1 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:14,340 I'm Bear Grylls. Whoo! 2 00:00:14,380 --> 00:00:17,220 I'm gonna show you what it takes to get out alive 3 00:00:17,260 --> 00:00:19,440 from some of the most dangerous places on earth. 4 00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:24,040 I've gotta make it through a week of challenges 5 00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:26,440 in the sort of places you wouldn't last a day 6 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:29,120 without the right survival skills. 7 00:00:31,020 --> 00:00:33,120 Now I'm on New Zealand's South Island 8 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:34,280 where I'll take on everything 9 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:37,120 the country's highest mountain range has to throw at me... 10 00:00:39,020 --> 00:00:42,120 We're still bang in that danger zone. 11 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:45,280 ..engineer a way across an impassable canyon. 12 00:00:45,380 --> 00:00:46,380 Here she goes! 13 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:51,200 I push myself to the limit... 14 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:54,080 Starting to get quite cold in this river now. 15 00:00:54,180 --> 00:00:56,060 ..to show you how to survive... 16 00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:58,280 (SPITS) It's more like snot. 17 00:00:59,020 --> 00:01:02,320 ..in one of the most beautiful and toughest environments on the planet. 18 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:04,260 Oh, jeepers! 19 00:01:12,220 --> 00:01:16,100 (TENSE MUSIC) 20 00:01:20,020 --> 00:01:23,020 (PEOPLE CHATTER INDISTINCTLY ON RADIO) 21 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:26,260 I'm on the South Island of New Zealand 22 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:29,000 on a training mission with the air force. 23 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:32,020 We're headed for the country's largest mountain range - 24 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:33,320 the Southern Alps. 25 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:36,440 It's a place I've wanted to go to for a long time. 26 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:40,260 And there's no better way to get there than on this plane - 27 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:43,120 the Hercules C-130, 28 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:47,160 one of the most successful transport aircraft of all time. 29 00:01:47,340 --> 00:01:49,440 It's designed for tactical operations 30 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:53,300 and used to take troops and equipment into difficult terrain. 31 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:55,320 We're heading for an area 32 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:58,440 that's about as wild and remote as you're ever gonna get 33 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,280 and access here is very hard. 34 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:05,160 But for the time being I'm in the hands of the best. 35 00:02:05,380 --> 00:02:07,280 I'm with 20th Squadron. 36 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:08,380 These guys fly missions 37 00:02:08,420 --> 00:02:11,440 to inhospitable places all over the world. 38 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:16,020 Just spectacular, isn't it? 39 00:02:16,060 --> 00:02:19,060 Unbelievable landscape. 40 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:22,260 The South Island is the size of Michigan 41 00:02:22,300 --> 00:02:24,300 with just a fraction of the population. 42 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:32,000 The terrain changes from glacial mountains to forest to coastal swamp 43 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:33,440 in just a couple of hundred miles. 44 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,040 It's unpredictable and treacherous - 45 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:41,000 the perfect place for a low-level tactical insertion. 46 00:02:41,180 --> 00:02:45,380 Special forces use these planes to insert troops at low level. 47 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:47,400 I've done it before and it's committing. 48 00:02:48,020 --> 00:02:51,200 At low level, you reduce your margin for error. 49 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:53,220 Two minutes! 50 00:02:53,420 --> 00:02:55,260 (PILOT SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY ON RADIO) 51 00:02:55,300 --> 00:02:58,240 The best way out of here is the same way I got in - 52 00:02:58,340 --> 00:03:00,100 through the tailgate. 53 00:03:00,220 --> 00:03:01,220 Stand by. 54 00:03:03,140 --> 00:03:04,260 Five seconds! 55 00:03:06,340 --> 00:03:08,460 -Go! -Let's go! 56 00:03:11,100 --> 00:03:12,180 MAN ON RADIO: Clear, clear. 57 00:03:12,340 --> 00:03:15,260 My landing zone is directly below me. 58 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:18,480 One chute open. 59 00:03:19,020 --> 00:03:21,220 At 2,000 feet, I pop my chute. 60 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:27,020 I've got a limited window before I touch down, 61 00:03:27,180 --> 00:03:30,280 but enough time to assess the terrain and get my bearings. 62 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:34,200 That will help with navigation once I'm on the ground. 63 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:43,200 I'm down in one piece. Now the real challenge begins. 64 00:03:47,260 --> 00:03:52,480 Wow! Not a lot of time between exiting that plane and landing. 65 00:03:54,060 --> 00:03:57,000 One of the dangers of low-level jumps - 66 00:03:57,140 --> 00:03:58,320 if you have a malfunction, 67 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:01,100 you've just got no time to sort it out. 68 00:04:01,300 --> 00:04:03,260 But they were pinpoint accurate with the landing. 69 00:04:03,300 --> 00:04:06,400 It's about the only clear area around here. 70 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:09,360 I stayed out of the trees, which is good. 71 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:13,020 OK, let's cut up a bit of this canopy. 72 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:16,140 There's loads on a parachute I can use. 73 00:04:16,260 --> 00:04:19,000 Looking at the terrain, it won't be easy going. 74 00:04:19,060 --> 00:04:21,160 I'll need all the help I can get. 75 00:04:21,460 --> 00:04:25,440 And the silk of the canopy is windproof, 76 00:04:26,060 --> 00:04:27,380 which is always good in the mountains. 77 00:04:27,420 --> 00:04:30,440 You could use that actually as a sleeping bag. 78 00:04:31,380 --> 00:04:33,480 Let's get all this stuff stowed away. 79 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:37,060 I can see the direction we want to head in - 80 00:04:38,060 --> 00:04:39,420 straight up to the mountains. 81 00:04:40,140 --> 00:04:44,340 The closest route to reach the coast is gonna be west 82 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:48,280 and that means you have to cross those mountains. 83 00:04:48,420 --> 00:04:50,480 With 75% of the population living 84 00:04:51,020 --> 00:04:53,300 near the coast, that's your best bet. 85 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:57,140 Just because you've gotta cross the mountains 86 00:04:57,260 --> 00:05:00,460 doesn't necessarily mean you wanna go vertically straight up. 87 00:05:01,060 --> 00:05:03,180 Now, that's probably the most direct route, 88 00:05:04,020 --> 00:05:07,260 but it's probably gonna be quicker going this way. 89 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:12,100 No route will be easy, but making good decisions from the outset 90 00:05:12,140 --> 00:05:14,200 will give you the best chance of survival. 