1 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,... Not bad. Not bad. It floats. ...we hit the Motu River as we take on the water journey of Stan Thorburn and the Fisher brothers as they attempted the first ever descent of one of NZ's great wild rivers. (YELLS) We will face the rapids in home-made boats and with simple paddles. We'll push ourselves to the limit to experience first-hand what the explorers felt to try and overcome the difficulties and obstacles they faced... Get the boat! ...when they took on one of the most challenging and dangerous landscapes in the world. We're making our way up the headwaters of the mighty Motu River in the eastern Bay of Plenty. This is one of the last wild rivers in the North Island. In Maori, 'motu' means 'isolated'. And they got it spot on. This river flows through one of the largest areas of untracked native bush in the North Island, and it was one of the last places in the country to be mapped. Because the country is so mountainous and the catchment is so large, river levels can rise very rapidly ` up to 6m in just a few hours. If you get caught in one of the three main gorges during these times, the results can be deadly. In just the last 30 years, six people have drowned. In 1917, an American was the first person to set out to boat the length of the Motu. He only made a few miles before he capsized and had to turn back. Then in 1920, five locals from Motu, led by local sheep farmer Ellis Fisher and the postmaster, Stan Thorburn, decided they'd take on the river. They used home-made wooden boats, and as they pushed away from the bank, they had no idea what the river had in store for them. Although the town of Motu is 45km from the ocean, the river itself winds over 100km to the coast, dropping a height of over 600m as it does so. The river's three gorges contain some mountainous rapids. That's it, boys. Hope you know how to swim. > That's it, boys. Hope you know how to swim. > (LAUGHS) Thanks, Wesley. Completely uncharted, all the rapids would be unknown to the river runners until they were upon them. Wow. Wow. That's fantastic. Wow. That's fantastic. Look at these. They're brilliant. They're wood, though. They're wood, though. (GROANS) Nowadays, you'd use inflatable boats for a river like this, cos they can smash against the sides, and if they fill with water, they still float. These guys did some preparation before boating the river. For their wooden boats, they made a few changes. They made them narrow so they could weave around the tight corners. The other thing they did is they brought more than one, so that if one smashed up, they could at least jump into the same boat together. And the bow ` instead of having a pointy end, they flattened it off to slide over some of the rocks. I'll tell you what, though. We're still gonna be needing one of these. (LAUGHS) I'm thinking of the Titanic. But it didn't end so well for them. Women and children first. These look like old mailbags, and that makes sense, cos Stan Thorburn was the postmaster and he swiped a couple for the trip. They don't have any pack-straps, though. I really hope these boats last. I don't want to walk it. Yep. No, we definitely got all the gear. I have a good feeling about this. I have a good feeling about this. Yeah? Why's that? I think it's gonna be an oar-some trip. It's gonna be a long one. The men were experienced hunters, so decided to take rifles and two hunting dogs and hoped to live off the land. They expected the journey to last five days. They organised a relief party to be waiting for them near the mouth and finished preparing the three boats. Hold on. (PANTS) It was Tuesday 24th of February 1920. There were five of them that hopped in their boats and would set off. Oh blimey. There were meant to be more, though. (CHUCKLES) I think, perhaps, they saw the sight of the boats, changed their minds. You ready? You ready? Yep. You ready? Yep. One, two, three. Not bad. Not bad. It floats. Are you gonna go in the middle? Are you gonna go in the middle? Yeah. I think so. The headwaters of the Motu are peaceful and calm ` perfect for us to get to know our boats. We have 20km to cover before we reach the challenging upper gorge. Depending on the water level, it should take us just a few hours. So they put their boats into the water just about here ` just down from the Motu Falls. In great nautical fashion, they named the boats as well. They named them Eileena; the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps, or WAAC. And the third one was called The Wahine. But, I guess, between that name and these life jackets... Doesn't