I'm Kevin Biggar. And I'm Jamie Fitzgerald. Over the past 10 years, we've taken on some of the world's toughest adventures, from rowing across the Atlantic... It's the problem with this seat we've had. It's the only major concern. ...to trekking unaided to the South Pole. Whoo-hoo! Last season we relived five heroic journeys of NZ's greatest explorers. Now we have a new challenge ` to take on a series of even more epic expeditions. Wow. It's beautiful. We'll encounter some of the toughest terrain this country has to offer,... You can imagine what they felt like. ...from the vast Olivine Ice Plateau... This place is enormous. ...to the deadly currents of the Three Kings Islands. Each week, we'll retrace the hardest parts of pioneering NZ expeditions. We're good, we're good, we're good! But we will not just be following in their footsteps; we will be wearing the same boots and clothing, trying the same food... Oh, that's cold! ...and using the same equipment. This week ` Kev, look at this. we take on gold prospector Alphonse Barrington's unbelievable attempt to cross the treacherous Olivine Mountain Range. Hold on, Kev! We will enter the alps with only swags and without any climbing gear. Watch it! We'll push ourselves to the limit to experience first-hand what the explorers felt and to try and overcome the difficulties and obstacles they faced... Well done. ...when they took on one of the most dangerous and challenging landscapes in the world. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2013 ENERGETIC MUSIC We're on the Hollyford River, on the southern edge on the Mt Aspiring National Park. It's one of the most remote and rugged parts of the country, and adventure seekers from all around the world dream of coming here. Now they come here to enjoy the wilderness. In the 1860s, it was for a completely different reason ` to search for gold. In 1864, three prospectors led by Alphonse Barrington headed off up the Dart River into new, never explored country. They dreamed of the mountains of gold that they believed lay waiting for them. It all seemed so simple. Instead, they faced storm after storm and had to fight to find their way out of a maze of mountains, rivers and glaciers. Barrington's epic journey in such an unforgiving environment turned out to be one of the most incredible and unlikely first crossings in history. Despite the lust for gold, no one to that point had been foolhardy enough to venture into the Olivine range. With its dense rainforests, deep gorges and giant glaciated peaks, it was impossible to get pack animals across. Oh, awesome. Thanks, Hedgehog. Oh, awesome. Thanks, Hedgehog. Guys, I'll catch youse later. Barrington and his companions Antoine Simonin and James Farrell formulated a different plan ` they would carry everything they needed on their backs. Wow, look at how much stuff there is. It's a goldmine. Or at least all the stuff you need to start one. Look at this. Look at this. How do you rate your chances? Look at this. How do you rate your chances? Uh, good, yeah. Pretty good. Do you know what it's called? Do you know what it's called? These? Yeah. Yeah. Uh, no. Um, some sort of sifter. Oh, well, let's open these up. OK. OK. It's pretty standard stuff. OK. It's pretty standard stuff. Oh, a tent! No swags campsites any more. Fantastic. Well, that'll come in handy for putting that up. Mate, what do you think? A gun. A gun. How's your aim? Not so good. You can fend off any wild moa that we come across. So what's not here? So what's not here? What's not here is mats. But they won't be needing many of those because where they're going it's just white space. I haven't got any insect repellent. They love you, Muz. On the 15th of March 1863, accompanied by their dog, the trio finally set off northward up the Pyke Valley. Slowly, they picked their way through the valleys and rivers, searching for gold. The weather was fine and the hunting good. Between the dog and the rifle, the three men had more than enough to eat.� (GRUNTS) Geologically, the land looked promising. It was a contact zone with plenty of different rock types and quartz, and where there's quartz, there's often gold. So they panned the river for gold and found some. So they went upstream, and then they found even more. They were doing well, collecting enough gold to make them wealthy, even if they were yet to strike the mother lode. They made maps of the promising gold areas and headed deeper into the mountains. Well, I think they had better luck than us. They found gold everywhere. That wasn't their problem. Their problem was finding enough to eat. But still, the thirst for gold drove them even further away from civilisation. Relying on the dog to fetch what they had shot, weka and kakapo became their main source