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At the bottom of the world, deep in the South Pacific...

Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX

lies an isolated land with a storied past...

New Zealand.

According to legend,

a god plucked its islands from the sea

with a magic fish hook.

Today, these mystical landscapes are best known as Middle-earth...

home to hobbits.

Shaped by fire...

Capped by ice...

New Zealand is a nation

of risk takers and thrill seekers.

It's where a leap of faith sparked a new pastime...

And a little ingenuity saved a city.

New Zealand is a place where people think outside the box...

And where even a bike ride can be breath-taking.

This young country is full of rich history

and unspoiled beauty

for those willing to travel all the way to the edge.

On New Zealand's South Island, adrenaline junkies speed

through one of the nation's best-known canyons.

This boat carries tourists down the Shotover river,

through what's considered wild country.

The adventure--and the boat-- are vintage New Zealand.

In the early 1900s, a local boy named Bill Hamilton

dreamed of traversing shallow rivers

that ran across his family farm.

Hamilton explored these waters. In an old tin washtub.

In 1954, at the age of 55,

he masterminded the waterjet that propels this boat

and revolutionized boating worldwide.

Hamilton's invention used a powerful jet of water--

rather than a propeller-- to move and steer.

The technology allows this boat to make sharp turns

in water as shallow as three inches

and reach top speeds of over 100 miles an hour.

Hamilton was eventually knighted for his ingenuity...

Which today lets people explore his hometown rivers...

New Zealand style.

In this nation, life has long revolved around water.

Its first settlers arrived by canoe.

Beginning in the 13th century,

islanders from across the south pacific

paddled thousands of miles to New Zealand.

They named themselves Maori.

Different tribes settled along the coast

of New Zealand's two main islands.

Today, they are known simply as

North Island and South Island...

And together they're

about the size of Colorado.

When the Maori arrived, the land was so breath-taking,

they believed they'd discovered the place where the world began.

One of their most sacred spots is on the North Island...

In an ancient forest of kauri trees,

native to New Zealand.

Towering over the landscape is a tree called Tane Mahuta--

or Lord of the Forest-- the tallest tree in New Zealand.

According to Maori legend, at the birth of the planet,

the sky father and earth mother

were locked in a passionate embrace.

Their children, including their powerful son, Tane Mahuta,

were trapped between them, engulfed in darkness.

He pushed with all his might

and, as father separated from mother,

light shone onto the world.

The Maori were the sole settlers here for more than 500 years...

Until 1840, when Europeans began arriving by the thousands.

That year New Zealand became a British colony...

And the English put their stamp

on North Island towns like Rotorua.

This historic church called St. Faith's

was built in the English tudor style.

It sits in a kind of town square

that began as a Maori village in the 1200s--

and remains an important gathering spot.

Today, the main street here is a tidy strip of businesses...

But on the outskirts of town are hints of a steamy past.

The city sits on "the line of fire"--

a volcanic plateau

that covers most of New Zealand's North Island.

Deep underground,

two shifting tectonic plates produce volcanic activity,

which erupts in different ways at ground level.

The energy produces a geothermal wonderland.

Long before tourists came here,

the Maori used the colorful mud for paints and dyes.

They relied on the hot springs to cook, clean and bathe.

Just outside town is the largest hot spring in the world--

Frying Pan lake.

Its water temperature can reach 140 degrees--

long believed to be too hot to sustain life.

The only creatures that can survive here are thermophiles...

The oldest living life forms on earth...

Micro-organisms that thrive in the extreme temperatures.

Today, volcanic landmarks, like this cone,

are reminders of the dangers that lurk below.

It towers over New Zealand's biggest city, Auckland--

home to 1.5 million people.

The metropolis was built in a volcanic field--

140 square miles made up of more than 50 volcanoes.

Mount Eden is one of many cones--

or short-lived volcanoes-- in the area.

The field is dormant now,

but scientists are constantly monitoring it.