look good, does it? Hope we have more luck. We don't really know why they did this trip. Obviously, there was the thrill of the exploration that had never been done. But... more likely that, fresh back from the war, they were at a loose end, they were looking for some excitement, possibly also some new farmland and maybe even gold. I just have this funny feeling that this is the calm before the storm. We've been on the water less than an hour before we hit a major surprise. There shouldn't be any rapids here. Try and get some speed up. This year's drought has impacted the water levels so much that where once the river flowed above the riverbed, it now fights with the boulders to find a path downstream. Oh, I took a knock. It's an unexpected setback for us. We'd hoped for calm water while we learnt to master our boats. Ha ha. Yeah! Oh no. The lightweight boats and paddles are no match for the rocks when it comes to trying to control direction. We find ourselves bouncing around, as if stuck in some kind of giant aquatic version of pinball. But at least I'm still moving. Go on. Go on. Go on. Go on. You all right? Go on. Go on. You all right? Yeah. Yep. It's not a great start. (LAUGHS) Oh man, I shipped some water. I might need your little billy. Oh man, I shipped some water. I might need your little billy. Yeah. I'll just get mine out. I'll just get mine out. That was pretty gnarly. I'll just get mine out. That was pretty gnarly. I've got a bit of your boat here. (LAUGHS) I was hung up on that rock and looked around and saw you. It's not really the start we were wanting. No. So that was just our first rapid. And there's about, dunno, few hundred more to go. But I guess we've got some confidence that our boats did get through. But not unscathed. I can see the water coming in the boat. I can see the water coming in the boat. You can? Yeah. Yeah. Then we're gonna have to do some repairs tonight. I'm gonna be pretty keen to get to camp. But the further we travel, the more we realise how unlikely we are to reach camp any time soon. The water is so low that in places we need to get out and walk the boats. And where there is water, massive trees and endless boulder gardens block our path. We were expecting some of these but not so many. (GROANS) Over the first two days of the trip, the men spent a lot of time dragging their boats over the rocks. It was incredibly exhausting work and very tough on the thin wooden shells of the boat. They must have wondered about the rest of the river and if they were gonna make it. There was one positive, though. It was around here that the previous expedition turned back. From here on in, no one had ever paddled down the Motu before. And there was more good news. During a stop at a rapid, the dogs flushed a pig which swam across the river before the men shot it. Food was not going to be a problem. But perhaps more importantly, it started to rain. It lifted the water level, and made the Motu ideal for paddling. Unfortunately for us, we're faced with exactly the opposite. Yep. Here's a rock. I gotta get out of here. Back-paddle. That'll do it. Back. (GRUNTS) That'll do it. Oh. Oh. You just can't see some of those ones coming up. There are so many rocks around here that are just under the surface, and it's so easy to get one end of the boat caught up. Oh! Just like that. And before you know it, you're stuck. And the whole line that you'd planned for to get through the rapids has just gone out the window. After spending most of the day bouncing and spinning our way through rapids, our luck finally runs out. Whoa! With Kevin stranded, I need to try and get my boat to safety before I go back to help. The problem is the full force of the water is against the boat. So somehow we've got to get it out of here. Today is fast becoming a nightmare. * We've travelled back to 1920 to take on the first recorded exploration of the Motu River by Stan Thorburn and the Fisher brothers. I can see a lot of white. It's not gonna be good. We're faced with a river that's running incredibly low. But rather than make things easier, it's exposed even more rocks and dangers and made navigating our riverboats a nightmare. We've got to get it out of here. Is the boat OK? Do you think there are any holes? I think the boat's all right. We're not gonna know until we get it` get it up. Luckily, the boat has wedged itself away from the main current. It's stuck on a single rock, which gives us a pivot point to try and pull it free. Yes! We're floating. Whoo! The Fisher brothers faced this problem constantly. In fact, their boat had to be refloated four times in