91 00:05:16,260 --> 00:05:19,480 I'm pushing into the tree line to skirt the corners of the pass. 92 00:05:20,180 --> 00:05:22,240 It'll save time and energy. 93 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:24,300 Under this dense foliage, 94 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:27,380 the undergrowth is sparse and I'm making good headway, 95 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:30,340 but almost immediately I'm stopped in my tracks. 96 00:05:31,300 --> 00:05:34,340 This is why you never get complacent in the mountains. 97 00:05:35,020 --> 00:05:37,160 There's always another obstacle 98 00:05:38,140 --> 00:05:40,160 and often when you least expect it. 99 00:05:40,340 --> 00:05:43,400 OK, let's get down this and try and get up and across. 100 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,380 Ravines like this are a feature of this glaciated terrain. 101 00:05:47,460 --> 00:05:49,300 To continue towards the coast, 102 00:05:49,340 --> 00:05:52,080 you have to make it over to the opposite bank. 103 00:05:54,380 --> 00:05:58,180 We need to go further down to find a way up this. 104 00:05:58,460 --> 00:06:01,080 For now the water levels are low, 105 00:06:01,180 --> 00:06:04,340 but in a region that sees 60 foot of rainfall in a year, 106 00:06:04,460 --> 00:06:07,020 flash floods are a real threat. 107 00:06:07,420 --> 00:06:09,460 We're not gonna get up that, you know? 108 00:06:10,180 --> 00:06:14,420 Try and work our way down this and try and find another way across. 109 00:06:15,340 --> 00:06:18,420 The wet, moss-covered rocks offer little grip. 110 00:06:19,460 --> 00:06:22,020 Actually, this is getting quite slippy. 111 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:25,340 I'm gonna try and come back up and try and go down that way, OK? 112 00:06:37,060 --> 00:06:38,420 It's a close call. 113 00:06:38,460 --> 00:06:41,160 Not quite the way I wanted to get down! 114 00:06:41,280 --> 00:06:43,060 But it's quite deep there. 115 00:06:43,100 --> 00:06:45,080 Just slide down the way I came. 116 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:52,300 A fall like that could be serious. 117 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:55,040 You've just gotta learn from your mistakes 118 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:57,340 and make sure it doesn't happen again. 119 00:06:58,340 --> 00:07:02,060 It's incredible. There's a whole tunnel under the rock here. 120 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:10,080 And this is gonna be all formed just by the power of the water. 121 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:18,420 They say its always raining somewhere in New Zealand... 122 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:24,020 ..and that's what makes this classic flash flood danger. 123 00:07:24,100 --> 00:07:25,480 It can be raining higher up 124 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:27,300 and the first you'd know 125 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:31,420 is this whole place could just get rammed by all that water. 126 00:07:32,300 --> 00:07:35,320 I want to move through this pretty sharpish. 127 00:07:36,380 --> 00:07:40,140 Don't head into something like this without checking for obstructions. 128 00:07:40,460 --> 00:07:43,100 If it's clear, move fast. 129 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:47,460 Water levels can change in no time with devastating impact. 130 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:53,060 And not far from here, a flash flood cost a woman her life. 131 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:56,280 Dragged downstream, it was a year before rescue teams 132 00:07:56,320 --> 00:08:00,360 discovered her pelvis and femur trapped between boulders. 133 00:08:04,020 --> 00:08:07,180 As if that's not reason enough to find a way out of here quickly, 134 00:08:07,260 --> 00:08:10,280 the water level is only about 55 degrees. 135 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:14,320 So be on the lookout for any potential escape route. 136 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:17,180 Let's try and get up this way. 137 00:08:19,060 --> 00:08:20,420 This isn't looking promising. 138 00:08:21,380 --> 00:08:24,200 These sheer walls are too dangerous to climb. 139 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:27,020 Do you know what? That's not gonna happen. 140 00:08:27,060 --> 00:08:28,300 Let's try further down. 141 00:08:29,300 --> 00:08:31,360 It might be my mind playing tricks on me, 142 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:34,320 but it seems like water levels are rising. 143 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:36,340 I don't want to hang around in here. 144 00:08:38,100 --> 00:08:39,440 I need to keep moving. 145 00:08:40,340 --> 00:08:44,200 But this is neither the time or the place to rush things. 146 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:50,140 That is another big drop-off down here. 147 00:08:51,180 --> 00:08:54,200 That's way too high to jump. 148 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:59,080 If I can get lower, a jump might be possible. 149 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:03,440 But I know from experience how slippery these rocks are. 150 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:05,180 I've gotta be careful. 151 00:09:05,420 --> 00:09:08,200 The thing is we're running out of options here. 152 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:10,320 This is about as low as I can get. 153 00:09:11,300 --> 00:09:14,360 There's no alternative. I'm gonna jump from here. 154 00:09:15,180 --> 00:09:17,120 You know, if you hit a rock and break your legs, 155 00:09:17,160 --> 00:09:19,040 you can drown so easily. 156 00:09:20,260 --> 00:09:22,440 But this water is crystal clear 157 00:09:24,100 --> 00:09:28,440 and also the actual white water itself is very contained. 158 00:09:29,100 --> 00:09:31,180 It's like a funnel running straight down, 159 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:33,160 which means it's probably running deep. 160 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:34,440 You know, if there were rocks under that 161 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:37,140 you'd get a big splay of white water. 162 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:39,340 OK, I'm confident to jump this. 163 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:44,340 However sure you are, a leap this high is never easy. 164 00:09:45,340 --> 00:09:47,000 Oh, jeepers! 165 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:49,140 It needs to be perfect. 166 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:53,180 And in my next challenge, 167 00:09:53,220 --> 00:09:56,360 crossing this ravine will call on all my ingenuity. 168 00:09:57,140 --> 00:10:00,120 Here she goes! Oh! 169 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:11,440 I'm in New Zealand's South Island 170 00:10:12,020 --> 00:10:14,260 in the middle of a complex series of waterfalls. 171 00:10:15,100 --> 00:10:18,420 I've reached a point of no return and I've gotta make a tough call. 172 00:10:19,100 --> 00:10:20,380 OK, I'm confident to jump this. 173 00:10:21,140 --> 00:10:22,420 It needs to be perfect. 174 00:10:22,460 --> 00:10:26,100 If you hit the aerated centre, you'll sink like a stone. 175 00:10:26,460 --> 00:10:28,120 Oh, jeepers! 176 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:42,160 Easily deep enough. Didn't even come close to hitting the bottom there. 