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00:00Part 2
00:20Around the World with Michael Palin
00:30Darwin, Katerina
00:37Episode 6
00:43I'm riding a railway. It's called Lazy Lady.
00:47It's 54 metres long.
00:49300 miles from Darwin, we see something special.
00:53The only traffic light for 1,500 kilometres.
00:59Day 126.
01:01My driver, Scott, is taking me out in the town of Katerina.
01:04I'll be seeing him later, but for now, we're busy.
01:11Katerina is a small, bustling oasis in the middle of vast empty land.
01:15I have an appointment here with someone who will show me around.
01:19His name is Peter Trambott. He's a vet.
01:23He's going to work from this airport that looks like a desert.
01:32Peter flies a private jet that replaces a private car here.
01:37We head out over the valley to the east, to Katerina.
01:42How wide is the area you cover?
01:48All over there.
01:49I think about 1,000 kilometres in diameter.
01:53Wow.
01:54But it's pretty sparsely populated.
01:56Very sparsely.
01:57Including the town of Katerina, about 15,000 people.
02:00Maybe 20,000, maximum.
02:02Maybe.
02:03It's really pushing it.
02:05I don't know. They really don't.
02:07People come here. They want to leave the big cities.
02:10They want to get away from the cities.
02:13They want to live an independent life.
02:15I think they come here to run away from the law.
02:19Either that, or they want to run away from their wife,
02:22or some broken business, or, you know.
02:28Our first stop is the Kuliba runway.
02:32A reminder that this time of Australia is in the tropics.
02:36All of the season of Australia is in the tropics.
02:39Kuliba is a good airport.
02:43We're here to meet a man called Bluey Puff,
02:47or more specifically, Bluey's teethed pets.
02:54Bluey farms crocodiles for the fashion industry.
02:58You could be looking at next generation Gucci or Carden.
03:02He also risks his life and limbs
03:04collecting eggs from crocodiles in the surrounding swamps.
03:08Wow. Amazing.
03:13It's alien.
03:17Hold on.
03:20It's still biting?
03:22Yeah, but I can't get it out.
03:25What am I going to do?
03:27Get him out.
03:29He's going, ah!
03:31He's going, ah!
03:33He's going, ah!
03:35He's going, ah!
03:37He's going, ah!
03:42Take him, did you?
03:48Honey, it's a crocodile.
03:50Boy or a girl?
03:52I don't know.
03:54He's just a kid. It's amazing.
03:56You're going to be all right.
03:58The wonderful world is waiting for you there.
04:03Come on.
04:04There you go.
04:05There you go.
04:09Oh, look at that.
04:11He's going, ah!
04:12He's going, ah!
04:13He's going, ah!
04:14He's going, ah!
04:15He's going, ah!
04:16He's going, ah!
04:17He's going, ah!
04:18He's going, ah!
04:19He's going, ah!
04:20Where do you want to put it?
04:22Give it to me.
04:23Oh, you're good at it.
04:25Bluey, how long does it take them to hatch from an egg?
04:29About 85 days.
04:3185 days.
04:32It depends on the temperature.
04:34It's family business.
04:36Bluey's wife helps out, and he's got the idea that his daughter is going to do it.
04:41That's so terrifying.
04:42Somehow my mom seems to be bad at it.
04:45Ah!
04:47Whoa, whoa, whoa!
04:49Good boy.
04:50Get him.
04:51I got him.
04:52Good boy.
04:53Oh, look, I got him.
04:55Look, I just want you all to know that I'm holding the crocodile.
04:59I'm holding the crocodile for five seconds.
05:05I wouldn't touch it.
05:06This is a 70-year-old breeding crocodile called Mumbles.
05:10Bluey kind enough that he feed him some Brambi.
05:13Brambi is a wild horse meat.
05:15I wonder if he can tell the horse meat from my hand.
05:19He doesn't seem to love you much.
05:22Obviously he can't.
05:28There you go.
05:35I have nothing to say.
05:38I wonder how he chews. He doesn't have any teeth.
05:41I don't know.
05:42He's going to ask you something, and you'll know.
05:45The real reason we came here is because Bluey's breeding crocodile is feeling a little unhealthy.
05:51He's not keen to come and see a doctor.
06:05You'll get eaten here.