five days. With Jamie's help, I get my boat refloated. But it's been a damp wake-up call. What happened?! What happened?! The channel goes to the left. I was following the channel. But as soon as I came over the edge of the little lip, I got thrown off my seat. As soon as you dig one little rail in here` It's not like a raft. As soon as you dig one rail, your boat is out of the water. It was a pretty lucky escape, though. Yeah. Yeah. We could easily have smashed the boat up there. As the river wound further into the mountains, the men discovered it was nothing like they were expecting. It didn't travel in one direction, but twisted and turned back on itself constantly. The walls closed in on them, and some cliffs had sheer drops of over 200m. They made a point of mapping the area as they went. As they looked around, they were hoping to find spots for good farmland. Through the river, they hoped to find some minerals. And, of course, when you look at the trees, they were hoping to find plenty of timber. But what struck them most of all was the sheer beauty of the place. Oh, it's gorgeous with the sun out. Oh, it's gorgeous with the sun out. It's fantastic. Well, it sure beats walking down the riverbank. But on the Motu, the peaceful stretches are merely designed to lead you straight into a white-water ambush. There's the gap I want. Once you commit to a rapid, there is no backing out. It's what makes the Motu so deadly. That killer rapid may be waiting around the next corner ` and the Motu is all about corners. Once caught in the main current, you're totally at the mercy of the river. Once again, the low freeboard of my boat has caused problems. But some quick bailing keeps me afloat. But it's Jamie, who has years of experience in surf boats, that seems to be having more luck mastering our little river craft. Did you get wet? Just a tiny bit. I just got a splash (!) Just a tiny bit. I just got a splash (!) Are you all right? Yeah, I'm fine. Hey, you did a great job getting through. That was fantastic. I think it was just luck as much as anything else. It's quite something going over the top and seeing the drop, eh? Were you caught on the rock above it? Yeah, I got hung up on that rock a little bit. Now the river, at last, is starting to get larger. Because the sides of the valley is coming, it's getting faster as well. That was the first rapid there. Doesn't bode well for what's next. But the one good thing is the scenery is fantastic. There's 300ft cliffs around here and absolutely pristine native bush. The dogs that the guys had with them had been fantastic ` finding them dinner and catching the food. But during a break one day, one of them dashed into the bush, and it never came back. It wasn't seen again until much, much later ` back in Motu. That's one smart dog. Maybe it saw what we just went through. Maybe it saw what we just went through. Yeah. Decided against it. Much more likely, it saw what was coming next. This is the biggest drop yet. Well, it's certainly the most volume, right? Well, it's certainly the most volume, right? Yeah. But at least it's straight. But at least it's straight. Well... It just` Yeah, it just comes right through. One channel. As long as you dodge this rock. It's this one rock that makes this rapid so dangerous. The water hits the rock and folds back on itself, creating a hole. If the explorers got sucked in, the force of the current would pin them underwater. Even if they could be reached, there would be little chance of rescue. So, who's going first? BOTH LAUGH I'm getting nervous for him. It's always harder to watch. Oh, here he is. That's good. There we go` That's good. He's missed the rock but hit a submerged one that's tipped him out. Kev! You all right? Get the boat! Get the boat! We need to rescue the boat before it's too late. * We've travelled back to 1920 to recreate the first river-run-by-boat of the Motu River. < That's good. There we go` That's good. Kevin has hit a submerged rock and been thrown from his boat. Kev! You all right? Get the boat! Get the boat! He can look after himself, but the boat is at risk of being lost if I can't haul it in. Oh yeah. You, uh... Ooh. When did it go wrong? We hit that big rock. As soon as we start shipping water, it just loses all stability. And then we can't` then we just put more water in. And then it was upside down. That was spooky. I felt it turning over, upstream, into me. Where did you go? I was under the water. (SPLUTTERS) But then you feel the rocks underneath your legs, and you're worried about getting your foot caught. I'm trying to keep it up, then the