of food. When the weather was good, birds were abundant. But when the occasional storm rolled in, there was nothing to shoot. Slowly, as autumn gave way to winter, the prospectors' food supply began to run dry. They were so desperate they killed a robin and three wrens, which Barrington described as 'the smallest joints I ever saw'. Now, as we head deep into the hills, the changing weather gives us a taste of what Barrington faced. They must've really had to find the balance point between looking for the gold and looking for food. It's kinda strange to think that they were finding gold, but it was no good to them if they couldn't get anything... Yeah. Yeah. ...to eat. Yeah. If you can't survive to tell the story about it,... Yeah. Yeah. ...you've got nothing to sell. It's one thing to be hungry, but they must have been almost starving. It's kind of an irony in a way that they had all this gold... Well, they knew where the gold was. They thought they knew where the gold was. They thought they knew where the gold was. And now they weren't gonna make it. FIRE CRACKLES DRAMATIC MUSIC After just a few hours of broken sleep, we discover we have a major problem. KEVIN: Jamie? Jamie? Jamie? Yeah? What? Jamie? Yeah? What? I think we should check the river. (GROANS, SNIFFS) OK. Yeah. It sounds a bit louder. OK. Yeah. It sounds a bit louder. It sounds a lot louder. DRAMATIC MUSIC Oh. It's right here. I think we should go, eh. OK. OK. We should go. OK. We should go. OK. Overnight rain has caused a huge rise in the river level. With water lapping at our tent, we need to move to higher ground. It's a dangerous move, but we have no choice. TENSE MUSIC It's a cold, wet taste of what Barrington faced throughout his journey. It's starting to come together. Oh, nice. TENSE MUSIC CONTINUES It's a bad-arse tent that's got a gun as a pole. RIVER RUSHES Well, it's good to be out of that. And I see this time, you're sleeping with your boots on. Well, if you thought it was such a good idea earlier, you should have spoken up. RAIN FALLING That wasn't a lot of fun. Was it? That wasn't a lot of fun. Was it? No. I mean, it's never good shifting your camp at night-time, but actually, I think what we ended up with was more comfortable than... but actually, I think what we ended up with was more comfortable than... It is. ...than down on the rocks. ...than down on the rocks. It is. I mean, I guess it's some consolation that that happened a couple of times to, uh, Barrington and the guys. One time he said he camped next to a, uh... a very small stream, and then overnight it turned into a river so big you could launch a schooner. It was... And it ran at 20 knots. It was... And it ran at 20 knots. (CHUCKLES) It was... And it ran at 20 knots. (CHUCKLES) Amazing. All right. I'll just nip down to the dairy, then (!) Anything you want? All right. I'll just nip down to the dairy, then (!) Anything you want? Uh, marmalade. Pint of milk. > Get a couple of flat whites, shall I (?) Get a couple of flat whites, shall I (?) Yeah. The lust for gold had lured Barrington, Simonin and Farrell further into the mountains. As the first bite of winter struck, the prospectors found themselves caught in a deadly trap. When the river began to flood, they abandoned all hope of prospecting. And as it rained more and more, they saw they were in really deep trouble. It became pretty clear that their only hope was now to get back to Queenstown using the shortest and fastest route possible. But without any accurate maps, it was gonna be a huge challenge. It meant going back, not using the rivers and streams, but heading back as the kea flies ` directly over the mountains. But already there were problems. The flooded rivers prevented them retracing the same route back. 100km from civilisation, they now faced a life-or-death race against the weather. Take too long, and the three prospectors would all starve to death. Just when things couldn't get any worse, they did. The dog, which had been such a loyal friend and so useful at catching birds, now turned traitor. He'd go out and get one, gobble it up, but not get any for the others. From then on, he was on borrowed time. But it was not to be as simple as making a beeline straight for Queenstown. The heavy rain continued, and the rivers were now rising at a rate of 4ft a day. Crossing them was impossible. Kev, look at this. Oh, wow. It's really come up. I guess they don't call it a wetland for nothing. Barrington, Simonin and Farrell were forced to climb higher just to get around the raging torrents. But even then, that proved difficult. They set off following the Cascade River upstream. They had no choice. They simply had to overcome any obstacles that they had in front of them. Like this one. Here, the Cascade River