177 00:10:42,300 --> 00:10:43,460 Let's keep moving down. 178 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:47,240 There's no time to waste and only one way to go. 179 00:10:48,420 --> 00:10:50,160 Steady here. 180 00:10:51,180 --> 00:10:53,320 No, that's a whole other ball game. 181 00:10:54,380 --> 00:10:57,160 That's about 80 foot down into shallow water. 182 00:10:57,340 --> 00:10:59,320 Sometimes you gotta know your limits. 183 00:11:00,020 --> 00:11:03,260 If you get injured in the wild it can have massive consequences. 184 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:06,020 My dad always used to say to me, 185 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:08,080 "If there's doubt, then there's no doubt - 186 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:11,180 "just back up and find another way back or across." 187 00:11:12,260 --> 00:11:15,380 I've pushed my luck in here. I'm gonna take my Dad's advice. 188 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:20,340 I'll head back upstream on dry land and try to find another way across. 189 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:26,220 Check these two trees out. See those long, thin ones? 190 00:11:27,340 --> 00:11:29,140 That might well work. Come on. 191 00:11:29,980 --> 00:11:31,420 Mountain beech have shallow roots - 192 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:34,180 perfect for what I plan to do with them. 193 00:11:34,460 --> 00:11:39,100 That's where we want to get to - just across this stream. 194 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:41,280 What's difficult, though, 195 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:46,400 is this first 20 or 30 foot is just too steep to climb up. 196 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:51,260 But these are long enough and thin enough 197 00:11:52,260 --> 00:11:54,140 that if I can get them to topple over, 198 00:11:54,180 --> 00:11:56,200 they'll take me higher up that bank. 199 00:11:57,340 --> 00:12:00,460 See, the whole root system, with a bit of encouragement, 200 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:02,060 will actually go 201 00:12:02,100 --> 00:12:06,220 and I might be able to just build some...some rungs between this. 202 00:12:12,060 --> 00:12:15,200 This is all the stuff that I love about survival - 203 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:20,420 thinking up ingenious ways... to solve problems. 204 00:12:21,180 --> 00:12:23,360 Best way of securing this - timber hitch. 205 00:12:23,400 --> 00:12:25,000 Make a loop, 206 00:12:26,140 --> 00:12:27,440 a few turns... 207 00:12:28,220 --> 00:12:30,380 ..then put that round the rung and the trunk 208 00:12:30,420 --> 00:12:32,980 and feed it back through itself. 209 00:12:33,420 --> 00:12:36,240 And then just take a few wraps round the tree 210 00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:38,460 and that will bite down on itself 211 00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:41,080 and then just tuck it in there. 212 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:44,440 OK, look. This is gonna help it go in the right direction as well. 213 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:47,240 The trees are leaning towards the bank. 214 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:49,300 They could fall the wrong way, 215 00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:53,020 but this wedge should stop that happening. 216 00:12:55,140 --> 00:12:57,260 The plan seems to be coming together, 217 00:12:57,420 --> 00:13:00,000 but I'm all too aware that two small trees 218 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:03,360 are all that stand between me and a 50-foot drop. 219 00:13:04,100 --> 00:13:08,260 This is what indigenous jungle fighters would often do - 220 00:13:08,300 --> 00:13:10,180 they'd make rungs between the trees 221 00:13:10,220 --> 00:13:14,440 to get them up into the canopy to make lookout stations from. 222 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:19,100 In theory, my body weight should be enough to uproot these trees. 223 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:23,040 They'll fall over the ravine and high enough up the opposite bank 224 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:25,000 to get me out the other side. 225 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:28,220 OK, moment of truth on this, 226 00:13:29,260 --> 00:13:31,300 whether this thing actually works. 227 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,280 In practice, it's not as simple as it seemed on the ground. 228 00:13:36,260 --> 00:13:39,140 Come on, you brute. Over you go. 229 00:13:42,260 --> 00:13:44,160 Here she goes! 230 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:47,160 Oh! 231 00:13:49,260 --> 00:13:50,400 What do you know? 232 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:52,400 It worked! 233 00:13:55,060 --> 00:13:57,000 (SPITS) 234 00:13:57,440 --> 00:13:59,360 There was a big part of me 235 00:13:59,980 --> 00:14:01,400 that when I was on the top was 236 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:04,120 thinking, "What the hell am I doing?" 237 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:06,160 But that worked perfectly! 238 00:14:07,100 --> 00:14:09,440 If it hadn't, it would have been a long way to fall. 239 00:14:10,380 --> 00:14:14,340 That's such a good feeling. OK, come on. 240 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:20,300 The ravine is behind me, but I know other obstacles await up ahead. 241 00:14:24,220 --> 00:14:28,240 This undulating terrain has been shaped by huge tectonic forces, 242 00:14:28,420 --> 00:14:31,420 leaving rivers crisscrossing the mountains. 243 00:14:33,420 --> 00:14:37,440 Really need to be so careful in rivers like this. 244 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:41,240 It's a deceptively fast flow. 245 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:45,080 So many of the first settlers when they first came to New Zealand 246 00:14:45,120 --> 00:14:48,440 drowned in rivers just underestimating the power of them. 247 00:14:48,980 --> 00:14:51,160 It became known as the 'New Zealand death'. 248 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:53,320 You've gotta be careful with these rivers. 249 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:55,260 Let's find a better way across. 250 00:14:57,080 --> 00:14:59,980 More than 30 feet of rain falls here annually 251 00:15:00,020 --> 00:15:01,980 and currents are unpredictable 252 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:05,080 so you need to choose your crossing point carefully. 253 00:15:06,980 --> 00:15:08,060 Look, it's all willow, 254 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:11,980 but they don't like having their roots submerged in water like this. 255 00:15:12,100 --> 00:15:14,260 It probably means this river's in full flood now. 256 00:15:14,300 --> 00:15:16,260 You know, this would normally be dry. 257 00:15:17,220 --> 00:15:20,000 The soil on this riverbank is nutrient rich. 258 00:15:20,100 --> 00:15:22,420 Lots of useful plants flourish here. 259 00:15:23,180 --> 00:15:26,080 There's a serious amount of rosehip around here. 260 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:28,060 All of these. Look. 261 00:15:28,340 --> 00:15:32,360 Rosehip contains over eight times more vitamin C than an orange. 262 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:36,000 They actually used to make these into a syrup 263 00:15:36,100 --> 00:15:39,440 to give it to soldiers in the trenches in the World War 264 00:15:40,980 --> 00:15:43,000 as a way of stopping them getting scurvy. 