(MAJESTIC MUSIC) Stewart Island is home to 400 human inhabitants and 15,000 kiwi. It's 85% national park and 100% national treasure. Life, for all, is lived in accordance with the ocean tides and in harmony with the abundance of nature, flora and fauna that live within its secluded perimeter. (MAJESTIC MUSIC CONTINUES) (MUSIC SWELLS DRAMATICALLY) Joining me on this epic trip to Stewart Island, Riria Hotere tracks down a national treasure. WHISPERS: Here she comes. Here she comes. Marine archaeologist Matt Carter revisits an old haunt. One of the most preserved American-built ships in the world, and it's right here. Marine biologist Jacky Geurts gets the skinny on a little-known creature of the deep. (GASPS) Oh, there's one! Oh, yep. Yep. Aren't they gorgeous? And I go on a wild goose chase. Where do I go to see a kiwi? They're everywhere! I can't believe that you haven't seen one already. We're on Stewart Island, and this is Coast New Zealand. Captions by Starsha Samarasinghe. Edited by Imogen Staines. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017 (MOMENTOUS MUSIC) Our journey around Aotearoa's third island takes us from Doughboy Bay up to Whenua Hou, across to Halfmoon Bay, Ulva Island, and the secluded foreshore of Prices Inlet. (COMPELLING ORCHESTRAL MUSIC) When the last remaining farmers surrendered their Stewart Island pastoral lease in 1985, it was the end of an era. And to be fair, it was never ideal farming country ` windy, marshy and much of it given over to inland sand dunes formed by the prevailing onshore westerly. But what didn't work for farmers is, in fact, a magnet for hikers, hunters, birdwatchers ` in fact, really, anyone wanting to experience New Zealand in its raw and natural state. The special nature of the island was officially recognised in 2002, when 85% of the island was designated Rakiura National Park ` enshrining more than 1500km2 of native bush, encircled by rugged coastline, interspersed with glorious stretches of golden, sandy beach. To commemorate this auspicious occasion, the chain link sculpture was installed here at Lee Bay, the entrance to the National Park. Not without controversy, though. Rumour has it it was shot at by a disgruntled local shortly thereafter. (KNOCKS) According to Maori legend, Stewart Island was the anchor that held steadfast Maui's canoe ` also known as the South Island ` while the demigod and his brothers fished the North Island from the ocean. The chain sculpture is designed to represent that link, and its partner resides across Foveaux Strait in Bluff, with the missing metaphorical links buried beneath the sea. (SERENE MUSIC) (SEAGULLS CAW) (DRAMATIC MUSIC) However, Stewart Island's not the only atoll at the bottom of the country. There are multitudes of outlying islands here, and one in particular has major significance, providing a vital link to the future of conservation in this country. Riria Hotere ventures where few are invited, to witness the extreme measures being taken to preserve an extraordinary species. I'm heading to Whenua Hou, the home of the kakapo ` the world's biggest parrot, the world's only flightless parrot, the world's only nocturnal parrot and now the world's most scrutinised parrot. This bird really ticks a lot of boxes. So, if I'm to see any up close, I have to be in tip-top condition. 'DOC will inspect everything, from my socks to my toothbrush, to ensure that Whenua Hou remains pristine.' Right. (LIGHT MUSIC) The strict regulations have seen the island become completely predator-free, which has meant a massive boost to the kakapo population, much to the delight of scientists Andrew Digby and Daryl Eason. So, how may kakapo are there? There's 154 in total and 72 on this island. So there's 72 birds here. Where are they? They're just out and around in the forest. Some birds come right down to sea level. Other birds are right up on top. Outside of Whenua Hou, kakapo are found only on Anchor Island in south-west Fiordland and Little Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf. Even without predators, the kakapo remains under threat. A small population means a small gene pool. We get inbreeding effects. And that can effect things like fertility, for example, which is a real problem from kakapo. Only about half of eggs hatch and we think that may be related to genetic inbreeding. What are we doing to strengthen the gene pool? One thing we're doing at the moment is we've got a project to sequence all of the genomes of all kakapo. So the genome is a set of all genes of an individual. So with all of the genomes we'll have a complete genetic map for the entire species. No one's ever done that before for any species. This is a world first? Yeah. So it's quite ambitious, but it's a really powerful thing for us to have for kakapo conservation. Today we are on the trail of Margaret Marie, who's been evading capture. It's too dangerous to track the birds at night, so Margaret Marie will get a rude awakening