06:07Bluey takes no risk and awakes his weapon.
06:15Bluey is worried about the crack on the crocodile's face.
06:19It's affecting his productivity.
06:21Grab him now.
06:23Jump on him.
06:25Grab his legs.
06:27Where's my teleconference?
06:29Oh, it's up the fence.
06:31Peter prepares to remove the painful tissues.
06:34It's not as rampant as it seems.
06:36The crack on the face is no longer sensitive.
06:41I sort of have to look out for him.
06:44This is a breed that's very valuable.
06:46Is that why he's so valuable?
06:48Yes.
06:49How much does he cost?
06:51He might be worth less than us.
06:53I'm not working on him.
06:55I'm trimming him up a bit, I think.
06:57Are you trimming him up a bit?
06:59I'm trimming him up a bit, and he'll be fine.
07:01Does it hurt?
07:03No.
07:05These tissues are dead, and they don't feel anything.
07:08I can cut them with confidence.
07:13That's why he can't dive.
07:17Are you afraid of crocodiles, Bluey?
07:19Am I afraid?
07:21Of course I am.
07:23That's why I'm still alive.
07:30A quarter of the population of the Northern Territory is aborigines.
07:34In the last 20 years, according to the law,
07:37they have received large fertile areas of land.
07:40The next point on Peter's route
07:42is the aboriginal settlement of Manyelaluk.
07:49Well, shall we get into it?
07:51Yes.
07:52Peter's here for his veterinary work,
07:54spraying, spraying, delousing, wounding,
07:57dealing with parasites and vaccinating everything that moves.
08:05All, big and small, are pleased with his arrival.
08:19I asked Peter and his assistant Trish if they were bitten.
08:24Do you want to look at the scars?
08:26How many dogs are there?
08:28I think there are more than people here.
08:30200 or 300.
08:31200 or 300?
08:33Dogs play an important role in the life of aborigines.
08:36They are still hunted with them
08:38for porpoises, snakes, and even kangaroos.
08:41But the diseases of dogs are easily transmitted to people.
08:45The little ones bite at the legs,
08:47the big ones at the...
08:54It's the craziest dog thing I've ever seen.
09:03Have you ever needed a little dog?
09:06No, I've never needed a little dog.
09:08And why?
09:09It's not required in my work.
09:11You've got to be able to throw a dart.
09:14Yeah, it's not easy at all.
09:19It takes years of practice.
09:22Fifteen minutes after the jab.
09:27And then we do the operation.
09:29And when do they come around?
09:31How long before they come around?
09:33About an hour.
09:36Then we'll be gone.
09:39When this dog wakes up, it will be castrated.
09:45Is castration necessary?
09:47Yes, you would have seen this place a couple of years ago.
09:52What, there were dogs everywhere?
09:54Everywhere.
09:55I know it's all in a day's work for Peter,
09:57but I find this job effective
09:59by mere terminal squeamishness.
10:03If you're going to faint, find a softer place.
10:06There are so many dogs here, it's better not to faint.
10:09That's right.
10:13So you reckon the number of dogs here has become much smaller?
10:16Yes.
10:17Has anyone protested against their castration?
10:22No.
10:28As Peter's handiwork begins to take effect,
10:31our patient slowly wanders through the village.
10:36I know just how exhausted he is today.
10:45I rejoin Lazy Lady again,
10:47and we're going south from Katerina to Alice Springs.
10:50This route is made two or three times a week.
11:00Scott has been driving a truck for seven years.
11:03He likes to go to the dry heart of Australia
11:06to hear stories about sea adventures.
11:12The battery officer looked down at the gunfire,
11:15looked at the binoculars,
11:17and pointed to the silhouette of Bismarck.
11:19Fire, he ordered.
11:21Then came the incredible roar,
11:23and the ship shuddered from the gunshot.
11:26Hit! Hit!
11:28Hit the second time!
11:30I told you that old Ron would not do it.
11:36When Dorset Shire approached Bismarck,
11:39the rumbling ship was already sinking.
11:42Soon, it overturned and sank,
11:45leaving on the surface a lot of wreckage and struggling men.
11:57Alice Springs.
11:59Alice was the wife of the chief of the telegraph service.
12:02At this place, her husband built a telegraph station in 1872.