narrows to a gorge with sheer bluffs on either side. Barrington, Simonin and Farrell ` they simply couldn't carry on up the river any longer. They were forced to go up the gorge through the bush. In his diary, Barrington said that their lives were dependent on holding on to a few blades of grass. For us too, it's been raining solidly for days. It feels like every inch is being funnelled through this fierce 30m cascade. TENSE MUSIC The conditions couldn't get much worse. It's teeming with rain. You don't know where it's coming from, cos the spray from the waterfall's hitting our face in every direction. The walls of the gorge have just closed in on us, and the only direction that we can further up is to go that way. So we got a plan. We're gonna try and make our way up that... the very ridge line here up on the plants, using the plants to get up into the bushline, and then from there, keep going up the river. Away you go. Away you go. Why should I go first? Well, I got longer arms if I need to reach and pull you in off the river. That's the worst excuse yet. (LAUGHS) That's the worst excuse yet. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) The slippery rocks feel like they are coated in oil. The only real support is offered by the grass and weeds that are growing out of the riverbank. Take it easy, mate. Take it easy, mate. There's just no... Can you get higher up there? Or even a bit earlier? That's tough. TENSE MUSIC (PANTS) MUSIC CONTINUES This is nuts! We have travelled back to 1864 to take on Alphonse Barrington's epic 16-week journey, west of the main divide. Take it easy, mate. Take it easy, mate. There's just no... We're following his route up the cascade valley, but our path too has been blocked by a river in flood. This is nuts! That's it, mate! TENSE MUSIC (PANTS) (GRUNTS) It's 50m to the top of the falls. Not far, but the conditions make it a difficult climb. TENSE MUSIC (GRUNTS) Hold on, Kev! > MUSIC CONTINUES (GRUNTS) (PANTS) OK. Take it easy. Take it easy. (PANTS) TENSE MUSIC CONTINUES It's not much fun having your trust of luck to a few bits of grass. (GRUNTS) TENSE MUSIC CONTINUES (GRUNTS) Here we go. Bingo. (GRUNTS) With Kevin safely in the treeline, it's my turn. But I quickly find he's done his usual trick of destroying all the handholds. (GRUNTS) TENSE MUSIC Oh, Kevin's been doing some weeding. (GRUNTS) (PANTS) Oh. MUSIC CONTINUES You OK? You OK? Yep. You OK? Yep. Yep. Take it easy! I'll have to take a different path to the top. (GRUNTS) Not ideal in these conditions, weighed down by my soaking wet gear. I really hope this holds. (GRUNTS) By this stage, Barrington was likening their situation to that of trying to escape from a prison, struggling from a condemned cell ` Hold on, Jamie. Hold on. ...desperate men forced to take desperate measures. Oh. OK. Almost on the ridge. (GRUNTS) TENSE MUSIC (GRUNTS) MUSIC CONTINUES (GRUNTS) Good job. Good job. Oh. Well done. Good job. Oh. Well done. How was that? Well done to you too. There was some massive clumps` There was some massive clumps` That came out? Yeah. Had you done the weeding or something? Yeah. Had you done the weeding or something? Yeah. I just put my foot on it, and the whole thing just` I just put my foot on it, and the whole thing just` Really? And it just flowed down the river. And it just flowed down the river. (CHUCKLES) DRAMATIC MUSIC As they pushed high into the Cascade, their escape route took them for the first time across a valley of ice and snow. BOTH PANT They weren't equipped for this. They didn't have any crampons or ice axes, even rope. The best they could do was really just improvise. That meant being extremely cautious with every step they took. With no climbing equipment, travelling was both exhausting and painfully slow. As they headed back, they became weaker and weaker. They decided that their only chance was to dump as much gear as they could. (GRUNTS) It must have been an enormous decision. You can imagine when the control's taken away from you and you realise it's not about the gold any more; it's more about survival. POIGNANT MUSIC Determined to avoid the challenging snow terrain, Barrington, Simonin and Farrell headed for drier slopes that they saw in the distance. When they crested the hill, they found themselves amidst the most incredible landscape. Oh, wow. Oh, wow. (LAUGHS) Oh, wow. (LAUGHS) That's amazing. BOTH PANT It's like we're on the surface of Mars. It's like we're on the surface of Mars. It's another world, all right. The escape route back to Queenstown took them through this place, a place that looks so dry, so devoid of life, they called it 'burnt mountain'. We now know it as Red Mountain. The red comes from all of the iron that's in the soil, but there aren't any of the trace elements