4 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, we take on Douglas and Mueller's exploration of the Arawhata Valley,... Am I going right? Am I going right? To the left. > ...and their remarkable ascent of Mt Ionia. Let's check out this gig. Oh wow! Oh wow! Oh, look at it. We will enter the danger zone carrying basic surveying gear. That's amazing. We push ourselves to the limit... BOTH: Ohhhhhhh. ...to get inside Douglas and Mueller's heads... Careful! > ...to reveal just how incredible this first crossing actually was, when they took on one of the most challenging and dangerous landscapes in the world. We're on the Tasman Sea off the west coast of the South Island. We're heading towards the Arawhata River mouth at Jackson Bay. But to get there, we have to navigate our way over a constantly shifting and shallow sandbar. 'When gold was discovered on these shores in the mid-1800s, 'many miners set sail, but numerous ships were wrecked on these sandbars, and never made it.' But today we're in luck. The wind and tide conditions are surprisingly perfect to cross the bar, but we still need a smaller boat to get to shore. 'By the mid-1800s when large scale European settlement began, coastal NZ had been completely mapped. 'But the discovery and documentation of the interior would be a much longer process.' Exploration of the inland regions was fundamental to the successful settlements of the new country. And surveyors were critical to that process. It was their job to go into the unknown areas and map the land. 'In 1885, a man by the name of Gerhard Mueller was chief surveyor 'on the west coast of the South Island. 'In charge of all reconnaissance operations; 'for the trickiest explorations, he called on renowned bushman Charlie Douglas.' The two formed a fantastic partnership, and saw many years of active service, surveying and exploring the West Coast, from these shores right up to the very peaks of the Southern Alps. 'Unlike many other explorers of the time, Douglas ` 45 years of age and Mueller ` 50, 'didn't set out to be heroes or discover "firsts".' Thanks, mate. 'Their job was simply to map and document the land, 'and in doing so they sought to obtain the most accurate account of the country, 'and this was "big country"!' That's exciting. That's exciting. Yeah. That comes off. Another one at the bottom. Oh, it's a tripod. Hang on. I'm starting to get an idea here. Oh, that's a big box. You can take that one. Oh, that's a big box. You can take that one. Here it is. Look at it. Jeepers. What's that? The theodolite? Yeah. It's used for taking angles of things. Look at it. It is so beautifully made. Yeah. Well, that must be what goes on the tripod. Well, that must be what goes on the tripod. That's right. (LAUGHS) Oh wow. Check it out. It must be the thing they use to measure between the two points. OK. What else have we got here? Some boots. Oh, look at this. It's a bit of a pirate sword. Oh, look at this. It's a bit of a pirate sword. (LAUGHS) Here we go. This will be for slashing our way through the bush. This must be the batwing tent. Charlie` Charlie Douglas was famous for just thinking a bit differently about the way you camped. And so... Well, when we pull this out to use it, we'll see what it looks like. Hold on. I want to make sure I've got something. Oh, boots. These West Coast sandflies are eating me alive. These West Coast sandflies are eating me alive. They are, eh. I want to get some shoes on. We will do our best to follow Douglas and Mueller's original 1885 journey from Jackson Bay, up the Arawhata River, to the headwaters and beyond; for an epic 2200m ascent of the glaciated peak of Mt Ionia; an adventure that would see some of the country's most remote and unforgiving terrain mapped in detail for the very first time. These flats are pretty good, eh, but do you have that suspicion it's the calm before the storm? You just have to look up in front. You just have to look up in front. (LAUGHS) Stop and get a drink. Stop and get a drink. Yeah. The first 30 K's up the river were pretty good. It's a mixture of going along the rocks, grassy flats and a few bits in the bush. For Mueller, he said the flats would be great for grazing. 'From this point, Douglas and Mueller deviated away from the Arawhata, and up Clarks Creek. 