They say an eruption is likely in the next few hundred years.

The country's widespread volcanic activity

stems from the island's location on the southwest end

of the south pacific ring of fire.

90% of the world's earthquakes and eruptions occur

along this horseshoe-shaped zone,

which surrounds the pacific ocean.

Geologic activity deep below

has led to volcanoes on the North Island...

And mountains on the south.

These are the southern alps,

which form a massive spine that runs the length of the island.

Tectonic plates pushing against one another

forced this land upward over millions of years.

Their majesty is proof of the power deep below--

power that always threatens to unleash nature's fury.

Another part of New Zealand experienced this

with not just one volcanic eruption,

but three at the same time.

In the heart of New Zealand's North Island,

tranquil surroundings hide an explosive past,

caused by the mount tarawera volcano.

In June of 1886,

villagers awoke at midnight to violent earthquakes.

Unbeknownst to them,

they were living in the shadow of an active volcano.

After three hours of shaking,

they looked up in horror to see not one peak but three erupting.

The smoke and fire shot a mile into the sky.

Shocked onlookers stood outside and watched--

until mud and ash began raining down.

Survivors ran for cover

and hid inside these buildings to seek shelter.

120 people died, buried in debris,

making it one of the worst natural disasters

in New Zealand's history.

Volcanoes will always be a threat in New Zealand.

But today, the country has a sophisticated warning system

to try and prevent another major tragedy.

Two hours northeast is a far different landscape.

This is cow country... Down under.

New Zealand is the world's biggest dairy exporter...

And the bulk of its products

come from a fertile area called waikato.

Trucks pick up milk from local farms twice daily.

Then they take it to sprawling factories,

like this one near the town of Cambridge.

Inside, milk is tested, pasteurized and processed--

much of it stored in massive silos.

Finally, the products are moved to ports

where they're shipped to more than 100 countries

and customers like pizza hut.

The chain sprinkles all their pies worldwide

with mozzarella made fresh from New Zealand milk.

Dairy country is also where champions are made.

Lake Karapiro feeds this fertile area

and serves as a training ground for olympic rowers.

In 2010, this tranquil waterway

hosted the world championships of rowing.

This is also where New Zealand athletes

have worked their way to 24 olympic medals.

Among those here today is maheé drysdale,

who brought home gold in the 2012 and 2016 games.

He's also a five-time world champion.

New Zealanders are known for their grit...

And their genius.

This South Island memorial

honors Nobel Prize winner Ernest Rutherford,

who first split the atom.

The statue, located near his hometown,

portrays rutherford as a boy

clutching his first science book.

He grew up here in the 1870s

near the coastal city of Nelson,

a town known for its panoramic views...

And the birthplace

of New Zealand's number one sport--rugby.

Today, kids gather to play cricket, soccer and other games

here at Nelson's botanical reserve.

But on may 14, 1870,

this was the site of the country's first rugby match.

The game has its roots in England

and was brought here by a 19-year-old Nelson native.

The sport spread rapidly through the 1800s...

And by the turn of the century,

it was New Zealand's national pastime.

Locals grow up playing the game

on beaches and fields across the country...

At places like Auckland grammar school.

This 150-year-old institution sits on the North Island

and was once the stomping grounds

of Oscar-winner Russell Crowe.

But the school is best known for its rugby stars.

Since 1893, more than 50 of its alumni

have gone on to play for New Zealand's national team,

the "all blacks."

They are the winningest team in sports history.

Some say the all blacks owe part of their success

to this institution--

now nicknamed rugby's finishing school.

New Zealand is a nation of ambition,

both on the ground and in the air.

This biplane is flying over canterbury farmland,

where a contemporary of the Wright brothers

made stunning achievements in flight.

In the early 1900s,

a South Island farmer named Richard Pearse

built what looks like a flying bicycle.

This replica stands near his hometown of Waitohi,

where Pearse built the machine in a home workshop.