required to grow anything. Funnily enough, only a valley away, there's plenty of trees, and they're even growing higher than we are now. The weather wasn't like this, though. It was foul. They could only push on through deep snow, making very little progress. Come on, Jamie. MAJESTIC MUSIC (PANTS) It's an incredible place, isn't it? It's an incredible place, isn't it? Yeah. MAJESTIC MUSIC CONTINUES The impressive red colour of the rock is so dominant, your eyes soon play tricks on you and the sky becomes a surreal electric blue. But Barrington never got to experience this. Thick fog and rain engulfed the prospectors. And then, as if things couldn't get any worse, while traversing the mountainside, Barrington became separated from his mates. MAJESTIC MUSIC CONTINUES Barrington at least had the tent. Simonin and Farrell had the dog for hunting, but little else, and that was bad as the rain had turned to snow. BOTH GRUNT Well done. Barrington, now alone, crawled into his tent and prayed the weather would clear before he starved to death. MAJESTIC MUSIC (LAUGHS) That's amazing. From Red Mountain to that. What a view! Look at the dusting of snow. That's so pretty. After spending eight days in the tent, he struggled through 2ft of snow as he headed towards the top of Stag Pass. But he was so weakened from the days in the tent, he could barely make 20 hours at a time before stopping. He realised eventually that he was either gonna have to lighten his swag or die. So he emptied out everything that was in his swag except his blankets, his guns and the tent. Everything else he dropped. As he put his swag on, one last bag dropped off and fell at his feet. It was the little bag that contained his samples of gold. But he was so exhausted, he couldn't even stop to pick it up. The hard-won gold was now of little importance to Barrington. He was in a battle to escape with his life. After more than a week of dreadful weather and little food, he finally made the pass and saw some smoke in the distance. It was Simonin and Farrell. They were reunited, and as he approached them, they were very surprised to see him alive. But it was a bittersweet reunion. Starving and exhausted, Farrell and Simonin were annoyed there was now another mouth to feed. Then they set off again. They had no idea it would take them into country far more extreme than anything they had struck so far. DRAMATIC MUSIC 1 MYSTERIOUS MUSIC We have travelled back to 1864 to take on Alphonse Barrington's epic 16-week journey through a maze of rivers, glaciers and peaks west of the main divide. We have followed his route across the Red Mountains and are now headed toward the Barrier River. MYSTERIOUS MUSIC CONTINUES But our path is blocked by a couloir ` a steep gully filled with snow and ice. BOTH PANT Ooh. Ooh. Oh dear. This is where the lack of gear really makes a difference. We've gotta get to the other side to make our way up. It'd be probably a 300m drop down to the valley floor. I'm not saying we'd fall the whole way, but you might fall the first 50m or 60m. (LAUGHS SARCASTICALLY) That's all right. We gotta make progress while the sun's out, so... Away you go. (PANTS) MYSTERIOUS MUSIC It's a bit slippery. It's a bit slippery. Yeah. I'm standing in your footprints, that's for sure. MUSIC CONTINUES Watch it! DRAMATIC MUSIC (GRUNTS) (GRUNTS) OK? (GRUNTS) OK? Yeah. Maybe this isn't such a great place to cross. Maybe this isn't such a great place to cross. Nah. We gotta find some other way. We gotta find some other way. I'll go back down. We gotta find some other way. I'll go back down. Yeah. Let's go back. (PANTS) It's dodgy as. Don't know what we were thinking. Time and time again, Barrington, Simonin and Farrell faced impassable terrain blocking their escape route. They were forced to go west to find a way east, forced upriver to find a way down, circling their way through a maze of flooded rivers and mountains. Eventually, nearing exhaustion and with little food, they became totally disoriented. They descended all the way to the bottom of the Forgotten River, where it joins up with the Olivine River. They were trying to find their way back to base, but this was where they had a big decision to make. They could either go left, which would get them on their homeward route in just one day, or they could go straight, which goes through a steep and dangerous gorge and adds another three and a half weeks on to their trip. So which way did they go? SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC The journey down the Olivine River would take them into country so wild it would be another 70 years ` in the 1930s, in fact ` before anyone would explore it properly. DRAMATIC MUSIC For us, although it has stopped raining, the rivers are in flood, creating