12:07Thus, the messages from Australia to London
12:11would take not three months, but seven hours.
12:16The town was once a caravan of camels.
12:19When they were replaced by trains,
12:21the camels were released on their own.
12:24Now they are caught again for zoos and attractions.
12:27This is the camel country.
12:36I'm driving to the heart of it,
12:38to the desolate station of Kings Creek.
12:46Here I met Ian Conway and his team from Icarus,
12:50people who catch wild camels.
12:53Tomorrow they will show me how it's done.
12:56I will sleep under the open sky like a real hunter.
12:59Isn't it dangerous to sleep under the open sky?
13:02Are there snakes here?
13:04Yes, it's better not to sleep with your mouth open.
13:08Because of dingo.
13:10If you feel a salty taste in your mouth in the morning,
13:13it's their job.
13:15Well, it's not scary at all.
13:17It's good here, isn't it?
13:19No, it's terrible here.
13:21I wouldn't set up a camp here.
13:23And where did you put your tent then?
13:26I have an air conditioner at home.
13:29It's very comfortable there.
13:32I slept well under the open sky
13:35and woke up from the delightful smell of the desert air.
13:39A real English breakfast,
13:42cooked on an Australian coin, of course.
13:56Do you want an omelette?
13:59Do you want an omelette, Michael?
14:01With an omelette, please.
14:05I had some strange ideas about catching camels.
14:08But in reality, everything turned out to be even more strange.
14:20It's true.
14:21As soon as the helicopter started chasing us from the herd,
14:24I realized in an amazing world
14:26that we had nothing to do with anything
14:28that I still had to experience in my life.
14:31Now, me and a Dutchman named Gunnar
14:34are clinging to life in the back seat of the jeep.
14:38I only wanted to look.
14:44We're going to catch him now.
14:49Now I know Ian won't calm down
14:51until I catch the camel.
14:53It seems simple,
14:55but this land is ours.
14:57Camels play with us.
14:59They know when to turn, when to stop,
15:02when to slow down and when to hide behind the trees.
15:26After a while, all of this seems absolutely pointless.
15:30All of my energy is spent on holding on to the car.
15:39The choking clouds of dust surround me.
15:42The camel stops and runs away again.
15:45Ian slows down, then accelerates,
15:48and my ribs crack from the impact of the abortion.
15:55We're going to catch him.
16:16Eventually, we got lucky.
16:18He's lucky. I missed again.
16:22We've caught the camel.
16:24Now we've got to convince him to come with us.
16:51Oh, my God.
16:53I've never done anything like this in my life.
16:56In my whole life, I've never done anything stupid.
17:05They're the adrenaline hunters.
17:08Now I get it.
17:22Just as I wanted.
17:24We're going home, but Ian spots a new victim,
17:26and we're back in the game.
17:33Right on, Michael!
17:35She's yours, Michael!
17:37She's yours, Michael!
17:39She's yours, Michael!
17:41She's yours, Michael!
17:43She's yours, Michael!
17:45She's yours, Michael!
17:47She's yours, Michael!
17:49She's yours, Michael!
17:51She's yours, Michael!
17:53You got him!
17:55You got him!
17:57Fantastic!
18:00Fantastic!
18:13Sorry.
18:15Sorry.
18:19Sorry.
18:23Come on, Andy. Come on, Andy.
18:37The whole process of recruiting is easy and difficult.
18:40It's easy for the bird,
18:42but it doesn't do any harm to the camel.
18:45Ian knows that the better he takes care of the camel,
18:48the higher his price will be.
18:50I don't think he cares about me the same way.
18:54You've done a wonderful job.
18:56Tell you what, you did a great job.
18:58I beat her out of the flock.
19:00Otherwise, we would never have caught her.
19:02Look at how solid she is.
19:04You wouldn't think she's from a wild flock.
19:06I'd give her a kiss.
19:08Just be careful. Camels kiss very hard.
19:11Yeah, I'd better not get too close to her.
19:13She has a lovely face.
19:15She's so humble.
19:17I'd like to apologize to her.
19:19Sorry.
19:21Sorry.
19:29From here, the camels head to Ian's farm.
19:32A couple of weeks in the sanatorium,
19:34and then they, like me,
19:36have to move on.