Though he flew after the Wright Brothers,

Pearse's design is now regarded as visionary.

His ideas--from wing flaps to tilting engines--

are standard in modern planes.

His genius was never recognized in his lifetime,

but his visions for the future of flight

have been realized.

Pearse is one of many New Zealanders

whose forward thinking would go on to change the world.

In the middle of New Zealand's South Island

is the sprawling city of Christchurch,

where one woman is credited

with the world's first wave of feminism.

This house, now a private residence,

was home to the pioneering suffragette Kate Sheppard.

From here, she launched a national campaign

for a woman's right to vote.

In 1893, New Zealand became

the first self-governing country in the world

where women could vote--

beating the U.S. by nearly 30 years.

Another New Zealand woman is remembered here

at Auckland airport.

Visitors taxi down the runway

to the Jean Batten International Terminal.

She flew onto the world stage in 1934

when she shattered the women's flying record

from England to Australia.

Batten beat the previous fastest time by four full days,

safely landing after a two-week journey.

The 25-year-old beauty became an overnight sensation

and was dubbed "the garbo of the skies."

Two years later, batten became the first pilot ever

to fly from England to New Zealand--

a feat she accomplished in 11 days

with little sleep and minimal stops.

Batten kept flying until world war two began in 1939.

That year, she relinquished her beloved plane

to the Royal Air Force

so it could be used for the allied cause.

The men and women who served in that war and others

are remembered today at the Auckland War Memorial museum.

It was built after World War One,

which devastated this small nation.

100,000 men went to the European front--

a staggering 10% of the country's entire population

and the largest percentage of any allied nation.

Auckland's museum ensures that their sacrifices--

along with all New Zealand's war heroes--

will never be forgotten.

Less than two miles from the museum

is the city's best-known landmark.

The Auckland Sky Tower is the tallest man-made structure

in the southern hemisphere.

The 1,000-foot tower opened in 1997.

It has three observation levels,

offering 360-degree views.

Brave souls can also take a casual stroll

a quarter mile above the ground--

tethered for safety.

But for those who want an even stronger adrenaline rush,

a sky jump offers a 15-second free fall.

And it only costs $160.

For people who prefer to stay at sea level,

there's another way to see the sky tower--

by yacht.

The showstoppers in Auckland harbor

are boats like this--

retired training vessels for the America's Cup.

Today, tourists help man the craft.

But it was once used by team New Zealand,

known for winning the world's most famous yachting race

against the odds.

The year was 1995;

the venue, San Francisco.

The U.S. had dominated the America's Cup

for more than a century--

losing just once in 144 years.

In 1995, the U.S. had two big advantages:

Experience and deep pockets.

Teams spent up to $300 million on the event--

designing high-tech boats, training the crew,

and paying the $3 million entry fee.

In San Francisco, New Zealand's cash-strapped team

challenged the U.S. with a boat called Black Magic...

And triumphed.

They went down in history

as the first non-American team

to win, and later defend, the coveted cup.

Three hours north of the harbor

is a place called the Waitangi Treaty Grounds--

considered the birthplace of New Zealand.

Here in 1840, British settlers met with Maori chiefs

and negotiated terms for a new nation.

The result was a controversial document

called the Treaty of Waitangi.

Before Europeans arrived,

the islands were divided among Maori tribes.

New Zealand's shores were so remote

that by 1820 only about 200 people had settled here,

mostly from England, Scotland, Ireland, and some from the U.S.

Few were willing to make the perilous 100-day journey

and live in such isolation.

But in the mid 1800s,

Europeans looked at this land with new eyes.

England annexed New Zealand, and British immigrants flooded in,

seeking a better life.

The treaty was meant

to unify the Maori and the British crown,

but it was neither ratified nor followed.

The Maori lost four million acres of land.

In the 1970s, under public pressure,

New Zealand's government began working

to restore Maori treaty rights--

a process that continues to this day.