265 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:45,280 You can't just eat these like this. 266 00:15:45,340 --> 00:15:48,260 If you look inside, they've actually got these little pips. 267 00:15:48,420 --> 00:15:51,380 They've got loads of little hairs on them. 268 00:15:51,420 --> 00:15:54,240 If you eat that, it's really gonna irritate your throat. 269 00:15:54,340 --> 00:15:56,040 OK, come on, then. 270 00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:58,100 The seeds can irritate the stomach too. 271 00:15:58,140 --> 00:16:00,220 Preparation is the key. 272 00:16:02,100 --> 00:16:05,100 Look, there's a line across the river. Can you see that? 273 00:16:05,140 --> 00:16:07,240 Look. There's a metal cradle on it as well. 274 00:16:08,060 --> 00:16:09,260 Let's go and check it out. 275 00:16:09,300 --> 00:16:12,420 These cableways have been used for over 200 years, 276 00:16:12,460 --> 00:16:16,400 but this one hasn't been crossed over in a long time. 277 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:19,040 Pretty solid. 278 00:16:19,380 --> 00:16:22,300 It's what a lot of miners and early settlers would have used 279 00:16:22,340 --> 00:16:26,160 to cross these rivers without having to brave these sort of currents. 280 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:28,420 This is gonna take my weight. 281 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:31,060 If I could get those rings, that would help. 282 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:32,400 OK, hold on. Let me... Stay there. 283 00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:38,080 Even with my gloves on, the wire's cutting into my hands, 284 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:42,120 but with the rings, I'll rig something up to take the strain. 285 00:16:44,220 --> 00:16:47,180 OK, I'm gonna use these. These are rigging lines. 286 00:16:47,220 --> 00:16:49,100 I'll make some stirrups off them. 287 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:54,300 The bridles from my parachute harness are perfect for the job. 288 00:16:55,420 --> 00:16:57,300 Now with my feet taking the strain 289 00:16:57,340 --> 00:17:00,340 this crossing is much more achievable. 290 00:17:00,380 --> 00:17:04,220 There's an old Scottish custom 291 00:17:04,400 --> 00:17:06,400 that says, "Before you cross a bridge 292 00:17:06,440 --> 00:17:08,400 you should always say a prayer - 293 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:11,040 "a prayer to thank the person who built the bridge 294 00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:14,300 "and a prayer for the person who's about to cross it." 295 00:17:14,360 --> 00:17:17,060 That feels appropriate right now. 296 00:17:17,100 --> 00:17:19,980 OK, let's give these a go. 297 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:25,080 Right, here we go. 298 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:30,380 By shifting my weight from foot to foot 299 00:17:30,420 --> 00:17:33,060 I can move my way along the wire. 300 00:17:37,220 --> 00:17:42,160 It feels a bit precarious, but it's working. 301 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:46,240 The further I get out, the more tired I get 302 00:17:46,340 --> 00:17:50,160 and the less chance I have of escaping the river if I do fall in. 303 00:17:50,420 --> 00:17:54,280 It really is the ultimate nutcracker, this. 304 00:17:56,340 --> 00:18:00,000 At least I can take some of the weight off my hands, I can rest. 305 00:18:02,020 --> 00:18:03,340 I've reached the basket. 306 00:18:03,380 --> 00:18:06,360 Now to see if I can use it to get the rest of the way across. 307 00:18:07,260 --> 00:18:08,400 Mad place. 308 00:18:12,060 --> 00:18:14,460 OK, get this basket across. 309 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:18,140 Oh, this isn't gonna budge. 310 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:21,980 This crossing has been much harder than I imagined, 311 00:18:22,140 --> 00:18:25,080 but it's about to get a lot harder. 312 00:18:27,060 --> 00:18:29,160 Hold on. This is very uncomfortable. 313 00:18:40,340 --> 00:18:44,420 I'm in New Zealand, stranded halfway across a river in full flood. 314 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:46,380 I'm stuck high and dry. 315 00:18:47,060 --> 00:18:49,260 OK, get this basket across. 316 00:18:49,980 --> 00:18:51,980 Oh, this isn't gonna budge. 317 00:18:52,180 --> 00:18:56,060 I can't move the rings that I've used for my sling past the basket. 318 00:18:56,400 --> 00:19:00,260 I might just have to hang and shimmy the last little bit. 319 00:19:05,220 --> 00:19:06,320 This swirling eddy 320 00:19:06,360 --> 00:19:09,320 is probably the worst part of the river to be hanging over, 321 00:19:09,980 --> 00:19:11,420 but I've got to go for it. 322 00:19:13,360 --> 00:19:16,120 Hold on. This is very uncomfortable. 323 00:19:18,980 --> 00:19:19,980 Have a rest. 324 00:19:21,020 --> 00:19:22,040 Oh. 325 00:19:23,220 --> 00:19:25,080 It's very hard to grip. 326 00:19:27,320 --> 00:19:29,180 Come on. Last few feet. 327 00:19:31,120 --> 00:19:32,120 Well done. 328 00:19:34,260 --> 00:19:39,040 Arms running out of puff on that. Real forearm burn. 329 00:19:40,180 --> 00:19:41,340 Good job, though. 330 00:19:45,120 --> 00:19:47,240 This mountain range is called the Southern Alps. 331 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:50,320 They only emerged in the last 5 million years, 332 00:19:50,360 --> 00:19:52,280 which makes them very young, 333 00:19:52,420 --> 00:19:55,380 but they rise to more than 12,000 feet. 334 00:19:56,060 --> 00:20:00,040 They're a natural barrier between me and the west coast. 335 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:02,320 You can see the clouds and the wind 336 00:20:02,980 --> 00:20:05,220 licking across the pinnacles there. 337 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:11,160 We're on a latitude of about 45 degrees here 338 00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:14,300 bang smack in the middle of the roaring 40s 339 00:20:14,420 --> 00:20:18,120 and they're notorious for their strong winds, strong westerlies, 340 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:21,120 and these mountains take the full force of that. 341 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:24,300 Cold fronts and cyclones can quickly blow in 342 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:28,320 and the temperature can plunge 60 degrees in a matter of minutes. 343 00:20:29,220 --> 00:20:33,980 Getting over the ridge line and off the mountain quickly is paramount. 344 00:20:34,300 --> 00:20:36,140 Let's get up to the ridge. 345 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:40,400 The Southern Alps are still growing about a third of an inch every year. 346 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:42,980 The harsh weather from the west 347 00:20:43,020 --> 00:20:45,120 is wearing them down at the same rate 348 00:20:45,980 --> 00:20:48,140 and that makes them especially challenging. 349 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:51,300 Oh, it's never easy, is it? 350 00:20:52,340 --> 00:20:54,180 This is classic sort of terrain 351 00:20:54,220 --> 00:20:56,240 where it starts off quite manageable, 352 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:59,000 but very easily you can get yourself into terrain 353 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:01,200 where you can't go up or down. 354 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:03,020 It's called getting rim-rocked. 355 00:21:03,060 --> 00:21:05,960 And that's happened to me before climbing in New Zealand. 