boat's in front of me, then I'm underwater. You just don't know what's happening next. Like, I heard this and thought, 'The last thing we need is another rapid.' We lost everything. We lost everything. Well, I got one thing. Oh, that's great! Awesome. It's the only thing I found. I can't believe how` That must have happened to these guys all the time. You can see why the trip took 11 days. It's just heartbreaking. As the Fisher brothers worked down the river, they discovered that the bigger falls were un-runnable. Their only safe option was to pull the heavy boats from the water and manhandle them around the rapids. What, bow first? Yep. I'll, uh` I'll keep it to the right and try and stop it from going. But even this proved dangerous. At one point, the unmanned boat was pulled back into an eddy and was almost lost. ...two, three. For us, we are fast running out of light. Though the low river level has left us miles behind schedule, the danger of pushing on is just too great. If we were to find ourselves deep in the gorge with no banks to use as a run-out in the dark, our chances of survival would be slim. Instead, we'll use the last bit of sun to try and dry out. Great job on those rapids today. Yeah, it was fantastic, wasn't it? It was great to stay upright in a few of them. Couldn't do it all the time, though. Couldn't do it all the time, though. Urgh. In and out of the water so often. Yeah. I didn't expect how cold it would be. I didn't expect` I mean, compared to some of the rivers we've been in, like the South Island streams, this is warm. Yeah, yeah. But it's so dark down in the gorge. And the wind as well that whistles through... Yeah, I guess it's, uh` it makes sense to make use of the sun while we get it. I'm just pleased we get to dry some stuff out with this fire. I'm just pleased we get to dry some stuff out with this fire. That's right. My forearm is so sore. From all the paddling? From all the paddling, yeah. I can't believe it. I can barely make a fist. This'd be a good night to start a fight. This'd be a good night to start a fight. (LAUGHS) Ooh, there's a satellite. Wouldn't have seen that in 1920. Wouldn't have seen that in 1920. (LAUGHS) I was really chuffed, the way the boats are... the way they're handling it. It's a miracle. You know, with` I mean, wood isn't so stupid to make boats with ` I mean riverboats. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Cos it does give a little bit, you know? I really thought that by now they would have busted apart and they'd be no good, but... They've been amazing. This is fantastic. They've been amazing. This is fantastic. They are getting heavier. Like, I think it's soaking up a little bit of water, and` Like, I think it's soaking up a little bit of water, and` Yeah. Yeah. You know, we've been doing plenty of bailing. Maybe that's how my arm got sore. Maybe that's how my arm got sore. RSI from bailing water out. I dunno. What's the` Is there an ACC levy for that? I dunno. What's the` Is there an ACC levy for that? BOTH CHUCKLE The next morning, we set off bright and early with a new plan. We are already almost 24 hours behind schedule. Another day like yesterday, and we will be facing a 12-day journey ` more than twice as long as we had anticipated. We can't afford to waste time stopping to check out every rapid. We will have to risk it and start running them unsighted. It's going well. We've made up several hours, and things are looking up, when out of the blue, our plan comes unstuck. And for once, it's Jamie who's run aground. But what appeared to be a minor mishap is suddenly proving to be much more serious. The boat has wedged itself against a rock, and now the full flow of the river is pouring through it. (GROANS) It's pretty well lodged. It's pretty well lodged. Sure is. You did a good job of it. It's all right. On three, OK? Yep. Are you gonna put your shoul` try and put your shoulder under it? Yep. Are you gonna put your shoul` try and put your shoulder under it? Yep. One, two, three. (GRUNTS) It's not budging. And even more serious is the way the water is forcing its way through the gaps in the boards on the side of the boat. One, two, three. BOTH GRUNT I pulled my hamstring. I don't think it's going anywhere,... the boat. I just think it's too hard. BOTH GRUNT BOTH GRUNT Go, go, go, go. That's it! Yeah! It may be free; now all we have to do is catch it. * We have travelled back to 1920 to recreate the first navigation of the Motu River by Stan Thorburn and the Fisher brothers. It's not going anywhere. Jamie's minor tipout has escalated into a serious problem. I just think