when and if we find her. It can take multiple visits to the bush to retrieve a kakapo. Although flightless, they can climb and more often than not are resting out of reach. (HOPEFUL MUSIC) (STATIC HISSES SOFTLY) OK. So, she might be about 50m away. And we might just do a bit of an arc around and try and get behind her a little bit. (MUSIC CONTINUES) Oh, she's already moving. (MUSIC BUILDS) She's in here somewhere. She's run into this log. Today Margaret Marie is at ground level, but that's no guarantee of capture. WHISPERS: Here she comes. Here she comes! (SOFT MUSIC) (SQUAWKS) (SQUAWKS) (MUFFLED SQUAWKING) OK. Do you want to hold on to her? Oh my gosh. Not many people get to say that they've done this ` held a national treasure` actually, a world treasure in their hands. (GASPS) Oh, look at that beak. She's magnificent. Yeah, she is. How long do kakapo live for? We think they probably live for an average of 60 years. Um, we know Margaret Marie was found in 1985 on Stewart Island, and she was probably at least 10 years old then. She's older than me. (ALL LAUGH) So, she's got great big ears. Oh my goodness! Let me check that there's no... Those are huge. ...ticks or parasites or anything in the earhole. Now I'll just check that all her toes and... are all good, no injuries, and that her joints are working well. We're gonna just wrap around a little swaddle. They're little compared to a male. Mm, very small. So, we'll just prepare the site for bleeding. The aim of today's mission is to collect Margaret Marie's blood for the genome project. Press down on` on the brown part. Right, now take your finger off and put it over the needle. Now press down. It will stop it bleeding. I can feel her pulse. Yep. Oh my gosh! So this is a couple of drops for the genomics work, and the other for vitamin D research. Despite living on vitamin D-rich rimu berries, kakapo have bafflingly low levels ` yet another mystery for scientists to solve. We'll just relax and let her go, and she can just jump off. I've let go of her feet, pretty much. So she's going to hop off of me. (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC) And that's that. Yep. She's done. You have such a special job. Yeah. Very lucky. Margaret Marie has more than played her part, and it's working. The 2016 kakapo breeding season was the most productive since management began in 1990, with 33 chicks in total surviving to adulthood. The success of the Kakapo Recovery Team is a testament to their dedication and innovation. This eccentric national treasure is in safe hands. (MAJESTIC MUSIC) Coming up ` Jacky visits an underwater wonderland. Have a look at this. (DRAMATIC MUSIC) 1 (SERENE MUSIC) Leonard Cockayne, New Zealand's greatest botanist and certainly something of a visionary, had this to say about Stewart Island ` 'The face of Earth is changing so rapidly that soon there will be little primitive nature left. 'Here, then, is Stewart Island's prime advantage and one not easily overestimated. 'It is an actual piece of the primeval world.' And he wrote that in 1909. (SERENE MUSIC CONTINUES) The coastal waters surrounding Stewart Island remain a throwback to Aotearoa before people. Jacky Geurts is plumbing the crystal-clear waters of Paterson Inlet to survey an underwater wonderland. The rivers that flow to the sea here drain from undeveloped land, with little to no sediment or run-off, making these waters the clearest in the country, which is why Stewart Island is a mecca for marine science students dedicated to unlocking the secrets of this southern marine environment. Hey, Jacky. One such student is my dive buddy today, Emma Kearney. Should we, uh, get on the boat? Yeah, sounds good. I really want to see for myself how the surrounds affect the submarine environment. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a guided tour. (INTRIGUING MUSIC) So, what's so special about Paterson Inlet? Paterson Inlet's a really unique place. You probably won't find a place like this anywhere else in the world. We're in the marine reserve right now. And that is a complete no-take of any fish. And there's been very little forestry going on here, and so that leads to really low sediments going in to the water, and then you see these really beautiful kelp systems that can really thrive because there isn't that sediment limiting the light that's coming through to the bottom. I'm excited. Shall we go? Yeah, let's do it. (SERENE MUSIC) So, we're just coming into the kelp forest here and, as you can see, those big Macrocystis are floating right up to the surface. You can get some really beautiful big blue cod in this area. He's just staring at us. (LAUGHS) It's so encouraging to see all these juvenile blue cod. It just means that there's big growth for the future of this population. There are at least 50 species of fish in the inlet, and an estimated 360 different life forms in total. (SERENE MUSIC) (LAUGHS) Oh wow, Emma. The abundance of things down there is just