356 00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:08,320 It's probably worth trying to improvise some sort of rope 357 00:21:08,360 --> 00:21:11,140 while we're in a good position up here. 358 00:21:11,300 --> 00:21:13,140 Let's try and do something out of that parachute. 359 00:21:13,180 --> 00:21:15,040 Let's get out of this wind. Come on. 360 00:21:17,140 --> 00:21:19,060 Oh, that's better down here. 361 00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:23,380 You get these crazy things in called weather bombs. 362 00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:27,160 It's basically where that cold air comes up from Antarctica. 363 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:29,220 There's nothing between here and Antarctica. 364 00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:32,080 The air comes up and meets the warm westerlies 365 00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:35,020 and just creates these wild cycles of wind. 366 00:21:35,300 --> 00:21:38,160 That's why I need to minimise the time I spend here. 367 00:21:38,300 --> 00:21:41,440 I kind of envisioned using this parachute... 368 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:44,240 ..as, like, a windproof or something, 369 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:48,180 but actually it's gonna be more use here as a rope. 370 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:53,120 That's the mountains for you - you've gotta be flexible. 371 00:21:53,340 --> 00:21:56,140 It's a case of adapt to survive. 372 00:21:56,240 --> 00:22:01,180 Get a good long strand of it like this, put a loop in the end 373 00:22:01,380 --> 00:22:03,220 and then just twist it. 374 00:22:04,120 --> 00:22:05,380 It's simple mechanics - 375 00:22:05,980 --> 00:22:08,400 plaiting the nylon will make the rope stronger. 376 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:12,960 Take an arm's length of it, bring it together, 377 00:22:13,380 --> 00:22:15,200 you'll see what happens to it - 378 00:22:15,340 --> 00:22:17,200 it starts to twist on itself 379 00:22:17,380 --> 00:22:19,300 and that's gonna be the end. 380 00:22:19,340 --> 00:22:21,300 And this works on multiple strands 381 00:22:21,360 --> 00:22:24,000 and the more strands like this you have 382 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:26,200 the stronger it's gonna be. 383 00:22:27,100 --> 00:22:29,060 That's getting pretty good there. 384 00:22:29,100 --> 00:22:32,080 Get this stowed and get moving. 385 00:22:33,060 --> 00:22:34,380 I'm looking for a route down, 386 00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:37,260 but there's no simple way off this ridge line. 387 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:44,100 It's looking pretty ugly down this way. That's just sheer. 388 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:46,340 There's no point in launching off 389 00:22:46,380 --> 00:22:48,400 unless I know I can reach the ground. 390 00:22:49,180 --> 00:22:51,180 This is looking a little better - 391 00:22:51,380 --> 00:22:55,420 still pretty sheer, but I reckon my rope will reach the bottom of this. 392 00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:57,380 I just need to find a decent anchor. 393 00:22:58,180 --> 00:23:03,240 The thing is all of this stuff - look - it's all so crumbly. 394 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:08,320 Just want to make sure whatever we tie off to is bombproof. 395 00:23:09,340 --> 00:23:13,080 This layered, flaky rock is recrystallised mudstone. 396 00:23:13,120 --> 00:23:14,320 It's called schist. 397 00:23:15,340 --> 00:23:18,300 Ideally, though, I would double up this rope 398 00:23:18,340 --> 00:23:22,100 so I could then make it retrievable so I'd be able to pull it through. 399 00:23:22,300 --> 00:23:24,260 The thing is I'm gonna need the whole 400 00:23:24,300 --> 00:23:26,320 length of it really to get down here. 401 00:23:27,360 --> 00:23:30,260 But I am gonna need to improvise some sort of harness. 402 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:33,260 To do that, I'll measure four lengths of cord 403 00:23:33,300 --> 00:23:35,340 and then tie a simple overhand knot. 404 00:23:36,180 --> 00:23:40,100 Then what you're left with - two ends with two loops in each end. 405 00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:43,040 Use that cut-away handle from the parachute. 406 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:45,980 This is what I'm actually gonna belay off. 407 00:23:46,380 --> 00:23:50,200 Step into the leg loops and pull the others over your shoulders 408 00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:52,280 and you've got a good improvised harness. 409 00:23:53,120 --> 00:23:54,120 OK. 410 00:23:55,980 --> 00:23:56,380 It's always worth, 411 00:23:56,420 --> 00:23:59,000 when you've got improvised rope, improvised harness 412 00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:01,000 and improvised belay device 413 00:24:01,180 --> 00:24:03,320 to just have a little double-check of everything. 414 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:07,380 I'm tied off securely and ready to go. 415 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:13,360 When you're more than 70 foot up, your descent needs to be considered. 416 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:20,360 The harness is holding firm, 417 00:24:21,140 --> 00:24:23,200 but I'm not feeling confident up here. 418 00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:27,300 I'm just aware of the rope running over a lot of these sharp rocks. 419 00:24:27,340 --> 00:24:30,240 I don't want to be bouncing around too much on this. 420 00:24:30,420 --> 00:24:33,060 Nice and steady. 421 00:24:33,340 --> 00:24:35,220 With so much loose rock around, 422 00:24:35,260 --> 00:24:38,320 there's nowhere for me to hide if any of it comes my way. 423 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:41,220 Oof! 424 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:46,300 This is all horrible. 425 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:49,980 Situations like this can be killers. 426 00:24:50,020 --> 00:24:52,260 And I'm right in the firing line. 427 00:24:53,300 --> 00:24:54,200 Oi! 428 00:24:54,360 --> 00:24:57,220 Get one of those on your head and it's lights out. 429 00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:00,140 Come on. We need to get you down here, then we'll go together. 430 00:25:00,180 --> 00:25:03,300 Otherwise, we're just gonna bring so many rocks on top of each other. 431 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:06,160 We'll go down at the same level. 432 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:11,100 The reason loose rocks are so dangerous 433 00:25:11,140 --> 00:25:14,240 is that if you get something coming down on top of you, knocks you out, 434 00:25:15,060 --> 00:25:19,960 you then stop holding your rope and drop straight off the end of it. 435 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:29,020 The end of this parachute is just jammed in this ring 436 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:32,300 and we're still bang in that danger zone. 437 00:25:33,980 --> 00:25:35,220 OK, here we go. 438 00:25:36,220 --> 00:25:38,040 That's the rope gone. 439 00:25:38,260 --> 00:25:40,360 I'm relieved to escape in one piece. 440 00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:44,420 Next up, I'm on the hunt for food in a saturated rainforest. 441 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:46,260 Look! Possum! 442 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:09,060 I'm in New Zealand's South Island 443 00:26:09,100 --> 00:26:11,960 where I've pushed my luck in a watery ravine... 