'They needed to get up high to establish the trig points 'that would be used to map the rest of the valley.' So, the main principle behind surveying is this. So if I look at where Jamie is now, he's just about due south. But if I go over here, now he's about 45 degrees away from south. And if I know exactly the distance between that point and this point, what surveyors call the baseline, then knowing the baseline and the two angles, now I know exactly where Jamie is, and I can even tell his height. One of the things they used to use to find the distance between those two points was the Gunter's chain. The chain, itself, 22 yards or around 20m long. And it's made up of 100 of these chain links. 'In the late 19th century, this equipment was the most accurate way of surveying and mapping the land. 'Douglas and Mueller used the process of triangulation 'to determine the location of distant objects. 'By establishing two points here at the head of Clarks Creek to create a fixed baseline, 'they could then measure the angles to Mt Ionia, 'and by knowing the angles, they could calculate the distance.' Back in 1885, this was where the map stopped and the unknown space began. When Mueller and Douglas came up here, they wanted to put in two spots to act as marker points for when they started their surveying. 'Based on the landmarks and the line of sight all the way up the valley, 'we're pretty certain this is point P, one of the original observation sites 'used by Douglas and Mueller at the head of Clarks Creek.' Am I going right? > A little to the left. A little to the left. Whose left? A little to the left. Whose left? < Uh, mine. Yep. Yep. OK. OK. Mark. Right. So now we know roughly what the length of a chain is, then, uh... What do you think, Jamie? It's got to be on that ridge line. It's got to be on that ridge line. Yeah. 3-5-1. It's the highest point up there. OK. Well, that makes sense. 'We know from their survey that Douglas and Mueller's second point to complete their baseline 'was at a slightly higher elevation ` observation point O.' Oh, look at that! I can't believe it. I can't believe it. It's right where it's supposed to be. Oh! Oh wow. I didn't think we'd see anything. Oh wow. I didn't think we'd see anything. That's fantastic. And this is exactly where they would have put it. Look at the view down the valley. You can see the sea from here and all the way up the valley. It makes perfect sense. It's just the spot. That's fantastic. (PANTS) 130 years since they were here. 'It's pretty overwhelming to think that the last hands that touched this cairn 'in this wild and remote location, could well have been Douglas and Mueller so many years ago.' OK, that's on top of the ridge line. OK, that's on top of the ridge line. Yeah? 'But as remarkable as our discovery is, this was just the beginning of Douglas and Mueller's survey. 'From here they rejoined the Arawhata, en route to establish a key observation point 'from the summit of Ionia.' For about 30km, the pair travelled up the Arawhata River, and, mostly, the travel was pretty good. Mueller even said in his report that you'd be able to build a road. Then suddenly they were stopped in their tracks at a place called the Ten Hour Gorge, a place where the riverbanks were so steep, the boulders so large, that Mueller wrote that it would take some convulsion of nature for a road to go any further. There was a reason why it's the Ten Hour Gorge, and that's because that's how long it took them to travel it. Hey, Kev, the clock's ticking, mate. 'Where it had been quite open near the coast, the Arawhata narrows the further you advance.' This gets worse and worse. 'It was tough navigation. You had to have an eye for the landscape, 'and both Douglas and Mueller clearly had that.' As Mueller and Douglas made their way up the river, there would have been dozens of times that they had to cross it from side to side. There was one thing, though, that was at the front of their mind ` never let their equipment get wet. We've reached a point in the river where we have to get across to the other side. It's way too fast and too deep for us to try and swim across, and it's too far for us to jump. So the safest option is to build one of these ` a log bridge. Oooh. Oooooh. OK. Who goes first? Oh. 