a spectacular show. MUSIC CONTINUES This is absolutely amazing. Four huge waterfalls are coming out of the sky. It's like they're draining the clouds. We've seen some pretty amazing things in our time, but I've never seen anything like this. When they entered the steepest gorge of the journey, the only way they could get themselves down was using a flax rope. Farrell, he volunteered. He said he'd go down. Unfortunately, it didn't go so well for him. Now, we've had a little bit of experience with flax rope, so... the technique that we're gonna use... is Jamie's gonna go first. (LAUGHS) Now, I think I'm gonna have to be super careful cos these rocks, they're so slippery. Incredible. Yeah. While being lowered, Simonin's flax rope snapped, and he fell into the white water. CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC Swept downriver, he was only saved when he found a rock to cling to long enough for the others to come to his rescue. We've had bad luck in the past with flax ropes. One once broke when Kevin was dangling high above the Buller River. SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC This time we have taken no chances, and Jamie has doubled his rope over. WATER RUSHES DRAMATIC MUSIC The base of a waterfall is not a safe place to hang about. < It's very very slippery. It's not the water that's the problem, but the risk of being hit by a large, floating log being carried over the fall. DRAMATIC MUSIC Hey! The rope didn't break. (LAUGHS) That's a nice change. Good job. But now we've found ourselves bluffed in. With the water level rising, we're not sticking around. It looks like our best option is to swim for it. DRAMATIC MUSIC One, two, three. MUSIC CONTINUES WATER BUBBLES DRAMATIC MUSIC (GENTLE MUSIC) When I first came home, I got out of the car and listened to the noise of the trees of the branches, of the leaves and of the birds, and at least two or three different types of birds sang. And that's not poetic; that was just factual. And I said to my wife, 'Wow. I haven't heard that for a while.' (GENTLE MUSIC) To book a free hearing check, visit... 1 CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC We are retracing Alphonse Barrington's daring 1864 journey through a myriad of rivers, glaciers and mountains west of the Southern Alps. DRAMATIC MUSIC We have followed his route down a bluffed-in waterfall. Hey! The rope didn't break. (LAUGHS) That's a nice change. Now we have no option but to swim for it. ...two, three. WATER BUBBLES The water is ice-cold, and the rocks beneath our feet slip from under us. Jeepers, that's cold! (GROANS) For the prospectors, being constantly saturated sapped their energy. But it wasn't just the men who were wet ` their tent, their blankets, all soaked; dead weights on their backs. The cold and damp made sleeping impossible. Still, they were waiting for a break in the weather so they could make the last push across the passes to Queenstown. But it wasn't gonna be that easy. Late one night, they were hit by another storm. As the flood waters rose, it meant that they only had time to reach for their blankets and gun. They headed for higher ground, but that was 400m away. Forced to abandon their tent, they had no option but to try and cross the flooded river in the dark. We've done plenty of river crossings in our time, but not really at night. It's much harder to judge the flow of the current and where you put your feet. Is that an eel? Is that an eel? Oh, I hate eels. I hate eels. You didn't see an eel. (LAUGHS) Crossing a river at night is like walking blindfolded through a minefield. Every step could see you lose your balance and be washed away, with little chance of rescue. There's no skill needed to cross, just luck. Can you see the edge, Kev? Can you see the edge, Kev? Yeah. A little bit. Can you grab on to that tree? Get it, get it, get it. Can you grab on to that tree? Get it, get it, get it. OK. I got it. You just don't know what you're standing on top of. Branch. Branch. If you can get up, I'll pass you the gun. After all they'd been through, Barrington's journal described this as their worst moment. He said, 'If this night doesn't kill us, nothing will.' It had now been six weeks since the prospectors had anything substantial to eat. The skin on their feet, constantly wet, had begun to rot and peel away. They had now abandoned everything they could to lighten their packs. Even the carefully mapped parchment with the directions of where to find the gold. Despondent, Barrington, Simonin and Farrell could no longer afford to avoid the high, snow-bound peaks. That meant a dreaded high-alpine ascent across the Olivine range. When they were coming through here, they talked about 70-degree slopes. Luckily it's not as bad as that now. Not far