amazing. It's beautiful, isn't it? So, how important is it to have a place like this? It's just incredibly important. So what this, uh, coastal system here acts as is a baseline. So, without all those inputs of sediments and without a lot of fishing pressure here, we can really establish what our coastal systems are meant to be like. A good comparison. Yeah. Exactly. Now that I've seen it for myself, it is staggering ` the sea life that teems in these waters. But there is one thing we haven't mentioned yet ` the S word. While it's the great white that gets all the press ` and there is no doubt they congregate in the waters around here ` there are up to a dozen other species of shark present. And one in particular is the subject of fascinating new research being undertaken by marine science student Rob Lewis. Morning, Jacky. Welcome to the Moki. Oh, thank you. (ENGINE WHIRRS) (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) What are we hoping to discover? Well, um, we're looking for sevengills out here. The sevengill is a species of large shark found around New Zealand, but, uh, we know almost nothing about them. Very little research has been done into their numbers or, uh, a lot of the sharks' biology. We're really looking to try and figure out a lot of that baseline demographic information for the shark. What do we need to do today? Well, today what we're gonna try and do is we're going to try and attract some sharks to our cameras. Oh, really? So we're using a baited remote underwater video system, so the cameras go underwater, and the sharks can just come along and do their thing quite freely. It feels like you're really excited to come out today. (CHUCKLES) I'm really... Every day` Every day is a new adventure. I can't wait to see what we find. Well, let's do it. Rob's research involves dropping cameras into the sea and analysing the resulting footage. It's a noninvasive study, designed to ensure animal behaviour isn't influenced in any way by his visits. Perfect. That should be sitting about a metre from the, uh, seafloor. What's the difference between sevengills and other sharks? Um, there's a whole bunch of differences, really. They've got seven gills, which is a little bit different to normal sharks, which only have five. Behaviourally, the sevengills don't really mind being close together. They're` You usually find them in groups, um, hanging out in the same areas, whereas other sharks, often, they don't really like their space being invaded. Rob's research requires endless patience. He will sit for up to four hours at a time, waiting for sharks to appear. All right, hear that, sharks? Do your sharky business,... Do your business. ...and we'll wait up here. So far, he's found mostly mature females, ranging in length from 2.2m to 2.4m, along with some smaller juvenile males. (GASPS) Oh, there's one! Oh, yep. Yep. Oh my goodness! Aren't they gorgeous? Yeah. Wow, really lurky. (BOTH LAUGH) That's a good name, actually. Look how serene they are. So calm. The sevengill is an apex predator. It keeps smaller sharks and fish in line by eating them, so they don't become pests and wipe out even smaller species and shellfish beds. Rob's data, collated at the field station on Stewart Island, will determine the size and health of the population. Is this like Christmas for you? This` This is` This is the... (CLAPS) exciting part right here. (LAUGHS) (GASPS) There you go. Oh, yep. There we go. First one. That didn't take long. That was two minutes into footage. Wow! So that's a different individual to the first one, so that's definitely at least two. That's` That's our third shark for today. Wow! We're doing well. You can really see the gills expanding on that, eh? Yeah, yeah, yeah. We could call it Gill-ian. Gill-ian. We haven't got a Gill-ian yet. (LAUGHS) Very well. This one shall be Gill-ian. Ultimately, Rob identified 10 individual sharks, only three of whom he recognised. My mate Gill-ian is among the seven newbies, and her vital statistics will add to the wealth of information Rob is collecting in order to understand more about this beautiful creature and its effect on Stewart Island's teeming marine life. (MAJESTIC MUSIC) Coming up ` how a hardy bunch of Scandinavians left their mark on Stewart Island. Imagine it rolling down. Yeah, I know. (CHUCKLES) Like a boulder on an Indiana Jones film. Yeah. 