'Not a paper-scissors-rock battle I'm even remotely happy to lose.' Good. If you start to hear the sound of wood breaking, back up fast. If you start to hear the sound of wood breaking, back up fast. Yeah. 5 JAMIE: We have travelled back to 1885 to take on Douglas and Mueller's epic reconnaissance survey of the mighty Arawhata. From Jackson Bay, we're en route to the headwaters and beyond. If you start to hear the sound of wood breaking, back up fast. 'But the river's raging torrents have blocked a route upstream, 'and we've been forced to hatch a gnarly plan that involves me putting all my trust and weight 'in a few skinny branches we've roped together.' I can feel the water on my toes! < Oh, great job! < Fantastic. That's nerve-racking. You know, I think the water's getting higher. You know, I think the water's getting higher. Better get over here. Try and hook your toes on the outside. Yeah. Ooooh. It's bending. 'One wrong move here and I'd rather not think about the consequences.' Yeah. Now see if you can put more on that. Ooh. (GRUNTS) Whoo! Oh. How's it going? How's it going? Good. How ya feeling? How's it going? Good. How ya feeling? Yeah. Didn't that get the blood going? Didn't that get the blood going? Sure did. 'Where the mammoth boulders on the riverbanks become impassable, 'the only option is back up into the thick, tangled, heavy bush.' Uh! 'As Douglas and Mueller continued to follow the river, they would have found it exceedingly difficult 'to find a safe route, not to mention one with straight and visible lines.' (PANTS) There was a reason why the upper headwaters of the Arawhata were unexplored right until 1885. It was because of bush like this. What's the plan now? What's the plan now? Uh, I think we just have to keep on going up, don't we? 'It doesn't take long away from the river to realize the thick, snarled bush isn't a better option.' Are you all right? Are you all right? Yep. What can you see? What can you see? It's a big drop. Are there some rocks below us? Yeah. I think if we can somehow` If you get down there, we might be able to get a bit closer. 'It's at least 30m back down to the river, 'but escaping the dense tangles of the bush is fast becoming our preferred option.' Oh, you're going to have to keep real low. Oh. Oh. There really is a good reason why they call this the Ten Hour Gorge. If I was navigating, I would have called it the 20 Hour Gorge. '10 Hour Gorge is arduous, difficult travel. 'Mueller reported that they had to crawl under and over boulders, ranging in size from a digger's hut to a courthouse, and he wasn't wrong!' We have to somehow use the rope to get around the side. > 'We've found ourselves dead-ended with the raging rapids below, 'and in front, a boulder too big to scale.' Shoes off, eh? Hang on. Who's going first? OK. I choose. Away you go. (LAUGHS) 'We've secured a rope hold around the top of the boulder that better be strong 'because it's about to take all my weight.' (GROANS) BOTH: Ohhhhhhhhh. Oh, it's got a lot of flex in it. That's it. That's it. Ohhhhhh. (GRUNTS) Cuts into your hand. 'Travelling across in socks hasn't added any friction, 'and the rope cuts at my hands as I hang on for dear life.' (GRUNTS) Oh. Great work, mate. 'Now for the big guy's turn.' All right. All right. OK. Come over. It's worked. 'The rapids below are a constant reminder not to put a step wrong. 'It's a tricky balancing act made harder with the load on my back.' (GRUNTS) There's a foothold here. There's a foothold there. That's it. Try here. (GRUNTS) (GRUNTS) Oh, good. Good work, mate. Good job. It's hard, isn't it? You've got all that weight. You've got all that weight. You feel your, uh, lactic acid building up. And the rope cutting through the skin of your hands. 'Douglas and Mueller pressed on with the nightmare journey through 10 Hour George, 'and continued traversing the Arawhata Valley towards Andy and Williamson Flats.' This feels miserable, but at least it's opening out a little bit, which, I hope, is a sign that we're getting closer to some flats ahead. Oh, Kev. Kev. Check it out. Oh yeah. Just up ahead you can see the flats, and, thankfully, if we can get up there, we'll be out of all of this mess. Oh yeah. It's a good feeling. (LAUGHS) Isn't this great? (LAUGHS) Isn't this great? Fantastic. Opens up, doesn't it? Opens up, doesn't it? Yeah. For Mueller and Douglas, when they came through here, it must have been an enormous relief. They were surveyors. They were looking for pastoral land, and they found 1000 acres of it. But, of course, the ironic thing? It was no use to anyone because of the 10 Hour Gorge. 