it's too hard. But just when it seems the boat is lost, the riverbed moves and decides to give it back. We've just pushed it loose, but now both it and us are on a wild ride through the worst of the rapid. FAST, TENSE MUSIC Jamie finally catches up. But by then, the damage is done. Oh no! Argh! Kev! It's gonna need more than a couple of nails. It's gonna need more than a couple of nails. That's a lot of bailing. (LAUGHS) It's completely stuffed. Can you`? I'll lift it up, and I'll flip it over. TENDER PIANO MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES Oh! Oh, breaks my heart. It did have to be you that broke the boat. It did have to be you that broke the boat. Why's that? The way you've been driving... I've been coming down great. The loss of the boat is a major setback. We're still only a third of the way through the journey, with the biggest rapids still to come. Hold on. It means we have to take extra care of our one remaining craft. I can't believe how heavy this thing is now. I can't believe how heavy this thing is now. Yeah. It's taken on so much water. It's taken on so much water. It's just soaked it up. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. The wet boat weighs a ton. As treacherous as the river is, trying to carry the boat overland might actually be worse. You all right? You all right? Yeah, I'm good. I'm worried about you. Well, your turn's coming. BOTH: OK. OK. Hang on, here we go. Uh... And take a step forward. Three, two, one. Go, go. OK? Several times, the party had to carry their boats around rocks, where the river was too powerful to navigate. Hold on. Hold on. Ha ha. Down. (GRUNTS) Oh, yeah. Let's not do too many of those. Let's not do too many of those. < No way. But the heavy boat is the least of our problems. No good? No good? Uh, it is quite low at the back. How much lunch did you have? We have to quickly learn how to navigate our boat with two on board. OK, more on the right. OK, more on the right. Uh. On the right side? OK, more on the right. Uh. On the right side? Here we go. Here we go, here we go. It's good. Here we go, here we go. It's good. Plenty of left. Keep it to the right. Oh, oh! Back-paddle! We're good. We're good. We're good. We're good. Should I stay forward a bit? Uh, yeah. You should be all right now. Maybe a little bit. Uh, yeah. You should be all right now. Maybe a little bit. Well, that got gnarly. It's not the same boat with two people on board, that's for sure. It's not the same boat with two people on board, that's for sure. No way. It's just so sluggish. So sluggish and, uh, sitting low in the water. And it shifts a lot more water, that's for sure. You try and turn it around, but it just takes so much longer than what it did earlier. About this time, Fisher and Thorburn lost one of their boats. And if we're complaining about having two on ours, they had one boat with two and one boat with three people on it. They'd made it through the first two gorges, but their biggest challenge was about to start ` the bottom one, the lower gorge. But for Thorburn and the Fishers, the loss of the boat came with a horrifying realisation. Their boats were the only way out of the gorge. The sheer cliffs made it impossible to travel on foot. If their boats were to break up, they would be locked in a prison of rock and water. It could be weeks before a rescue party could reach them. And with no provisions, by then they would all starve to death. What had started out as fun had turned deadly serious. Oh, it's definitely starting to gorge up a bit more. The sides are getting steeper. And this river is definitely getting bigger. The higher water level makes travelling easier. And with us both paddling, we're quickly making up lost time. But it's hard not to notice we have a major problem. Hey, Jamie. I've got some bad news. Yeah? What's that? Yeah? What's that? That leak's getting bigger and bigger. It looks pretty good at my end. It looks pretty good at my end. (CHUCKLES) Look over your shoulder. Oh! It's teeming in. Oh! It's teeming in. Isn't it? This wood must be soaking up heaps. Um, what do you think we need to do? Should we take it to the beach and pour it out? We're just` We're so close. We're so close! Argh, come on, old girl. You gotta get us there. Oh no! It's whizzing in. If we can't stop the flow of water, we'll have to give up. For the first time, we might have to face the fact this is one journey we might fail to finish. 