19:44Ironically, in their honor,
19:47one of the trains that sent them to retirement
19:49is named after them.
19:53It's called the Gun,
19:55in honor of the Afghan camels and their riders
19:57who built the first railroad
19:59through the desert.
20:02My bruises and bumps
20:04rested in the comfort of a night train to Adelaide,
20:07and my companions had even worse problems.
20:10To your health.
20:12I hope you don't break your other arm
20:14while you get home.
20:42Adelaide is located far from Alice Springs,
20:45and it's a very different city.
20:55Unlike Sydney, Adelaide was never a colony
20:58for criminals.
21:00Its wealth and its respectability
21:02were achieved by slow, persistent labor.
21:05It was a place of peace,
21:07and it was a place of peace
21:09It's just what I need.
21:11A couple of days in a good hotel,
21:13a book, a drink,
21:15and a chance to recover from a night in the bush.
21:18But it is not what I need.
21:20My arrival coincided with one of the most
21:23important events in the city's public life,
21:26the death of the lonely and desperate.
21:29The rules of the event are simple.
21:31The participants must be less than 40,
21:33and the participants must be older than 40.
21:36The participants must be wearing evening dresses
21:39and eager to get acquainted.
21:41They come here alone,
21:43and leave in pairs.
21:45I sit aside and lower my head.
21:47The hall around me is filled with many people.
22:02Hundreds of people waiting for a sign of attention
22:05from hundreds of others.
22:09My hotel is only the place where people meet.
22:12The ball itself takes place in another place.
22:27Just as peace is dissipating,
22:29I suddenly receive a strange invitation.
22:33I'm over age, I'm depressed,
22:35and my face is blue.
22:37Well, does the gentleman have a choice?
22:55We're getting on so well,
22:57that I'm already thinking about a joint camel hunt.
23:03Look, that's the one I'm going on a date with.
23:06I'm sorry, Michael.
23:15Don't worry,
23:16the most interesting part begins in my book.
23:24Just outside Adelaide,
23:26the world's only camel race takes place.
23:30Well, at least I'll get rid of camels.
23:34My heart is freezing.
23:36But in a moment,
23:38an important event will begin
23:40that has brought all these people
23:42to the village of Mount Compass.
23:45Is there anyone on the right from me?
23:48Our name is Excellent Cow.
23:50Try not to sneeze and drive away flies.
23:53Before you can take part in the race,
23:55you need to buy a cow.
23:57This is what the auction is for.
24:00130 times.
24:03135.
24:05150.
24:07155.
24:11155 times.
24:13160.
24:15165 times.
24:18165.
24:20170.
24:21170.
24:22165.
24:23170.
24:25Would you like to continue?
24:28I have a offer for 170 times.
24:315.
24:33175.
24:34Sold.
24:35The buyer is this strange gentleman.
24:37You got it, sir.
24:38Good price.
24:39I'll explain later.
24:42It seems we don't know him.
24:44But the price is good.
24:47So,
24:48thanks to the 175-dollar pro-studio,
24:51I got the right to ride my own cow.
24:57Just take it easy.
25:01She's called Our Name,
25:03and I do my best to keep this in mind.
25:07Others don't seem to care.
25:14The race has begun.
25:15Oh, my God!
25:16They can't get on the cows.
25:18Look what Maxi Milker is doing.
25:21What a failure!
25:23Our Name is very obedient.
25:26Except it doesn't want to move.
25:29We've got a bull-bull passing by our commentator's booth.
25:33The Our Name team decides on a more thorough tactic.
25:37Mainly involving staying on.
25:41Diana lost her rider.
25:43Diana is running alone.
25:45This proves to be a highly unexpected tactic.
25:49Look what's happening.
25:51This guy fell and hurt himself badly.
25:53We need an ambulance.
25:55We need an ambulance.
25:57And who is this?
25:58Is it Michael Palin?
25:59Another secret of success in a special race diet.
26:04Dunk Fling is also running without a rider.
26:07And he's probably thinking,
26:08what fools we are.
26:10This is Dunk Fling.
26:12What's happening to number 12?
26:15This is Daisy.
26:18What a mess that is.
26:21It looks like this guy is very afraid to fall.
26:25And he will be shown on TV all over the world.