'On reaching the flats, Mueller said that, "Hemmed in by gorges, fringed by stately forest 'and guarded by a turbulent river, this place was one of the most glorious in the Southern Alps."' Douglas was famous for his batwing tent, where the tent itself was pitched inside a fly so a fire could be lit under shelter. He's a pretty clever guy. He's a pretty clever guy. Yeah. He must have spent decades out there just refining his techniques, and it's not just about survival in the bush. He actually just loved it. He probably` He would have been sitting here with his pipe having a right old time. Definitely. Definitely. So, here we are inside the batwing tent. It's great being half in and half out. It's indoor-outdoor flow. It's indoor-outdoor flow. BOTH LAUGH He was well ahead of his time. He was well ahead of his time. Oh yeah. He was a thinker. But it's an interesting thing to think of Mueller and Douglas coming out here. You know, here you and I are, we're just two good mates and we're out having this journey, but imagine if I was your boss. (GIGGLES) How would that change things? Or imagine coming out here with your boss. Or imagine coming out here with your boss. (LAUGHS) You know, for a month. It's amazing. You know, for a month. It's amazing. Yeah. Mueller had an incredibly high-powered job. As the surveyor. The chief... As the surveyor. The chief... Yeah, in Westland. The chief surveyor of Westland, which was a big gig because Westland was a tough province... Well, yeah. Well, yeah. ...to survey. You can imagine ` lots of wide spaces. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. There's a bit to do tomorrow. We've got a long way to go, actually. We've got to climb a mountain. The need for a clear line of sight had lured Douglas and Mueller further into the mountains. Early surveyors would achieve remarkable results, not by chance, but by incredible hard work in the most difficult country imaginable. Being on the flats is great for making progress, but for surveying, you really want to be up high and see the landscape. That's why the summit of Mt Ionia was the real prize. Douglas and Mueller knew if they could get there, they could complete the survey a lot faster. We've found ourselves boxed in at the top of the flats, surrounded by the most stunning, yet seemingly unscaleable bluffs. But if we're to reach Ionia, that's going to mean somehow getting ourselves through a jagged slot and up these enormous rock faces. What can you see? (GRUNTS) Oh, it narrows off into this crack. And I think that's our chance. We want to stay away from the steep, slabby stuff as much as we can. 'We've picked the safest line we can see with two pitches, 'but both have incredibly sharp inclines, and finding a route isn't easy.' OK? ABOVE: If you could just lean against the tree,... ABOVE: If you could just lean against the tree,... Yeah. ...cos I'm going to put my foot on it. ...cos I'm going to put my foot on it. Oh God. We're going to have to go on the... We're going to have to go on the... < On the slab? We're going to have to go on the... < On the slab? Yeah. < Damn. Yeah. You ready? Yeah. You ready? < Yep. Go. (GRUNTS) < Oh, good work. Gotta hug that slab. Yeah. 'The smooth slab provides no grip at all for my hobnail boots.' < Yeah. Good work. I'll just just go around the corner and find an anchor, and then you can come up, eh? < Brilliant. Yep. Yep. OK. Climbing. OK. Climbing. ABOVE: OK. There's a bit of stretch. (GRUNTS) Oh, I struck that tree. This moss gives way. 'It seems mad to be putting my life in the hands of a tiny clump of grass, 'but it's either that, or an unwanted trip 75m down.' Oh, here we go. Oh, here we go. ABOVE: Oh, yeah. There you are. Oh, here we go. ABOVE: Oh, yeah. There you are. Yeah. Oh, this is ridiculous. You've got to remember ` Douglas was 45 years old when he was doing this, and Mueller was 50. That's hard men. Oh. That's not too many birthdays away, Kev. 