444 00:26:13,360 --> 00:26:16,280 ..catapulted myself over a steep gorge... 445 00:26:16,360 --> 00:26:18,140 Here she goes! 446 00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:19,960 Oh! 447 00:26:20,180 --> 00:26:22,320 ..and rappelled from a crumbling ridge line 448 00:26:22,360 --> 00:26:25,300 in the country's highest mountain range. 449 00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:27,180 Oi! 450 00:26:27,300 --> 00:26:30,160 And now I'm in one of the wettest places on earth. 451 00:26:30,300 --> 00:26:34,060 Nearly 400 inches of rain fall here annually. 452 00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:37,180 My clothes are soaking. I want to warm up. 453 00:26:37,360 --> 00:26:39,140 That means finding shelter. 454 00:26:39,180 --> 00:26:44,020 When it's raining this much, simplicity really matters. 455 00:26:44,060 --> 00:26:46,200 You know, we don't want anything too complicated. 456 00:26:46,380 --> 00:26:49,960 Try and look for a natural hollow or deadfall. 457 00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:53,100 That won't be hard to find around here. 458 00:26:53,180 --> 00:26:55,320 The ground in this rainforest is so wet, 459 00:26:55,360 --> 00:26:58,420 even the biggest trees can be uprooted. 460 00:27:00,020 --> 00:27:01,320 This might work. 461 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:06,360 It's fallen, but the trunk's firmly wedged against a nearby tree. 462 00:27:06,980 --> 00:27:10,260 The problem is so much of the ground is like this - 463 00:27:10,300 --> 00:27:12,220 saturated with water. 464 00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:16,000 But all of this, a bit spongy and a bit higher, 465 00:27:16,220 --> 00:27:19,200 is gonna keep me out of that water. 466 00:27:21,100 --> 00:27:24,200 And then look. I've got nice coverage above here. 467 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:26,100 You know, it's pretty basic. 468 00:27:26,220 --> 00:27:29,200 I'll maybe use some ferns to make some roofing 469 00:27:29,340 --> 00:27:32,080 to keep the worst of the rain out of here as well. 470 00:27:32,120 --> 00:27:33,260 Cool. Let's try that. 471 00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:37,160 Tree ferns are incredibly useful. 472 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:39,240 The fronds help keep the water out 473 00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:42,040 and the dead leaves make good tinder 474 00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:44,300 and the roots are a great food source. 475 00:27:45,140 --> 00:27:47,420 All I need now is a roof rafter. 476 00:27:48,420 --> 00:27:51,260 And this can then jam in there 477 00:27:51,420 --> 00:27:53,200 and that's gonna give something 478 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:58,180 for me to jam the fern ends into to support them. 479 00:27:59,180 --> 00:28:02,340 Quick, easy and very effective. 480 00:28:03,360 --> 00:28:08,000 There's a nice layering to that. Now let's have a look inside. 481 00:28:09,980 --> 00:28:13,160 Oh, yeah, actually it's quite nice and cosy in here, 482 00:28:13,260 --> 00:28:16,320 protected from the rain and out of the water. 483 00:28:17,260 --> 00:28:20,000 The only thing that could make this a bit more homely - 484 00:28:20,120 --> 00:28:21,980 I wanna get a fire going. 485 00:28:22,100 --> 00:28:23,060 OK, let's do it. 486 00:28:25,360 --> 00:28:27,160 I'm surrounded by wood, 487 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:31,360 but in waterlogged forest, finding anything dry is a real challenge. 488 00:28:32,120 --> 00:28:34,260 You always want to try and get deadwood 489 00:28:34,300 --> 00:28:36,120 that's hanging in the trees 490 00:28:37,060 --> 00:28:40,240 that hasn't been sat, soaking in water. 491 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:43,220 And, yeah, even though it's wet on the outside, 492 00:28:43,380 --> 00:28:46,140 on the inside that's nice and dry. 493 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:52,980 And I've got a load of those dried fern fronds 494 00:28:53,140 --> 00:28:55,940 that I can use as tinder just to get the fire going. 495 00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:03,220 And this is always the difficult stage of a fire, 496 00:29:03,380 --> 00:29:05,200 especially when it's raining. 497 00:29:06,060 --> 00:29:10,180 Once it starts to generate heat, it all becomes easier. 498 00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:12,380 While the kindling catches, 499 00:29:12,420 --> 00:29:15,180 I'll use the heat to dry bigger branches. 500 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:19,220 I've gotta be careful not to smoother it, though. 501 00:29:19,420 --> 00:29:21,320 A nice crisscross frame - 502 00:29:22,140 --> 00:29:25,120 the kindling keeps all the oxygen going in 503 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:29,000 and the rain's still off it, which is good. 504 00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:32,100 My fire's alight, 505 00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:35,200 but I'll need bigger bits of deadwood to keep it going. 506 00:29:38,300 --> 00:29:40,180 In this wet, soaking place 507 00:29:40,220 --> 00:29:43,300 you have to focus on staying warm and dry. 508 00:29:45,940 --> 00:29:46,940 Stay there. 509 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:53,360 Look! Possum! 510 00:29:54,060 --> 00:29:55,420 See him? Stay there. 511 00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:59,340 There are around 30 million of these small mammals in New Zealand. 512 00:30:00,260 --> 00:30:02,260 I've only got a stick as a weapon... 513 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:06,980 ..but if I can catch this, it'll make a great meal. 514 00:30:09,140 --> 00:30:10,140 Got him! 515 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:13,160 Just got him. 516 00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:17,060 He was going into that hole. Look. 517 00:30:17,180 --> 00:30:20,020 See that? That's where he shot into. 518 00:30:20,380 --> 00:30:22,260 I could just see the back of him. 519 00:30:25,120 --> 00:30:29,140 These guys are really considered pests in New Zealand. 520 00:30:29,300 --> 00:30:32,420 You know, they destroy the forest, kill the birds. 521 00:30:34,120 --> 00:30:38,080 Huh. Good. Now, where did I drop all that firewood? 522 00:30:39,140 --> 00:30:42,040 When you're burning more than 3,000 calories a day, 523 00:30:42,100 --> 00:30:44,160 a meal this size is a bonus. 524 00:30:46,060 --> 00:30:50,140 Normally you wanna skin and prepare any food away from your camp, 525 00:30:50,180 --> 00:30:54,360 but there's no predators here that I need to worry about. 526 00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:01,420 Get the guts out. 527 00:31:02,060 --> 00:31:05,000 Possums can carry diseases like tuberculosis 528 00:31:05,040 --> 00:31:07,040 so it needs to be cooked through. 529 00:31:07,260 --> 00:31:10,260 Just lay it on like this and cook it in the skin. 530 00:31:11,260 --> 00:31:13,980 It's funny - when you sit and watch something cook, 531 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:16,980 it's always gonna taste better at the end. 532 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:19,340 You just get hungrier and hungrier. 533 00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:24,000 But having food on the fire is great for morale. 534 00:31:26,060 --> 00:31:28,080 OK, that should be done. 535 00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:37,140 Oh, a very strong taste. 536 00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:45,200 It kind of reminds me of rat meat, and that's not great. 