26:28Our fuel injection system is working miracles.
26:31We're moving.
26:32I'll leave my oatmeal for later.
26:37Excellent, Michael!
26:41They really are moving.
26:43Did someone else fall?
26:45This is one of the guys from Mount Baker.
26:48While my impatient rivals were being carried away,
26:51I won second place,
26:53finishing 20 minutes behind the winner.
27:04This is the Indian Pacific.
27:07Now that we've crossed Australia from north to south,
27:10I begin a 24-hour ride to Sydney,
27:13to the Pacific coast.
27:26A few miles up the Pacific coast,
27:28there's a TV series called Far From Home.
27:31I want to see why it's so successful.
27:34It turns out they need an actor.
27:38We might just even out the face.
27:42Action!
27:47The concept seems easy enough.
27:49Good comedic entertainment.
27:51But I might get something new in it.
27:54I like it.
27:55A bit rubber?
27:56Something beachy.
27:58Looks like that might be more the guy.
28:01Action!
28:03There he is!
28:05Over there, that's him.
28:08As the characters run by me in front of the camera,
28:11I slip on my suit.
28:15Now, where's my dialogue?
28:20Action!
28:23I may have only two lines, but it's tricky.
28:28Sorry, I was just getting a bit of a dip,
28:31but suddenly...
28:32Sorry, I was just getting a bit of a dip,
28:35but suddenly...
28:40We have the rehearsal of 15 seconds,
28:43and it's time to get dressed and get ready.
28:50The tension is rising.
28:55And...
28:56Action!
28:59Yes, I'm having a dress.
29:02And they had the most amazing choice of imported wallpapers.
29:06Yes.
29:09Well, it would matter.
29:11Donald, and I saw wonderful wallpapers for your room.
29:14Not too much masculine, not too much feminine.
29:17I know you won't like it.
29:19I hope to start my monologue before the tide.
29:22Sorry, I was just getting a dip,
29:24but suddenly...
29:25Sorry, I was just getting a dip,
29:27but suddenly...
29:28Sorry, it's too late.
29:30Yes?
29:31Oh, I'm sorry.
29:33I was just getting a dip,
29:35but suddenly...
29:36Oh, my God.
29:39Shark?
29:40No.
29:41Jolly good.
29:42Thank you very much.
29:44Hey, do you have jellyfish, Donald?
29:49Oh, thanks.
29:51Thanks for the warning.
29:53I modeled the voice for Hugh Grant,
29:55and the walk for John Cleeze.
29:57I wonder if anyone will notice.
30:00There's an extra place you have to have on this day.
30:05The Oriana is here on the maiden voyage.
30:10I snuck on this boat.
30:21This seems a perfect way to end the city.
30:25And after a long journey through Australia,
30:27it's time to say goodbye to Australia.
30:54NEW ZEALAND
31:16New Zealand is separated from Australia
31:18by thousands of miles of the Tasman Sea
31:21named after the first white man who saw these islands 150 years ago.
31:27Auckland is a city of yachts and businessmen.
31:31It has the comfort and the charm of a small city.
31:35Here you can be sure that each day will be much like the previous one.
31:41Day 142
31:52Which may explain why some people want to get out of the window.
31:57Rap-jumping is the latest trend among New Zealanders
32:01in what it thinks is an endless pursuit of sharp sensations.
32:05Maybe Auckland is too calm a city?
32:09Across the Cook Strait, the South Island looks impressive.
32:13300 miles north of here, around the coast from Wales,
32:17I cross the Strait on a ferry from Wellington to the edge of the mountains and fjords.
32:29Surely here, looking at these steep black cliffs,
32:33you understand that the sharp sensation is already somewhere around.
32:41As I boarded the South Island train,
32:43I saw a train in the town of Picton, with a premonition that something extraordinary was waiting for me.
32:49And I was almost right.
32:51The South Island
33:07In my car, there was a team of mushrooms and their fans,
33:11who were returning from the races in Wellington.
33:21Everybody in the boat, come on, I want to hear you say,
33:25Boat! Boat! Boat!
33:29Don't stop peddling, baby, all that peddling does is crazy!
33:33Wiggle, wiggle! Wiggle, wiggle!
33:37Don't stop peddling, baby, all that peddling does is crazy!
