support each other, and they're there when it counts. Mum would be glad to know that the people of Aotea Great Barrier have held on to their sense of community in spite of the world changing so fast elsewhere. Rakino was her first love in the islands of the gulf, a chance visit igniting the original series and her best-selling book. But I do wonder what she'd make of the islands today. As for Waiheke, Bob Burn's 1964 prophecy ` that it could become a dormitory suburb of Auckland ` has come true; the tides of change seemingly unstoppable. Having seen how things have changed on these islands, next week I'll explore the ways they've stayed the same. Mind your head. Gracious! We used to take them down to the main wharf. And I'd set up my little stall on the wharf and I'd sell them dressed rabbit carcasses. So there would've been one big crust layer on here. Captions by John Gibbs Edited by Tracey Dawson. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2018