537 00:31:46,280 --> 00:31:49,280 But it's warming and it's nutritious 538 00:31:50,360 --> 00:31:54,020 and for that I'm grateful. 539 00:31:56,080 --> 00:31:59,040 I'm battered, bruised and soaked to the skin, 540 00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:01,960 but it's not all bad in my rudimentary shelter. 541 00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:06,000 However hellish a place you're in, and I've been to a lot of them, 542 00:32:06,100 --> 00:32:07,280 there's always something you can do 543 00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:09,200 to make yourself a bit more comfortable. 544 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:12,020 You might not make it like home, 545 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:14,220 but you can certainly make it feel a bit more homely. 546 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:19,300 And right now I'm sheltered, I'm warm and I've had something to eat. 547 00:32:19,980 --> 00:32:22,420 And you know what? I'm pretty happy. 548 00:32:28,120 --> 00:32:31,120 But now I have to face the elements once again. 549 00:32:32,180 --> 00:32:34,340 The incessant rain is bad news for me, 550 00:32:34,380 --> 00:32:36,240 but it's helped this forest to thrive 551 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:38,060 for more than 80 million years. 552 00:32:40,220 --> 00:32:44,220 It's absolutely teeming with life and that means food. 553 00:32:46,020 --> 00:32:51,280 And that's a huhu grub. He's big and completely edible. 554 00:33:02,380 --> 00:33:04,380 I'm deep in the forests of New Zealand 555 00:33:05,020 --> 00:33:07,260 in search of something to get my teeth into. 556 00:33:08,260 --> 00:33:12,960 Rotting wood like this - it's always good to look for grubs. 557 00:33:14,060 --> 00:33:18,000 The larvae from New Zealand's largest native beetle - the huhu - 558 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:19,960 feeds off the decaying wood. 559 00:33:20,180 --> 00:33:24,060 And these guys will go in absolutely tiny 560 00:33:24,180 --> 00:33:27,040 and then live in there for up to two years 561 00:33:27,140 --> 00:33:29,000 just steadily feeding away. 562 00:33:29,140 --> 00:33:30,240 Here he is. 563 00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:36,040 And that's a huhu grub. He's big and completely edible. 564 00:33:36,380 --> 00:33:40,000 You just wanna take off the head... 565 00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:46,980 ..which you don't want to eat, 566 00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:51,140 but all of this is fine. 567 00:33:51,180 --> 00:33:53,980 It's a real Maori delicacy. 568 00:33:54,220 --> 00:33:57,000 People say it tastes like peanut butter. 569 00:33:58,200 --> 00:34:01,040 I love peanut butter on my toast, but I wouldn't put this on it. 570 00:34:01,080 --> 00:34:03,120 (SPITS) It's more like snot. 571 00:34:03,940 --> 00:34:05,380 But they've got a high fat content 572 00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:08,260 so they're the perfect fast food to keep you going. 573 00:34:08,360 --> 00:34:09,340 OK. 574 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:11,940 There's no shortage of rotting wood 575 00:34:11,980 --> 00:34:15,220 and that means no shortage of food... if you like grubs. 576 00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:19,960 So the biggest challenge here is finding a way to the west coast. 577 00:34:20,300 --> 00:34:22,220 You can tell it rains in New Zealand. 578 00:34:22,260 --> 00:34:25,960 Just solid waterfalls like this the whole way down the mountain. 579 00:34:26,200 --> 00:34:28,100 The stream will run to a river 580 00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:32,020 and on this side of the mountains, they all wind their way west 581 00:34:32,240 --> 00:34:34,320 so that's what you should look for. 582 00:34:34,980 --> 00:34:36,380 Look. There's a river. 583 00:34:37,240 --> 00:34:39,400 This is only ever gonna lead one way - 584 00:34:39,940 --> 00:34:42,080 downhill and to the coast. 585 00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:44,960 Come on. 586 00:34:46,060 --> 00:34:49,100 It's impossible to tell how far the coast is from here. 587 00:34:49,360 --> 00:34:52,320 For now, it's probably best to follow the course of the river. 588 00:34:53,400 --> 00:34:57,200 But I can't make that call until I see the lay of the land. 589 00:34:57,380 --> 00:35:01,100 OK, the next phase begins. 590 00:35:05,340 --> 00:35:08,180 You can see it's gonna be hard to follow the riverbank - 591 00:35:08,240 --> 00:35:11,100 it's just sheer cliffs on both sides there. 592 00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:13,360 You know, there's a nice gentle flow to this. 593 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:16,380 It might be worth making some sort of flotation device 594 00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:18,140 and just drifting down 595 00:35:18,180 --> 00:35:20,360 and breaking out onto a bank when we find one. 596 00:35:22,180 --> 00:35:23,940 It's a calculated risk. 597 00:35:23,980 --> 00:35:26,020 You never know what's around the corner 598 00:35:26,060 --> 00:35:28,180 or where you'll be able to get out. 599 00:35:29,200 --> 00:35:33,080 Now, these will be good - all the dead stems from these ferns. 600 00:35:34,040 --> 00:35:35,360 The good thing about these 601 00:35:36,020 --> 00:35:39,920 is all the ferns above have kept these pretty dry. 602 00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:42,400 That means they're gonna make good buoyancy. 603 00:35:43,140 --> 00:35:45,020 And the remains of the parachute 604 00:35:45,060 --> 00:35:48,220 will make a fail-safe waterproof casing to put them in. 605 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:53,380 The good thing about using parachute material is zero porosity. 606 00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:57,060 That means it will keep water out and trap air inside, 607 00:35:57,220 --> 00:35:59,280 creating extra buoyancy. 608 00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:03,160 This is what we used to do in the military. We'd use our ponchos 609 00:36:03,240 --> 00:36:05,400 to wrap up everything - backpack - 610 00:36:06,120 --> 00:36:07,300 and then tie it, seal it 611 00:36:07,340 --> 00:36:10,300 and use that as flotation to cross lakes or rivers. 612 00:36:12,160 --> 00:36:14,000 And that's gonna be nice and buoyant. 613 00:36:14,180 --> 00:36:19,020 The one thing I don't want to put in there, though, is my knife. 614 00:36:19,280 --> 00:36:21,320 I want to keep that out, strapped to me. 615 00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:24,240 That's my safety in the river if I get snagged in anything. 616 00:36:25,340 --> 00:36:29,340 Your knife is your primary means of survival. You don't want to lose it. 617 00:36:29,980 --> 00:36:31,000 Let's do this. 618 00:36:32,340 --> 00:36:34,280 I might be in a rainforest, 619 00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:37,000 but this water comes straight from a glacier. 620 00:36:37,040 --> 00:36:38,980 It's less than 50 degrees - 621 00:36:39,020 --> 00:36:42,080 cold enough to render you unconscious within an hour. 622 00:36:43,220 --> 00:36:45,940 There's loads of buoyancy in this at least. 623 00:36:46,060 --> 00:36:48,040 Push out into flow. 624 00:36:50,020 --> 00:36:51,100 OK, we're on. 625 00:36:53,940 --> 00:36:58,080 Keep with me in the main flow. Stick together in this river. 626 00:37:03,140 --> 00:37:04,260 Just get downstream 627 00:37:04,940 --> 00:37:07,220 and find a place where we can walk properly along the banks. 