33:41Wiggle, wiggle! Wiggle, wiggle!
33:48By the time we'd reached the town of Kaikoura, they'd worn themselves out.
33:52I have to be honest, it was a positive refreshment to be among shy New Zealanders again.
33:59Boat! Boat! Boat! Boat! Boat!
34:06That is the life of the Maurits.
34:09The Maurits are distinctly welcoming people of their own.
34:12Before they can trust you enough, you must go through a serious challenge.
34:18Boat! Boat! Boat! Boat! Boat!
34:22Boat! Boat! Boat! Boat!
34:26The Maurits were settled on these islands more than a thousand years ago.
34:31The challenge is still the same, and the non-Maurits receive it as a challenge.
34:35Today it's my turn.
34:37March of Peace to England.
34:43Boat!
34:47Oof!
34:53Oof!
34:55Once I've picked her up, I and my Mauri-sponsor can advance to Marai,
35:00a special meeting place for the next stage of the ceremony.
35:04This I'm not looking forward to.
35:07Every outsider must rise to the stage and sing a song.
35:10My mind goes blank, then suddenly I think of my childhood.
35:16You talk about tradition here, and I've got a feeling of place.
35:20You know that every person has the most important place on Earth, his homeland.
35:25So I'm going to sing you a very brief piece of a song,
35:28a verse that was written from a song that I used to sing of the school that I went to in England.
35:36And it was written in the year 1552,
35:40for the founder of the school, King Edward.
35:44My terminology is that it's in Latin,
35:47and I don't know if anyone here can translate it.
35:50Maybe Rick can translate it to Mauri.
35:52Anyway, I'm going to use one verse from the school in Shrewsbury.
36:21With head held high, I reached Hongi,
36:24which means that a stranger has become a friend.
36:31This may look just like another strange tradition,
36:34but the Mauri have a very powerful influence on the island.
36:42In Kaikoura, they own fishing and tourist companies.
36:46They are building a new port.
36:50The next morning, I joined one of their businesses.
36:56I've hired a boat and a guide named Snow.
36:59We're on the lookout for sperm whales,
37:01which are attracted here by the great depth and abundance of food.
37:06Just looking out for that sperm whale.
37:09There it is up ahead of you.
37:11That's quick.
37:14He's just come up.
37:16He's been down for the last 50 minutes.
37:18He's been hunting on the bottom.
37:21He's breathing in and breathing out every 15 seconds.
37:24He's pretty much getting rid of all the carbon dioxide
37:27and nitrogen that has accumulated in his body
37:30during his last dive.
37:32Now he's just pretty much re-oxidating his bloodstream
37:34and getting ready for the next 50 minutes.
37:37Just before he dies, you'll kind of...
37:39How do you know that he's going to dive?
37:41He tries to dive.
37:43Before he dives, he takes a little breath.
37:45Last breath and exhale.
37:47There he is.
37:49He's exhaled and dived.
38:01The further south I went to New Zealand,
38:04the more it became like my homeland.
38:07And the more I wanted to return
38:09to the land of my wild youth.
38:16An outing on the river in Christchurch
38:18was like a dream spun by the British Tourism Board.
38:21Every cliché is lightened by the soft summer sun.
38:51Ah!
39:05And the clichés don't stop here.
39:07The lightest color when I open my eyes,
39:09I don't want to open my eyes when I'm staring.
39:14It's almost as if someone saw me
39:16and they're not going to be away for too long.
39:22The closer we are to the southernmost point of our journey,
39:25the fewer locals there are.
39:30They seem to have a lot of sheep as a replacement.
39:33For every man born in New Zealand,
39:35there are 14 sheep.
39:38They fill up wide areas of the southern land
39:41until it's too wild for them.
39:45Ahead of us is Mount Cook.
39:47Highest peak in Australia.
39:49We don't want to stand on this.
39:51You can stand on that.
39:53On the Tasmanian glacier,
39:55I was taught how not to fall into a crack.
39:58And then we can take a big step across.
40:01A huge step for mankind.
40:04And we go to the next crack.
40:06It's easy.
40:07But all the 70-kilometer glacier
40:09can't be crossed on foot.
40:11We need aerial assistance.
40:19This is a tough country.