to go. It's bitterly cold. Without any Alpine clothing, you soon get a sense of how desperate the men must have been to attempt to cross up here. Here we are at the top of Intervention Saddle. It's about 1500m high. It's one of the highest points they reached in the whole trip. They really hoped when they got here they'd get to see a lie of the land. But as they looked out towards where Queenstown was, all they could see was mountain range after mountain range. So it was here they made up their minds that they couldn't try and find any shortcuts east. They had to try and push west. They had to try and push west. From here they had to make their way all the way down to Forgotten Flats, which is also where Forgotten River is. They'd have to make their way all along it back to their base at Lake Alabaster. Must have been pretty heartbreaking. Must have been pretty heartbreaking. Well, I guess they were hoping the keas would keep them company. KEA SQUAWKS KEA SQUAWKS KEA SQUAWKS KEA SQUAWKS POIGNANT MUSIC But it wouldn't get any easier on the descent to the valley floor. BOTH PANT Getting up the gully is one thing, but getting down's another. For our pioneers, they were coming down here into the Forgotten River, but... unfortunately for Simonin, he had a nasty spill. Came down head-first, falling 300m to the bottom. DRAMATIC MUSIC We've glissaded lots of times, but always with an ice axe to break ourselves. So, what's it like to slide down uncontrolled? Well, there's only one way of finding out. OK. Let's go. OK. Let's go. No. There's one way to find out. Just me? Let's go. Come on. Are you ready? On three. OK. OK. Race you to the bottom. One, two, three. DRAMATIC MUSIC BOTH GRUNT Without an ice axe to steer or brake, we can only lean our bodies to dodge debris. But moving so fast, the rocks tear at our clothing before we have a chance. Out of control and sliding head first, we're rapidly gaining speed. Hit a boulder now, and we're in big trouble. DRAMATIC MUSIC We are reliving the iconic pioneering journey of Alphonse Barrington as he battled the rain and floods in the dangerous Olivine Mountain Range. We have clambered around a raging waterfall,... Hold on, Kev! > ...crossed the Red Mountains... It's an incredible place, isn't it? It's an incredible place, isn't it? Yeah. ...and traversed an alpine pass. Not far to go. One, two, three. DRAMATIC MUSIC Now Barrington's route has taken us on an uncontrolled slide down a snow slope scattered with sharp rocks. What seemed like fun has quickly turned serious. With no ice axe for control, we have no way of changing direction or slowing down. DRAMATIC MUSIC CONTINUES BOTH GRUNT (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) < I did it. You all right? How about those ice burns? I have got ice burns all up my back. On my arms. I ripped my pants. I ripped my pants. Oh no! Put it away. Put it away. Good thing I wasn't wearing my G-string. Good thing I wasn't wearing my G-string. (LAUGHS) But it wasn't a laughing matter, though, for the three prospectors. They had, uh, managed to survive the fall, but from the top of the pass, they had seen nothing but mountains out to the east. That meant the only route for them was to go west. Finally, after reaching the river, they realised they were on familiar ground. Although they were still some 80km from safety, they had at least escaped the maze. FIRE CRACKLES By now it was nearly the end of May. They'd been on the trail for almost three months, but things had improved. At least now they knew where they were, they knew how to get home. If only it would stop raining. When they arrived back at their Alabaster camp, it rained solidly for nearly a week. While waiting for the rivers to go down, they had little to eat, just some fernery. They were absolutely starving. But then they found a rat. Only a day earlier, the dog had caught one but it had refused to eat it. When Barrington found it, he said that he'd never found a nugget of gold that had given him more satisfaction. There are three sorts of rats in NZ. They've all been introduced. Uh, this is a dead one. (LAUGHS) They're a <BLEEP> menace to our national parks. Problem is, they often carry a lot of infectious diseases. But that didn't stop the miners, though. They threw it in the fire just as it was, chopped it up into three pieces, shared it out, and when they tasted it, they said it was the sweetest piece of meat they'd ever eaten. Which is why I'm gonna let my friend here go first. No, no, no, no, no. No, I've prepared it. Uh, how bout we go paper, scissors, rat? Paper, scissors, rat? There we go. There we go. What's that? There we go. What's that? That's the rat tail. Paper wraps rats. Like fish and chips. No, no, no. No, rat eats through paper. All right. All