628 00:37:08,100 --> 00:37:09,960 You need to stay alert in rivers. 629 00:37:10,040 --> 00:37:12,300 There's potential danger around every bend. 630 00:37:15,300 --> 00:37:17,120 Some rapids ahead there. 631 00:37:17,360 --> 00:37:20,920 You need to keep your feet up as you go through these, alright? 632 00:37:21,340 --> 00:37:24,060 If you glide on your back with your legs forward 633 00:37:24,100 --> 00:37:25,980 and use the current to help steer, 634 00:37:26,020 --> 00:37:28,220 you can avoid hidden rocks and stoppers. 635 00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:31,100 Those can be a death sentence. 636 00:37:32,020 --> 00:37:32,920 Oh! 637 00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:34,980 Keep away from the undercut ledges. 638 00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:37,400 If you can't, fend off the rocks 639 00:37:37,940 --> 00:37:40,260 and hope you're spat out the other side. 640 00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:44,160 Ooh! I didn't like that undercut bit. 641 00:37:46,040 --> 00:37:49,100 I'm through the rapids, but not out of trouble yet. 642 00:37:49,200 --> 00:37:52,040 There's still no banks to be able to get out and walk on. 643 00:37:52,180 --> 00:37:54,000 Look at this. Look. 644 00:37:55,160 --> 00:37:57,300 Still sheer walls on both sides. 645 00:37:58,100 --> 00:38:01,960 I'm beginning to wonder if getting in this river was such a good idea. 646 00:38:02,180 --> 00:38:06,220 Hypothermia will set in 25 times quicker in here than on land. 647 00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:10,960 We've gotta get out soon. It's getting really cold in here now. 648 00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:25,340 I'm in a freezing glacier-fed river on the west coast of New Zealand. 649 00:38:28,180 --> 00:38:32,040 We've gotta get out soon. It's getting really cold in here now. 650 00:38:33,040 --> 00:38:36,280 I knew the risks before I got in here and I'm well prepared. 651 00:38:37,100 --> 00:38:39,040 The best way of keeping warm 652 00:38:39,120 --> 00:38:42,160 is just to hold your buoyancy close to you, 653 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:44,300 try and preserve your core heat. 654 00:38:46,020 --> 00:38:48,120 Keeping your legs and arms close to your stomach 655 00:38:48,220 --> 00:38:50,120 will help slow the heat loss. 656 00:38:52,160 --> 00:38:54,260 Look. There's a bank over there. We can get out. 657 00:38:56,180 --> 00:38:57,340 My gamble's paid off. 658 00:38:58,300 --> 00:39:02,380 And that is a very welcome sight to see, that bank. 659 00:39:04,100 --> 00:39:06,160 But the cold water's taking its toll. 660 00:39:07,040 --> 00:39:09,900 Early signs of hypothermia are plain to see. 661 00:39:10,200 --> 00:39:12,180 I bet my lips are really blue. 662 00:39:13,100 --> 00:39:17,080 That's the stage I know I'm getting really cold. 663 00:39:18,120 --> 00:39:22,080 It's not far, but most drownings are within a few feet of safety. 664 00:39:22,920 --> 00:39:25,040 Every stroke is a struggle. 665 00:39:29,180 --> 00:39:32,180 I thought that canyon was just never gonna end. 666 00:39:34,100 --> 00:39:37,960 I can't feel my fingers well at all. 667 00:39:39,120 --> 00:39:42,300 Warm them up and then we can get packed up. 668 00:39:47,360 --> 00:39:51,140 Very, very relieved to see some clear ground. 669 00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:52,920 I need to get on the move, 670 00:39:52,960 --> 00:39:55,320 get my heart rate up and the blood pumping. 671 00:39:55,920 --> 00:39:56,920 Let's go. 672 00:40:02,920 --> 00:40:05,220 As you follow the riverbank west towards the coast, 673 00:40:05,260 --> 00:40:07,100 you hit tidal flood plains... 674 00:40:08,040 --> 00:40:10,200 ..and that means you are soon into swamp. 675 00:40:12,020 --> 00:40:14,200 There's no escaping water here. 676 00:40:15,120 --> 00:40:16,920 It's energy-sapping. 677 00:40:17,300 --> 00:40:19,340 At times like these you've gotta dig deep 678 00:40:19,380 --> 00:40:22,020 and keep a positive mental attitude. 679 00:40:22,220 --> 00:40:23,920 (SLURPS AND SPITS) 680 00:40:24,200 --> 00:40:28,120 The water's beginning to taste a bit saltier, brackish. 681 00:40:28,240 --> 00:40:30,200 That means we're getting closer to the sea. 682 00:40:30,940 --> 00:40:32,240 Let's keep going. Come on. 683 00:40:34,060 --> 00:40:37,200 After days of being soaked through, I'm flagging. 684 00:40:37,900 --> 00:40:40,220 Even a one-degree drop in your core body temperature 685 00:40:40,260 --> 00:40:43,340 can mean you burn five times more energy. 686 00:40:45,160 --> 00:40:48,300 I need a boost and I've seen something that'll help me. 687 00:40:49,140 --> 00:40:50,920 That's a cabbage tree. 688 00:40:57,300 --> 00:41:00,000 Strip all these leaves off... 689 00:41:00,340 --> 00:41:03,260 ..and right in the middle of it you get the heart of it 690 00:41:03,900 --> 00:41:05,100 and that's what's edible. 691 00:41:05,320 --> 00:41:07,260 A good bit of carbohydrate, 692 00:41:08,900 --> 00:41:10,180 give you a bit of energy, 693 00:41:10,280 --> 00:41:13,060 which, in a swamp like this, you need. 694 00:41:15,220 --> 00:41:19,140 Tastes a little bit like raw cabbage, unsurprisingly. 695 00:41:22,160 --> 00:41:26,320 Fighting my way through here is hard work and disorientating. 696 00:41:27,140 --> 00:41:30,040 I need to find a marker to get my bearings. 697 00:41:31,120 --> 00:41:33,100 Look. See those trees? 698 00:41:33,220 --> 00:41:35,980 See the way they're leaning towards us 699 00:41:36,060 --> 00:41:38,220 and that far side has been stripped bare 700 00:41:38,260 --> 00:41:41,080 by the force of the weather coming from the sea? 701 00:41:41,280 --> 00:41:44,980 That means west and the coast is that way. 702 00:41:45,920 --> 00:41:49,380 It's so hard to maintain your direction in a swamp like this, 703 00:41:50,180 --> 00:41:52,320 but little markers like that really help. 704 00:41:56,140 --> 00:41:58,200 Let's keep going. Come on. 705 00:42:01,020 --> 00:42:04,280 The weather's closing in and this rain is relentless. 706 00:42:05,280 --> 00:42:08,140 But the coast is a welcome sight. 707 00:42:09,980 --> 00:42:11,360 Can hear the surf from here. 708 00:42:12,260 --> 00:42:13,960 Come on. Let's get down. 709 00:42:16,280 --> 00:42:20,340 I'm on my last legs, but I've made it in one piece. 710 00:42:22,060 --> 00:42:23,920 And that's the coast! 711 00:42:24,040 --> 00:42:25,380 It's pretty bleak. 712 00:42:28,360 --> 00:42:31,200 And this is as far west as I can go. 713 00:42:34,340 --> 00:42:38,200 The next stop that way is Argentina 714 00:42:38,380 --> 00:42:41,340 and that's almost halfway around the world. 715 00:42:42,320 --> 00:42:45,280 OK, left or right up the coast? 716 00:42:48,000 --> 00:42:51,100 Last time I went left I was wrong. Let's go this way. 717 00:42:51,240 --> 00:42:54,980 There's only one word for New Zealand - epic. 718 00:42:56,260 --> 00:42:59,060 The diversity here has been the ultimate challenge 719 00:42:59,100 --> 00:43:01,320 and I've been tested to my breaking point. 720 00:43:02,320 --> 00:43:05,260 But the end is finally in sight. 721 00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:07,120 Look. There's a hut. 722 00:43:07,260 --> 00:43:09,260 You can see the outline of two chimneys. 723 00:43:09,920 --> 00:43:10,920 You see that? 724 00:43:12,180 --> 00:43:14,360 That's gonna be my end. 725 00:43:15,360 --> 00:43:17,240 And, man, New Zealand 726 00:43:17,900 --> 00:43:19,180 has been spectacular, 727 00:43:19,940 --> 00:43:20,920 but hard. 728 00:43:22,160 --> 00:43:24,280 And, boy, does it rain a lot. 729 00:43:25,120 --> 00:43:27,020 OK, let's get to that hut. Come on. 730 00:43:32,920 --> 00:43:34,200 For more information go to: