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8 Episodes 2006 - 2006
Episode 1
26 mins
The Otago and Canterbury stretches from the Southern Alps to the Southern Pacific featuring snow-covered mountains, glacial-fed streams, vast rolling plains, fertile valleys and a beautiful coastline. Bender and Mark soar above the spectacular snow-covered Southern Alps in Gliders.
Episode 2
From the tranquil Marlborough Sounds the region spreads south along some amazing beaches with spectacular views, plus vineyard after vineyard. We open on Bender upside down in a Pitts-Special acrobatic aircraft over the spectacular Marlborough countryside. Back on hard ground they meet local Maori Dion Paul who takes them diving for green-lip mussels plus they meet Swiss couple Hans and Therese Herzog who make new-world wine with old-world passion. They find some wonderful venison near one of the best surf breaks in the country. Which is a great reason to go surfing. The come across a salmon farm in the pristine Marlborough Sounds and collect some fresh salmon.
Episode 3
Gisborne is Mark's hometown. He knows everyone and everyone seems to know him. Mark introduces Bender to his Mum and Dad who bring out some embarrassing family photo albums. Mark check up on his new surfboard being finished off nearby. And catches up with Pro Surfer mate Maz Quinn who tells them to see his dad Gary who makes olive oil. They call by the Wiamata cheese factory to pick up Elm who is a sculptor. He gets some cheese from his dad. Bender, Mark, Maz, Gary and Elm surf up a storm. They visit the Bio-Dynamic Millton's winery. As with surfers, the moon dictates every move in the winery.
Episode 4
26 mins
Bender and Mark are in a chopper with wilderness expert Jeremaia Fisk taking them out to Big Bay past snow covered peaks and thick dense forests to meet back-woodsman Dale Hunter and to have a surf on the most deserted wave in the world. When they arrive, Dale has just killed a deer that Bender cooks, Gaucho-style, on the open fire. Later they find a Saffron farm plus stop at the wine cave of the Gibbiston Valley winery that took out the prize for the 'Best Pinot in the World' at the London International Wine Show. Back in the wilderness, the boys are taught the art of trout stalking by ace guide Simon Wilkinson. Exhilarated, Bender gets a big bite, but loses the fish.
Episode 5
Bender and Mark surf an amazing break on a black volcanic beach. Nearby they help a lobster man beach his boat with the help of a bulldozer. Next, on Quad bikes, they help muster unhelpful sheep and Mark discovers the delights of the electric fence by accident. Sneaking through the bushes in search of a trout stream they meet Maori Matt Paku pulling his eel nets. Plus a visit to Schoc Chocs in Greytown whose chocolates have bizarrely unique flavours and who analyse Ben and Mark's character from their choice of chocolate.
Episode 6
26 mins
Bender is a fly-fishing tragic and the world-expert on flies is Derek Quilliam who makes the boys Trout Flies for the exact lake they're going to. He sends them off to find Marlene Skeet at Lake Tutira. Marlene is one of the few Maori women trout guides in the country. Both Bender and Mark catch good-sized fish. On the way back they pick some fresh limes. Plus they visit a Paua (abalone) farm and finish the day on a dress-up tour of Art Deco Napier in a 1934 Red Buick.
Episode 7
We open inside a 1954 Sea Otter Float Plane flying over steaming volcanoes and geysers. We then land on the shores of Mokoia Island where they meet Mark's Maori friend Charles Royal, an expert in wild native herbs and spices. Charles smoke a trout with the herbs plus cooks another trout in the thermal hot water pool. They visit the world's only thermally heated prawn farm which uses left over hot water from the thermal power station. At nearby Te Puke they call in on a kiwi fruit farmer who has developed biodynamic agricultural products based on homeopathy. At the dock in Taurunga they score some tuna from a trawler.
Episode 8
Bender and Mark have made arrangements to collect some chillies but when they get there the farmer's gone surfing - so they hop a fence and help themselves. Near Aphipara they pick some persimmons and local chef Mark Collins takes the boys to collect fresh scallops washed up on the beach by a storm. There's a clay pigeon shooting range nearby. A wager is made that the loser must swim across the eel infested stream. Bender loses, Bender swims.