'Quick. Stop it.' (MAJESTIC MUSIC) Stewart Island. You'll find it, quite literally, at the bottom of the world. It couldn't be further from the fjords of Scandinavia if it tried. (MUSIC CONTINUES) And yet, in 1926, 30 Norwegian whalers found themselves stationed here. And although it was only home for six short years, the Norskies, as they were affectionately named by the locals, left an indelible stamp. (POIGNANT MUSIC) Our own marine archaeologist, Matt Carter, was instrumental in the preservation of the historic Whalers' Base and the treasures ` sunken and otherwise ` that it holds. We're a small island nation with only a limited number of protected maritime heritage sites. So when the chance came to help preserve the Norwegian Whalers' Base here at Prices Inlet, I jumped at the chance. The base's sole purpose was the maintenance and repair of the whalers' chase boats. It was in grave danger of being plundered by enthusiasts keen to make souvenirs of these massive artefacts. That was something my colleague, archaeologist Matt Schmidt, wasn't prepared to stand by and watch. Great to be back here. Yeah, back to the old stomping ground. That's right. So, still the same number of props about, Matt? Yeah. Everything's still here, and, uh, in terms of a, uh` a heritage site, it's brilliant because when you come in on a boat, you can just see it straight away ` the slipway the chaser boats came up on. Yeah, it's amazing. And, I mean, these still look really solid as anything, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. These were` These were made to survive the Antarctic ice. Right, right. So, if you're chasing after a, um, whale and you hit ice, you know, you've gotta make sure something` your propeller's pretty solid and you can get out of there. Why were these just abandoned here? Um, basically, the market fell out of whale oil, and they just had to pack up and go. They sold as much as they could, um, but anything they couldn't sell, they just left. Well, lucky for us, cos it's an amazing collection. Also on-site is the impressively engineered 110m slipway, built to hold the heavy chase boats ` up to 200 tons worth ` and now sporting a somewhat misplaced Scotch boiler. So this boiler down here would've powered the` the base? Yeah, it powered everything. It powered the winch to bring the boats up, hot water. But late 1940s, a guy, Capt Johnson, decided he was going to salvage it. So he took it off its base, rolled it down the slipway, and then it got stuck. You can just imagine it rolling down, can't you? Yeah, I know. Like a boulder on an Indiana Jones film. (LAUGHS) Yeah. 'Quick. Stop it.' (BOTH LAUGH) Off the beach, the foundations of the workshop where the hardy Norwegians repaired their beleaguered boats and evidence of the lives lived at the base. In 2014 the Norwegian Whalers' Base became New Zealand's first legally protected post-1900 maritime heritage site. However, the real treasure is a sunken one. Just metres from shore lie the remains of the 1853 American-built whaler, Othello, who lived out her final days here. The key thing about the setup was they had a jetty, and then they needed a huge, big working platform because you've got a lot of equipment, a lot of gear, and you need somewhere to work on it when you bring stuff off the boat. So that's why they towed Othello over here and` and then pushed it up against the rocks with the jetty leading to it. So, there you go, you had a nice big working platform. And then when your chasers came in, you lined them up against that, one after another. And then bring your stuff off, on to the Othello, the deck there, determine what needed to be done with it, and any stuff that was big and heavy, put it on a trolley line and bring it into the workshop. Right. The Othello had an illustrious and varied maritime career as a whaler, grain transporter and coal barge, before arriving at the Norwegian Whalers' base. I surveyed the wreck as part of Matt's crusade to preserve the site, and I'm dead keen to get back in the water and see how she's faring. So, this is the bow. You can see it's been underwater since 1853. It's so good to be back down here. Just to see that its condition hasn't changed is such a relief. See, part of the reason it's so well preserved is this fine sediment that's in the water that just protects the shipwreck. It makes diving a little bit challenging. We're here at the rudder. You can see the copper sheathing, and it's still connected to the ship. Shows just what good condition it's still in. You can see here some of the planking that's starting to peel off from the ribs, and these are the big fastings which would have held it all together. It's just so amazing to dive this wreck and to think ` it's one of the most preserved American-built ships in the world, and it's right here at Stewart Island. (REFLECTIVE MUSIC) There's another lasting reminder of the Norskies' presence here at Stewart Island. And for fans of flat-pack Scandinavian furniture, this will come as no surprise at all. Houses at the original whalers' base were kitset sent over from Norway and assembled on-site. And in the true Stewart Island tradition of 'waste not, want not', when the whalers dispersed, several of the houses were relocated and still stand proud today. Come on in. Peter Davis is the current owner of the former bunkhouse. When was it`? When was it moved here? Um, about 1937, I think it was. Yeah. So, I guess the big question is ` how did it get here from the whalers' base? They, uh, took it down, piece by piece ` every wall panel ` um, shipped it across here, set it all up without the internal walls for the, um, bunks, as such, and ran it as a Sunday school. Penny and I, sort of, came over here looking for a house. As soon as we walked in here, it was a lovely feeling. Here's a cross` cross-section of the, um, timber. All just tongue and grooved into it and held together by dowels. Wow. And that was because you didn't have to use nails for that kind of technology? Yeah. There's no nails in this building, and as the sun gets it, the black on the outside absorbs the heat, holds the heat and keeps the inside warm. Wow. Fantastic. So it would've been designed for the Norwegian climate, which is really quite suitable down here in Stewart Island as well. Oh, very much so. The windows on one side of the building are different to the windows on the other side of the building. And in Norway, the side that's exposed to the wind and the prevailing weather, uh, they would put a bit of glass in it, so that would make that double glazing. Right, so early double glazing. Back in 1925. (LAUGHS) Wow. Almost a hundred years ago, a group of hardy Norwegians made their home on Stewart Island. Their legacy adds something special to the island's already rich history, and it's a heritage that deserves our care and protection. Coming up ` she was the island's most mysterious guest. What was she looking for? To be able to spend time in this environment over a period of months by yourself is` it's just really incredible. 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. 1 Situated at latitude 47 degrees south, smack in the middle of the roaring 40s, little Stewart Island is weather-beaten, but never beaten by the weather. And after all, it's the fickle climate here that contributes so much to the lush rainforest and the soggy wetlands that this place is famous for. It's what makes it precious. And, after all, as we say in Scotland, there's no such thing as bad weather ` just the wrong clothes. (REFLECTIVE PIANO MUSIC) Inhospitable as Stewart Island's surroundings can often be, surely there's no better place for those amongst us who prefer solitude and seclusion. (MUSIC CONTINUES) On the western side of the island, Jacky Geurts is on the faint trail of a mysterious island guest who came and didn't want to leave. Doughboy Bay is beautiful but isolated. It's a four-day trek back to town. Why would a solitary Japanese tourist come here in the late '70s to set up camp? (POIGNANT MUSIC) Keiko Agatsuma, the lightly-clad figure who ferried her possessions from one end of the island to the other in cardboard boxes and a shopping trundler, became the stuff of legends. Not many crossed her path. Robin Thomas, former Lands and Survey senior ranger, was one of the few. What are you able to tell me about Keiko? Keiko. Um, an amazing lady. Um, I can only tell you a little bit from my own personal experience because she was a very quiet lady, very shy lady. Kept very much to herself. An amazingly resilient person. To be able to spend time in this environment over a period of months by yourself is` it's just really incredible. Just over the dunes, Robin leads me to the cave where Keiko took up residence. Well, here we go. (WATER DRIPS) So this is her home. It's pretty basic, isn't it? It's very basic. Yeah. I feel concerned, Robin,... (LAUGHS) Do you? ...about` yeah, about the health side of things. I mean, it's so open to the sea and the elements. It's not enclosed at all. (POIGNANT MUSIC) Got yourself a bit of a washing line. Yep. Drying all the clothes out. (WATER DRIPS, ECHOES) If you got a fire going, then you do get a little bit of light coming in from the fire here. I can only assume this is what she was really looking for ` this solitude, this rawness. So, what do you think she would've eaten? I know she had supplies with her ` dried supplies. But she'd have supplemented that with, um` There's quite good shellfish on the coast here. Yeah. Having spent some time in Keiko's world, time spent lighting a fire, the simple act of making tea, I feel closer to her ` more connected. What happened to Keiko? Well, as I understand it, there were some hunters in Doughboy` came into Doughboy while Keiko was here and, um, they` they had just some concern about her physical well-being, and they encouraged her to go back to the mainland with them ` back to Invercargill ` and she did that. Keiko's tourist visa had expired, and she was branded an overstayer. Before she was deported, though, she led authorities through the bush on one last expedition to Doughboy Bay, supposedly to collect her meagre belongings. There was a` a suggestion that she may have had some money here too, but to the best of my knowledge, that's never been found. Um, and... I'm` I'm not 100% sure that, in fact, it wasn't just a` an opportunity for her to spend just that last wee bit of time in the place that she really liked. Keiko has remained silent since her return to Japan. We don't know what happened to her. What we do know is that whatever she was escaping, she found peace and solitude here at Doughboy Bay. And the people of Stewart Island, they were happy to have her for as long as she wanted to stay. (SERENE MUSIC) When you come to Stewart Island, one of the first things you notice is the noise ` first of all the waves, and then the birdsong. The birdlife here is phenomenal, and people come from all over the world to see it and listen to it in this largely untouched habitat. (MAJESTIC MUSIC) Not only home to more than 100 different bird species, the island's the birthplace of Princess Iwa, an international 20th century singing phenomenon who received worldwide acclaim at the time but about whom curiously little is known and of whom no known recordings exist. Lovely to meet you. Angela Skerrett Tainui is determined to put that right. Angela, who was Princess Iwa? Well, Princess Iwa was a beautiful Maori girl from the very south of New Zealand. She was actually born here in Halfmoon Bay. She's Ngai Tahu descent, the southern tribe of New Zealand. And how was she discovered, to be born in such a remote place at that time? The future prime minister of New Zealand was coming to Bluff, so it was a bit of a big deal. And a group of the children were asked to sing a welcome song to, what she called 'the big man'. And, um, afterwards, he called her over and he told her that she had a glorious voice. From here, Evaline, or Iwa, was plucked from obscurity and taken to Europe as part of Maggie Papakura's 40-strong Maori Concert Party, who performed at the White City in London in the lead-up to King George V's coronation. This was a dream come true. People started interviewing her, and her interviews started showing up in the newspapers and that. Did she take her Maori culture with her? Was that an important part of her? Absolutely. And I think, you know` I think it was her winning formula too. Because if` I think if she had, sort of, switched to just only doing European songs, it wouldn't have been quite the same, but I think what was magical about it was she knew who she was. She knew she was Ngai Tahu Maori. Iwa caused a sensation in the UK, where one reviewer called her ` And another more colourfully claimed ` How did you become aware of her? I found out about her through my grandfather. There was this beautiful picture of this Maori maiden on the wall. And I said to him, 'Oh, who's that beautiful girl?' And he said, 'Oh, that's my sister, Evaline.' He said, 'Oh, she actually died in England and never returned.' Years later ` it was actually about 2008 ` I was reading a book called New Zealand Yesterdays, and it had a picture of the sheet music 'Hine E Hine'. This is a very famous Maori lullaby. And in great big, bold letters it had, 'Sung by the New Zealand contralto Iwa'. So I really wanted to make her name better known, to restore it to its rightful place in history, really. In honour of Princess Iwa ` Evaline Skerrett ` Angela's whanau have come to Stewart Island to perform the famous lullaby Hine E Hine. It's been specially arranged by Angela's uncle, renowned musician Peter Skerrett. How important is it to get the chance to come back here to Stewart Island and sing her song? Oh, it's quite fantastic, actually, because our, um, ancestors were all around this area. Uh-huh. And the` Even the place we're standing at right now, my great-grandfather lived here. Right. So this is Bragg's Bay? Well, it was called Harry West Bay. He was Harry West. Oh, right. And I'm not sure why they changed the name. OK. (LAUGHS) SKERRETT FAMILY: # Takoto mai ra koe, # hine, e hine. # Moe iho... NEIL: 'There's no memorial to Evaline here on the island, but given her contribution' and the evident commitment of her whanau to retelling her story, it's nice to think that the beautiful notes of her family will resonate somehow with the birdsong of Stewart Island in memory of Princess Iwa. # ...e atawhai e koe. # No reira moe mai, # hine, e hine. # Up next ` I'm on a mission to track down Stewart Island's most famous resident. The Stewart Island kiwi. I think it's a hoax. (LAUGHS) Ah, no! I think you're in on it. (ALL LAUGH) 1 The bird that has given its name to the human population of this country has been affectionately compared to a hairy drunken onion on stilts. And there are more of them here on Stewart Island than anywhere else on Earth ` around 15,000 at the last count. Generally nocturnal and notoriously shy, the Stewart Island kiwi has broadened its horizons of late. And if the locals are to be believed, they're now promenading the streets at all hours of the day and night. And I will not rest until I've seen one for myself. Hello. Hi. Hi. We are here making a film about the Stewart Island kiwi. Yeah. Have you seen any? We have. We have. Have you?! We have, yeah. Oh, how did`? How come? Um, we were out at Fred's Camp, and were just doing a bush walk, and it was on the path. Midday. Just one? Oh, at midday?! In broad daylight? Yeah. With barely 400 human inhabitants occupying just 15% of the island, to call the Stewart Island community close-knit is an understatement. They're hugely proud of the kiwi population. We're making a wee film about the Stewart Island kiwi. Oh, yeah. So, I have to ask, have you seen any? BOTH: No. People keep telling me they're here, but we've seen nothing. Have you not? No. Nothing, no. Tonight will be the night. I think it's a hoax. (LAUGHS) Ah, no! I think you're in on it. (ALL LAUGH) So, are you going to go looking again tonight, maybe? Yeah, if you're` Will you babysit? Um, well, we` we could all just go together. (LAUGHS) Keeping the kiwi safe from harm has truly become a group effort with the formation of the Stewart Island Rakiura Community Environmental Trust, or SIRCET, dedicated to predator control. (MIAOWS) Have you got one? (LAUGHS) Well, actually, it's our family mog. Long-time resident Peter Tait's coup de grace has been the invention of a feral-cat trap with a thoroughly modern twist. It just sends me a text when an event is triggered. Ah, so you know when the trap has a captive? That's right, yeah. That's the idea of it. In your expert opinion, where should I go to see a kiwi for myself? Good question. They are where they are. Um, I've been seeing them regularly on Ulva when I've been guiding across there. So I just have to take my chances? Exactly. I head to Ulva Island, a pest-free haven for native birds, where tales of daytime sightings of kiwi are regularly recounted. (TUI SINGS) Seems that will not be the case today. Behold the weka. I think they've eaten all the kiwi. (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) The great Stewart Island kiwi hunt continues. I'm on my way to catch up with Willy Gamble, SIRCET's project manager and expert rat catcher. So, the rat is public enemy number one? They are definitely public enemy number one. I can already see that you've caught one. Yep. Um, that's good observation. Um... I'm not fond of rats,... If we have a look in here... ...I don't mind telling you. No, you do` you do get used to them. Oh. At least this one's not very rotten. Ah. Yeah. What kind of rat is it? This is a ship rat, which is one of our most common rats,... Uh-huh. ...and you can identify it by its incredibly long tail. If I was to go in search of kiwi, where would you suggest I look? I'd say you're more likely to see one here than you are in the streets of Auckland. OK. I'll take my chances. That's very helpful, Willy (!) Maybe I'll have more luck with fellow SIRCET member Di Morris, who works with volunteer Sandy King to make sure local dogs are not a problem for kiwi. Di, talk me through what Sandy's actually doing just now. She's earthing the e-kiwi unit. She's spreading some kiwi poo. The dog, essentially, will go in to sniff that kiwi, then those electronic probes are going to zap the nose. So it's an association of the smell of a kiwi with discomfort. Yeah, absolutely. (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC) (YELPS) Ooh! Ouch. Wow. Ooh, I almost felt that. Is it having the desired effect? Are unfortunate encounters between dogs and kiwis, you know, diminishing? We're getting a lot more people enquiring about having their dogs trained. Uh-huh. And I think it is making people more aware of the need for dog control and the fact that there are kiwi here. So that in itself is a really good thing. He's right around that. (LAUGHS) He's not going anywhere near it. So, Di, the key question ` where do I go to see a kiwi? They're everywhere! I can't believe that you haven't seen one already. But, uh, any time tonight, just head out. (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) I thought I'd be up to my knees in kiwis by now. They've even got signs warning motorists not to run them over. Not a single sniff of a bird. But I'm not leaving the island until I see at least one. (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) This is my last-ditch attempt ` the local rugby field. But I'm not alone. Locals and tourists alike gather here for what is generally accepted as the most likely spot to find a kiwi. (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC) WHISPERS: There's a kiwi right there. 'There he goes! '(LAUGHS) Look at that! 'Just see it bobbing` bobbing up and down. It's digging for something. (SOFT RUSTLING) 'So it's true ` There really are kiwi on Stewart Island.' (POIGNANT MUSIC) 'Well, there you go. There's a Stewart Island kiwi. 'Been and gone.' (MAJESTIC MUSIC) (MUSIC SWELLS) Stewart Island ` just far enough away to be pure and precious. It's only when you get here that you get a true sense of Stewart Island's actual remoteness. It's cut off not so much by geography, because it's only 30km to the mainland, as by the fearsome Foveaux Strait. You cross it either by plane or by ferry. They say it's either 10 minutes of terror or an hour of torture. But, either way, it is worth it. (POWERFUL MUSIC)