right. Is it done? If it was any more done, uh, we'd just be eating a bit of charcoal. Yeah. Bon appetit. I think I've got a little paw. I think I've got a little paw. You're gonna go with his toes? CURIOUS MUSIC Oh, it's good. It's good, mate. You should definitely try some. I think you've got a whole leg there. Oh, it's really filling. Oh, it's really filling. You wouldn't want any more. You couldn't eat a whole one yourself. No. No way. By now it was winter. And although they were retracing their steps, they were so weak and emaciated that what had taken them a day to travel on the way in took them six days on the way out. But they were getting closer and closer to civilisation. As they made their way down the Dart River, they suddenly heard some gunfire from the other side. It came from there, at Pigeon Island. Their best chance of survival was to somehow get across the river and get the attention of the hunters. I don't know about you, but I might carry the swag rather than... Oh. I'm not swimming with the swag on. Oh. I'm not swimming with the swag on. No. Tighten them up. Hat off? Tighten them up. Hat off? Uh, yeah. WATER SPLASHES It's bitterly cold, and it's actually a lot faster flowing and deeper than it looks. But the other side is only just there. You can understand why after 16 weeks of near-constant starvation they would have made this last, reckless attempt. The men who entered the water were unrecognisable from the three that had departed months earlier. Whoa. Whoa. OK, let's just head out to the right. On death's door, their bones were protruding through their skin. It's getting deeper. It's getting deeper. Yeah. You losing your footing? You losing your footing? Yup. Yup. I've lost it. You? Yeah. Yeah. Get kicking. Barrington was in a bad way. He had lost the tops of his toes to frostbite. To the prospectors, the freezing river must have felt as wide as an ocean. Just touch the rocks. Just touch the rocks. OK. WATER RUSHES (GASPS) WATER RUSHES DRAMATIC MUSIC We're nearly there. Yeah? Yeah. MUSIC CONTINUES Well done. Well done. I'm just pleased the sun's shining. Cos that was cold! Freezing. On the 15th of June 1864, the Wakatipu Mail did a report about three prospectors last seen 16 weeks before heading off into the rugged northern mountains. Finally, people had seen them and they were all alive. When they were found, they were described as living skeletons with their shoulders, cheeks, nose and elbows pointing out from their skins as if they were just almost about to die. And they said they had discovered gold. POIGNANT MUSIC When Barrington was discharged from hospital, he held a public meeting. He was going to return for the gold that he'd discovered, but not over land. They would charter a ship and sail from the West Coast and approach from the other direction, taking with him a year's worth of provisions. Anyone who wanted would be welcome to join him. 10 weeks later, accompanied by some 50 other diggers, Barrington arrived at Jackson Bay to pursue his discovery. But the snow-covered region looked very different in the depths of winter. Without his maps and notes which he'd abandoned and despite spending weeks searching, the prospectors were unable to find Barrington's rivers of gold. In fact, in the 150 years since, no one has. So Barrington's gold lies there still, somewhere in the almost impenetrable maze of the Olivine Mountains. Amazing. Of all the stories we've done, do you think these guys suffered the most? They were at death's door the whole time and had to overcome enormous challenges, like the Cascade River in full flood. Yeah, and that high alpine crossing. Yeah, and that high alpine crossing. Or surviving the fall down the Forgotten River col. And then that incredibly dangerous river crossing at night. The thing that surprises me the most is after all this time, the big question is still out there ` did they actually find a new gold field? Well, he certainly did the trip. You know, his description of the area is far too accurate for him to have made it up. Maybe the gold's still out there. for him to have made it up. Maybe the gold's still out there. Yeah. Maybe it is. The thing I like about Barrington is that he could have sat in the crowds and tried to mine the known fields. But instead, he wanted to push the boundary. He wanted to go and look and push out the white space on the maps. I think the cool thing is his entrepreneurial spirit still lives on. People still come to tourist towns like Queenstown to mine the landscape. Now they're just not doing it for gold. Come on, mate. To help you bounce back, let me buy you a bungee. Captions by Brittany Stewart. Edited by Faith Hamblyn. www.tvnz.co.nz/access-services Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2013