40:21Among these glaciers and rocks
40:23trained the most famous New Zealander,
40:25the conqueror of Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary.
40:49A hard, demanding environment
40:59touches the bloody strings of the New Zealand soul.
41:03Which brings us back to the sharp sensations.
41:07In Queenstown,
41:08sharp sensations are sold to hunters for adrenaline
41:11in commercial packaging.
41:13It's not just a New Zealand phenomenon.
41:15People from all over the world come here
41:17to be nearly killed.
41:21For only 30 quid,
41:22you're driven straight to the rocks.
41:26The great thing about this is that
41:28you can dip in the water
41:30and no one will ever know.
41:48Wow!
42:13If you survive,
42:14you can still do
42:16what we call throw yourself off the bridge
42:18and be home in time to dinner.
42:21People throw themselves off the bridge
42:23at a rate of 50 or 60 people a day.
42:265, 4, 3, 2, 1!
42:395, 4, 3, 2, 1!
42:41I talked to AJ Hackett
42:44at the place where he started his business.
42:49One of the things I wanted to show
42:51from the very beginning was
42:53to make sure anybody could do it.
42:55The last thing I wanted was to make sure
42:57it's not for men with big muscles
42:59and big penises.
43:01You know,
43:03at the beginning of the day,
43:05it was not water for men.
43:07It's not water for men.
43:09It's not water for men.
43:11It takes time to put them on
43:13and make them feel comfortable.
43:15And then we throw them off the bridge.
43:20From day one,
43:22we had a policy
43:24that people over 60 jump for free.
43:30Do you want to touch the water?
43:32Do you want to touch the water?
43:35Good luck!
43:38Is that convenient?
43:40OK, you're going to fly like this.
43:49Look at the bridge in front of you, Kate.
43:51That's your target.
43:52And then you're going to fly up.
43:55So, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
43:58Like this. Great.
44:06Here we have a video camera. Wave your hand.
44:10OK, it's OK.
44:195, 4, 3, 2, 1.
44:23One more?
44:26Here we go, this one.
44:29Don't look down anymore, OK?
44:31OK, here we go. Let's do it.
44:335, 4, 3, 2, 1.
44:36Woo!
44:415, 4, 3, 2, 1.
44:43Apparently, the people who are older than 36 don't jump from the bridge as often.
44:47I think it's fear.
44:49But I want to believe that it's wisdom.
44:53Day 150.
44:55Dunedin station, wet, cloudy day.
45:00Robbie Byrne's statue reminds us that Dunedin is Scotland.
45:12It's also the site of the best New Zealand university.
45:17The University of Otago.
45:21I visited Selwyn College,
45:23seeking to understand what attracts New Zealand youth to this far corner of the South Island.
45:38I've arrived at the beginning of the academic year,
45:41and the newly-admitted students have already received important life lessons.
45:46This is called a fisherman's run.
45:49I need a workout, so I asked if I could join.
45:52One historian said that the medieval king
45:55was a man not covered with shit from head to toe.
46:01The run starts quite ordinarily,
46:04but then it takes an unexpected turn.
46:07Come on, guys, let's do it!
46:09I've got myself into an ancient student rite of passage.
46:13The run is later.
46:29Let's go!
46:31Let's go!
46:37Let's go!
46:54Coffee with sugar, please.
46:56Right away.
46:57The run is later is not a run at all.
47:00And just in case the new students don't enjoy themselves too much,
47:03those who are older and smarter
47:05will be served with a spicy dish of flour and eggs.
47:28Let's go!
47:33This is higher education.
47:44Looking on the bright side,
47:46I could meet future New Zealand philosophers,
47:49neurosurgeons, judges and prime ministers.
47:52I hope they remember me.
47:54Well, I won't forget them now.
48:02So, how was your trip, Michael?
48:07I studied in an English school,
48:09so I know a lot about unpleasant and pointless exercises.
48:12But apart from camel hunting,
48:14I've never felt so stupid.
48:19Screenplay by Michael Palin.
48:21Cameramen Nigel Meakin and Stephen Robinson.
48:24Producer and director Clem Valens.
48:27The film was dubbed by SV Dubl by order of GTRK Kultura in 2004.
48:51© 2014 The New England Television Authority. All rights reserved.