'Douglas and Mueller's accomplishments in this difficult and hideous terrain were remarkable, but they took their toll; a toll Douglas would pay gravely for. Oh, a little bit of a grovel. Yeah. Good work. Sorry. I think I must have pushed a bit of that moss out of the way. Sorry. I think I must have pushed a bit of that moss out of the way. Can't hold you, wouldn't hold me. Right. 'It turns out that that was the easy part. 'We're still only half way up the 150m bluff, and as the pitch rapidly steepens, 'a wrong move now would be deadly.' Oh. Just take it easy, mate. Just take it easy, mate. Oh. Don't trust any of that too much. Don't trust any of that too much. No. I've got no choice. Taking a tree with me... Ohhhhhh! 5 We're in the South Island of NZ, attempting to retrace Douglas and Mueller's first reconnaissance survey of the wild south Westland Arawhata River. At least it's cool in here. 'From Jackson Bay, we're en route up the valley to ascend Mt Ionia.' It's so awkward. 'But first, we have the tricky task of scaling the sheer bluffs up out of the flats.' I'm taking a tree with me. Ohhhhhhhhh! I hope there's gonna be some of that stuff for me to hold on to as well. You won't need it. You'll have me on the other end of the rope. You won't need it. You'll have me on the other end of the rope. (LAUGHS) 'At the top I position myself to secure a strong anchor worthy of Jamie's weight. 'No pressure (!)' Yep? Yep? Yep. (PANTS) It is a bit slippery. > It is a bit slippery. > How's it going? 'Kev may have me on an anchor, but the old rope is of little comfort given the lack of handholds.' (GRUNTS) A bit more. Oh! That's good. You get pretty intimate with some of that stuff, don't ya? That's good. You get pretty intimate with some of that stuff, don't ya? Yes, I did. For Douglas and Mueller, when they had to get over the bluffs, they had to use their ropes dozens of times. You can see why it took them two and a half days just to get to the summit. 'Douglas and Mueller continued their push for Mt Ionia, a spot they would have chosen for its elevation 'and line of sight back to their trig stations at the head of Clarks Creek.' 'They were by now exploring tortuous routes up mountain streams and over high alpine ranges. 'Carrying their heavy survey equipment, travelling would have been exhausting and painfully slow. 'Emerging from the bush, we're stopped in our tracks by a scree slope, 'a region of loose rock that's going to be pretty dicey to get across.' What do you think, Jamie? Should we see if we can get around to the rock over there in the middle, and the path of least resistance from there, and maybe go down? We're not going to get over that next bit, are we? We're not going to get over that next bit, are we? Nah. Are you kicking your feet in? Are you kicking your feet in? Yep. 'We take what we think is the safest path, but the movement below foot 'doesn't warrant a lot of assurance.' It just wants to go. Well, I think the best thing to do is head straight down here. OK. Try and stay in control. 'Famous last words from Kev as I quickly slide out of control 'and am forced to let momentum carry me down. 'And Kevin's not far behind.' Ohhhhhh. 'A fall now at this speed would have horrible consequences.' Way! Oh! Muz, you right? Oh, hell. That was crazy. You dropped down pretty quick. You dropped down pretty quick. I was trying to` You can't go slow on this. I looked around, and I thought, 'I'm going to get landed by Kevin.' As soon as you start off, the slope starts to move under your feet. Oh, I started going a million miles an hour. I was just trying to stop my head going down into the gravel. That was close. 'Douglas and Mueller pushed on higher towards the glaciated high alpine peaks.' Oh, look at this. You don't expect that. A lake! A lake! Well. The two guys were certainly really keen outdoorsmen, but there would have certainly been times when Mueller accepted that Douglas had much more experience, and he would have relied on Douglas and his gut instinct to get him through situations ` maybe a bit like this. 'We have the choice of a long scramble around the base of the rock wall, 'or a detour straight across the middle.' So, Mr Douglas, what would you do in this circumstance? I reckon he would have said, 'Go for it.' I reckon he would have said, 'Go for it.' I reckon you can go first, then. BOTH LAUGH Away you go. Oh. Oh dear. The moment of truth, I guess. Oh yeah. No, take a big step. This is the time that you really wish that you had an ice axe to test the depth. Away you go. Big jump. 'We're literally walking on thin ice. Break the surface now and it could be all over in an instant.' A few bubbles came up. OK. Try and stay with the thick a bit here. Bit over this way. Bit over this way. Yeah. It's a little bit eerie, isn't it? It's a little bit eerie, isn't it? You just don't know what's going to happen. 'It's a relief to make it to the other side.' Oh, we're there. I'm pleased we've got through that, but now it's time to head up, and I'm afraid to say, it's time for the weapon. I think it is. What we really need to do is chop steps to get up to the ridge line. The perfect tool for doing that is an ice axe, but the only problem is, ice axes were virtually unknown in Westland at the time. So what we have instead, and what they used, was this ` their slasher. Well, I tell you what. I led before, so there's your platform. Why don't you make a start, mate? Watch out for your foot. (GRUNTS) Oh yeah. Whoa! BOTH LAUGH For Douglas and Mueller, they had to cut, at one point, more than half a mile of steps. We may be some time. I can see why it took them two and a half days to get to the top. This way. Back on the horse. Back on the horse. 'The ascent, although extremely dangerous anyway, 'simply wouldn't have been possible without Douglas' steps. 'It was exhausting work for Douglas, but Mueller later stated that, '"The trouble and exertion were well paid."' Well,... (LAUGHS) but we're not there yet. Well,... (LAUGHS) but we're not there yet. No way. You can see the top now. We're within striking distance, but between us and the top, there's a huge glacier and ice fall. All right. Come on. All right. Come on. OK. 'The area was filled with fearsome terrain that few humans would have been prepared to face, 'and in the years that followed Douglas and Mueller's great exploits, 'dozens of lives have been lost in this wild, remote wilderness.' What can you see? What can you see? Oh, it's rough. A little bit of a maze, eh? 'We've found our way blocked by a gigantic serac field.' Do you think there's a way through? Do you think there's a way through? Nah. How about here? Oh yeah. That's a Jamie-size hole right here. There's even a little slot for the tripod. (LAUGHS) I'll have a go, eh? That it? Aha! (GRUNTS) I've got a foothold here, but I think it's just a bit of a, you know... Not a leap of faith, but spread the legs, do the splits. You've just got to pray that there's a hole in that side. Oh. I don't want to lose anything. Try and grab that handhold. That's it. < Oh yeah. OK. Ready? Just give us a bit of slack. Ready? Just give us a bit of slack. You've got it. One, two, three. (GRUNTS) Good work. 'Now for Kevin's turn.' Oh man. Hands get petty cold. Oh, no grip. I know what you mean now. There might be another foot` half a foothold further around to your right. This one here? This one here? Uh, yep. This one here? Uh, yep. Yeah. (GRUNTS) (GRUNTS) Whoops! (YELLS INDISTINCTLY) 5 We've travelled back to 1885 to take on Douglas and Mueller's epic reconnaissance survey up the Arawhata Valley to the headwaters and the surrounding glaciated peaks. Oh, no grip. 'Following their route up Mt Ionia to establish their final survey station, 'we've encountered a serac field. 'And now Kevin's taken a pretty serious fall and is stranded in a crevasse.' Have you got me? Have you got me? Yeah. > Oh. Can you find a handhold? Can you feel it? Can you feel it? Yep. 'While I struggle for handholds, Jamie takes most of my weight.' I'm trying to pull. I'm trying to lean back. It's all right. It's all right. I've got my feet up here. Oh. Uh, yep. Give me some slack. I can almost walk out here. Gonna back it up. 'Eventually with Jamie's help, I scramble up and out of the crevasse.' How are your hands? How are your hands? < Yeah, not good. You pulled me into the edge a bit. Right. Let's try this again. Right. Let's try this again. Yep. Just try and stick your hands over here. Good. That was a bit more exciting than I thought it was going to be. That was a bit more exciting than I thought it was going to be. How are your hands? Oh, cut up a little bit when I rubbed down that ice. Ice. It's nearly as, uh... It's not nearly as soft as you think. 'Douglas and Mueller continued across the field of hazardous crevasses 'as far as the eye could see. 'When they reached their final pitch for the summit, the most difficult terrain still lay ahead.' 'The journey up Ionia would require yet another skill set for Douglas and Mueller. 'They needed to be accomplished rock climbers.' We always knew it was going to be rock at the summit. We've been finding our way around this to try and find the easiest way to the top. And, I think, Jamie, we can probably work this crack. Or shall we take our loops off, and I'll feed it out to you as you go up? Yeah. Yeah. You ready there? You ready there? Yep. Moving on up. 'It's a steep and dangerous ascent. At this altitude, the thin air makes breathing all the more difficult, 'and the schist, although grippy, comes away far too easily for comfort.' Oh! He's doing pretty good so far. It's just where to get the... Oh yeah. (GRUNTS) Oh. Argh. (BREATHES HEAVILY) Oh. I've just got this last crack to get up, maybe 3m, 4m. There's nothing on the surface, but there's this ` about 27cm gap, at which I think... I'm having to wedge my boots into... Come on. Oh, here's a good one. I want you to memorise all those footholds cos you're going to have to tell me where they are. Oh yeah. That's it! That's it! Whoo! Have you found a ledge? Have you found a ledge? Yep. Yep. OK. 'Now Jamie begins his ascent with the safety of my belay, but that doesn't make it any easier a climb.' These handholds are starting to look a bit smaller. One, two,... three! All right. Take it in a bit. Are you all right, Jamie? Are you all right, Jamie? Yeah. 'Hauling heavy, unbalanced equipment up such a steep pitch, makes the challenge extremely difficult.' Whoa. (GRUNTS) There we go. That tripod's a pain, eh? That tripod's a pain, eh? Yeah, it is. A real pain. A real pain. There you go. Oh, that's good. Oh, that's good. Yeah. You're there now. Oh, brilliant. OK, I'll come up to you. It's just a few more steps up here to the top. Oh, good work. Oh, good work. Hey, thanks, mate. Oh, good work. Hey, thanks, mate. Well done. Come on. Let's check out this top. Oh wow! Mt Aspiring. That's amazing. Oh, look at it. Fantastic. 'Mueller said that for grandeur of scenery, there was not another spot in NZ 'to equal the south Westland landscape, 'and that he had never seen anything as awe-inspiring as the view from Mt Ionia to Mt Aspiring.' It's an incredible vista. The barrier range meets up with Mt Aspiring, the main divide. And over there is Haast Range, and Mueller and Douglas named each of its peaks after ships' masts. 'Standing on this spot, Douglas said, "Time stood still."' This was a major accomplishment for Mueller and Douglas. This was the first time that locals had climbed a major mountain in the Southern Alps. It was incredible they made it to the top here with just rope. No ice axes, no crampons, but plenty of ingenuity. but plenty of ingenuity. That's right. 'As breathtaking a moment as this must have been for the duo, they still had a job to do.' 'For Douglas and Mueller, the big advantage of being up here on the summit at 2200m 'was it gave them the ultimate view, back down the entire valley to all their other trig stations. 'It was the final piece in their puzzle. 'From this one point they were able to sight all the other observation points down the valley, 'including O and P, back at the head of Clarks Creek. 'But now they had to get themselves back down.' Uh-oh. What can you see? What can you see? Help. Help. It's all right. It's all right. Oh. I'm good here. Come and have a look. 'Kevin's halted in his tracks by a mammoth crevasse that's going to require a huge leap of faith.' I don't want to hang around too long, so... I don't want to hang around too long, so... All right. I'm game. Are you ready? OK. Loser goes. OK. Loser goes. Yes. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) I can't believe that. OK, I'll kick your stance. OK, I'll kick your stance. All right. OK. 5 We're in the South Island of NZ, retracing Douglas and Mueller's gruelling 1885 journey up the Arawhata River and their daring first ascent of Mt Ionia. Oh, this is terrible. 'We have bridged across raging torrents, tackled a treacherous scree slope, 'and scaled a rock bluff high in the glaciated peaks.' Uh-oh. 'And now, travelling back down, Kevin's faced with a massive leap across a nasty crevasse.' OK. One, two, three. Whoa! That worked pretty well. That theodolite took you down. That theodolite took you down. Yeah. OK. > OK. > Right. OK, so I'm going to have to run backwards as you run towards it in case you drop into the crevasse. OK? Yeah. All I heard was I've got to run as fast as I can. Yeah. All I heard was I've got to run as fast as I can. < Yeah, that's right. OK. You ready? OK. You ready? < Yeah. One, two, three. BOTH LAUGH I think you gave me a pull. You just made it. You just made it. Good job. 'Few men would have endured the hardship and suffering Mueller and Douglas faced. 'Westland, with its snow-covered passes, high icy mountains and jagged rocky bluffs 'had been considered the most difficult province of all to survey.' Let me get my first foot down. So, we're coming down the mountain now, and it's getting late in the day. I think the last difficult thing to do is to make our way down this razorback here. I'm going first, of course. You've got to test it, mate. You've got to test it, mate. (LAUGHS) BELOW: OK. Coming down. BELOW: OK. Coming down. Yeah. BELOW: That's it. Whooooo! 'Douglas and Mueller came down razorbacks like this many times, 'but always Douglas, the true bushman, would go first and test the route.' ABOVE: Safe? ABOVE: Good work. 'As the duo continued back down the Arawhata Valley towards Jackson Bay, 'they deviated off route to survey the Waipara River. 'But nearing the end of their journey, the weather turned for the worse, 'and for three days, with little to eat, Douglas and Mueller grew weaker and weaker.' Finally, on February 23rd 1885, they stumbled out on to the beach, here at the Arawhata river mouth, and they still had their survey notes and sketches. Westland, with its dense bush, rugged gorges and snow-capped mountains had been considered the most difficult province to survey. But now, thanks to Douglas and Mueller's incredible efforts, it was finally a detailed map. 'Douglas continued exploring, but turned down many offers for full-time employment. 'But by 1908, the great explorer's hard life finally caught up with him, 'and he suffered several debilitating strokes. 'For a man of the wilderness, his last few years confined in Hokitika must have been heartbreaking.' What did you think of this one? It's just been great, but surveying... I mean, as far as work experience goes, I don't think we could get any tougher. I don't think we could get any tougher. I know what you mean. Having to carry those heavy swags up the Arawhata. And all of that bush-bashing and the sliding down the slip. But finding the original cairn that they used to start their survey, that was fantastic. But finally reaching the summit of Ionia, you know, and taking those measurements ` that was special. It's interesting that they've come together to do these amazing adventures, but then their lives took quite different paths. I mean, Mueller went on to be number two in the survey department. I mean, Mueller went on to be number two in the survey department. For all of NZ? Yeah. That's right. But Douglas, he was still living in a tent. I mean, he didn't stop exploring. Everyone who met him held him in really high regard, but he didn't really achieve a lot of material wealth or fame in his lifetime. But now you have to say, that it is he who has the greatest legacy, because it's his stories that are told around the campfire, and it's his adventures that have inspired so many people to get into the outdoors. I've got one more sighting for you. I've got one more sighting for you. Yeah? 90 degrees. 20 chains. 20 chains. (LAUGHS) 20 chains. (LAUGHS) I think I can see a pub. I'm into it. I'm into it. That's our new heading. I'm into it. That's our new heading. (LAUGHS) Captions by Anne Langford. www.tvnz.co.nz/access-services Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2013