1 We've travelled back to 1920 to take on the first boat journey down the Motu River by Stan Thorburn and the Fisher brothers. Back-paddle! That'll do it. We've survived boulder gardens,... That'll do it. ...being lost overboard and swept downriver... Kev! You all right? Get the boat! Get the boat! ...and the loss of a boat. Argh! Oh, breaks my heart. Now with our only boat taking in water, we need to do our best to ease it to the finish line. We've come to a rapid that's bigger than what I think we can safely handle. We might be able to get down it, but we have to be so much more careful now we've only got one boat. And it was` When they were lowering their boats down a rapid like this, Fisher and Thorburn lost their third boat. They designed a new way of getting to the bottom. What they did was one person would sit in the boat, while the others would lower them down. That way the person in the boat could make sure they didn't get stuck in any eddies. So I guess we'll give that a go. Who's going in the boat? Oh! (LAUGHS) That's great. However, it might be a good toss to lose. All right, jump in. Probably in the back. Good work. Kevin is, in effect, a walking anchor. I haven't felt you holding the rope yet! (GROANS) It's good. All I have to do is sit in the boat and hope he doesn't let go. The success or failure of our journey is now hanging on an old, frayed piece of rope. Pull it tight. Oh no. Oh no. The boat creaks and groans with every new collision. You need to pull it up that way. It just won't handle being submerged again. There it goes, there it goes, there it goes. Have you got it? Yep. If it sunk here, with the full force of the river flowing through, it could be turned into splinters in a matter of seconds. Yep! But with a lot of luck, we're through. That's it. Yeah. Whatever you do, don't break my boat! But we're not safe just yet. The eddies push Jamie into the solid rock wall of the gorge. The boat scrapes along the cliff, dislodging another sideboard from the hull. But once again, the little boat stays afloat. Whoo! (LAUGHS) We now have only two dangerous sets of rapids left between us and the finish line at Maraenui. But for now, we get some respite as the river winds its way toward the spectacular lower gorge. We're getting near the end of the gorge. It's going out with a bang. The sides are almost vertical, going up 200m into the sky. For a long time, it was considered to use this place as a dam, and in fact, in the 1970s, construction began, with concrete being poured and a road being brought down. It's interesting, given our story, that it was a group of rafters and river enthusiasts that stopped it from going ahead. The only visible sign of the hydro scheme are these eroded steps and two small pipes. It's weird, isn't it? It's like... seeing some old Roman ruin or something and trying to work out what it is. It was the river's beauty that captivated the team. Waterfalls filled the landscape, nikau palms were numerous, and sulphur was seen running out of the rocks in many places. Their journals described it as 'nature unadorned and unspoiled by the hand of man'. But you lower your guard on the Motu at your peril. CRACK! CRACK! Oh! I heard a crack. Did you hear the crack? Did you hear the crack? Yeah. Oh, it didn't sound good. Oh, it didn't sound good. Hopefully it's one of the runners ` nothing structural. We will have to stop and check it out. Oh, yeah, spin it around a bit. We need to do some... (GRUNTS) I see what the problem is. We thought our boat wouldn't die, but the old girl is finally starting to show some signs of wear and tear. We've just come down a pretty big rapid now, banged against the side of the hill and split a few seams. We really would like to nurse the old girl home. There's just a few more miles left. There's just a few more miles left. We're so close. There's just a few more miles left. We're so close. So close. There are a few over here. There's not much we can do. We can try and add a few extra nails to hold the old girl together, but the wood is now so water-laden, the nails pull straight out. One set of rapids stand between us and completing our journey. With the boat in such a bad way, our plan is to run them as quickly as possible. The big risk... is that you start to take more and more chances as you come up to the rapids. You think you can shoot them, particularly as your experience grows and your confidence grows. What do you think about this one coming up, Jamie? Yeah. This sounds a bit like the last 50, but could be a big one. Yeah, good. Another rock in front of us. We need all of our skill to get through this section, all of our stamina,... Another rock in front. ...all of our courage. That's good. That's good. But mostly, a lot of luck. Keep it flat. Here comes another one. Backwards, we have little control and hit the rock hard. But amazingly, the boat still stays afloat. The river now splits into several channels. We need to paddle hard and aim for a side chute. If we miss it and go over the main fall, it would finish us for good. We've made the slot. Now all we can do is hold on. TENSE MUSIC MUSIC BUILDS This rapid seems never-ending. With the boat so water-laden, you have very little freeboard. We need to keep it as level as possible to stop any more water coming on board and swamping us. MUSIC CONTINUES But finally, after what seems an eternity, the rapid comes to an end. Nice. Fantastic. Hey, a little patch of sun on the river now. That's fantastic. It's flat, calm water from here all the way to the coast. After five days of the roar of the wild river, now the most overriding sensation is the silence. Back in 1920, the relief party waiting at the river mouth began to worry. It had been 10 days since the expedition had left Motu, and they were now overdue. As the days went by and the weather deteriorated, hope began to fade. But for us, against all odds, our amazing little boat has arrived at the finish-line. Last three. All right! All right! It made it! Whoo-hoo! (LAUGHS) There's the sea. There's the sea. Good job. Good one. Good one. (LAUGHS) I really wondered. I really wondered if it would get here. Isn't it amazing what these wooden boats can do? And this was built based on the same photograph taken of those guys in their boat. Yeah, I'm amazed at just how well it's done. It's been great. For them, it was early March. You know, the weather had changed, and no one in Motu had heard from them. People were worrying. A search party was being readied to leave. But before they could set off, five damp and bedraggled men arrived here at the Motu river mouth. It was the 5th of March 1920. 11 days after setting off, Ellis Fisher, Stan Thorburn and their three friends finally conquered the Motu. The party was welcomed on to the Maraenui pa, and a feast was prepared. The surviving boats were given away to the locals. Their diary then records the return journey by coach back to Motu, where the town was waiting to give them a hero's welcome. I feel like I've spent six months in a leaky boat. Yeah. I loved this one, but we've been put through a washing machine. That's right. I mean, even going down the first rapids in that old boat. And having to carry them around the rapids ` that was a nightmare. And then getting the boat stuck on the rock, filled with water. Yeah, it would have broke my heart to see my one split into pieces through those rocks. But when we were both in the boat paddling, we did go over those amazing rapids. That was great. The cool thing was it was just like Fisher and Thorburn did back in the day. And you know that they were miles ahead of their time, because nobody paddled down the Motu again for another 15 years. But that's what I love about this trip. We didn't need a map to follow them, cos it's a river. You know, almost all of the scenery that we saw? You could say it was exactly like they saw. The thing that we can't say we experienced is what they went through before this journey ` World War I. World War I. That's right. We know that Ellis Fisher was drafted in 1917, and some of the others must've served as well. And who knows what they went through, but you know when they came home that Motu must have felt really small. Oh, I mean, for anyone coming back from after that journey, having to go back to an everyday job, that would be really tough. You know, the first tramping club in NZ was established in 1919, after the War. I suspect, for these guys, they were really searching for a big project or adventure to sink their teeth into. Whoo-hoo! (LAUGHS) It was, like, for the first time, a lot of people were looking for the outdoors to find excitement and adventure, I mean, rather than exploiting it. It's the same with these guys. You can see it in the account of their trip. They start off by saying the country is poor, because they can't find land to farm sheep. But as they go through, more and more, they'd say, 'The scenery is magnificent.' Yeah, I mean, in the 1970s, when the dam was proposed, it was the river runners that wanted to stop it. And I think Fisher and Thorburn could be the ones that inspired that legacy. That's right, that's right. Hey, we're at the beach now. How about we go for a swim? Nah, let's get some fish and chips. Nah, let's get some fish and chips. (LAUGHS) Captions by Tom Wilson. Edited by Desney Shaw. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2018