The North Island is home to a beach

that attracts visitors for its beauty and its wildlife.

This is Muriwai,

where volcanic deposits have left behind black sand.

It's also the nesting grounds of an unusual sea bird

called a gannet.

Each one is about the size of a goose,

and they're found only in Australia and New Zealand.

1,200 pairs nest here every year,

with each female laying one egg.

At four months, the chicks embark

on a 14-day solo flight to Australia.

Three years later, about a quarter will return here

to lay eggs of their own.

An hour down the coastline is another black sand beach

famous for being on the big screen.

Movie buffs may know it

from the Oscar-winning film The Piano,

but locals call it Karekare Beach.

In 1992, actresses Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin

shot the opening scene here.

In the movie, hunter is a pianist

sold in marriage to an early New Zealand settler.

She arrives on the beach with her piano and her daughter,

played by paquin.

The movie was written and directed

by New Zealander, Jane Campion.

The film went on to win three Oscars

and launched a new chapter for this country...

As one of Hollywood's favorite film sets.

In 1998, this North Island sheep farm changed forever.

One day director and New Zealander Peter Jackson

arrived and asked the owners about filming a trilogy

called the Lord of the Rings.

Twelve acres of the farm became "Hobbiton,"

home to Bilbo and Frodo Baggins along with their fellow hobbits.

Jackson masterminded the Shire,

which is now the country's top tourist attraction.

He filmed all three movies in New Zealand,

and today visitors can still follow in the footsteps

of Frodo's epic journey.

In October 1999,

Hollywood stars began descending on the farms of New Zealand

and landing on its tallest peaks.

The cast and crew of the Lord of the Rings trilogy

filmed across the country for 18 months.

Director Peter Jackson did something unprecedented

by shooting all three movies here simultaneously.

He chose 70 sites nationwide to create

writer J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.

For the climax, Jackson flew his actors

to the top of this active volcano,

where Frodo destroys the ring and saves the world.

New Zealand is heaven

for movie lovers.

The South Island is home to Queenstown

on the banks of Lake Wakatipu--

where this steamboat made a cameo with Harrison Ford.

The T.S.S. Earnslaw appeared in the 2008 Indiana Jones movie,

the fourth in the famous franchise.

Built in 1912, the Earnslaw is the only coal-fired steamship

still operating in the southern hemisphere.

The ship has ferried passengers across the lake

for more than a century,

including the queen of England and president Bill Clinton.

But her passengers weren't always so glamourous.

Before modern roads,

the Earnslaw was the main form of transportation

in this part of the island.

She moved goods, people and livestock

to farms on the south end of the lake,

including this picturesque sheep farm.

Walter Peak High Country Farm

extends 64,000 acres into the surrounding hills.

Visitors line up to tour the property,

home to 18,000 sheep.

Merino wool is the softest sheep wool

and a top New Zealand export.

But livestock didn't work out for one local

who saw better opportunities with gold.

This riverside ghost town still stands

150 years after New Zealand's gold rush.

In 1862, farmer William Gilbert Rees

watched prospectors flood in,

hoping to get rich from gold in the nearby arrow river.

But food and supplies were sparse,

and many miners faced starvation.

They turned to rees,

whose farm became the city of Queenstown,

now a lakeside town of 30,000.

Rees threw himself into helping the miners.

He had the only boat for miles

and transported supplies along with gold

in and out of the area.

The gold rush ended 150 years ago,

but it left a permanent mark on this land.

This suspension bridge was built

to link gold fields to towns across the Kawarau river.

The bridge is now famous

for being the launchpad and birthplace

of commercial bungee jumping.

After a number of test jumps,

a death defying act of bravado in Paris, France,

caught the world's attention.

In 1987, a New Zealander named A.J. Hackett

leapt off the Eiffel Tower

attached to what appeared to be a giant rubber band.

Paris police immediately arrested him,

but the feat made headlines worldwide.

A year later, Hackett and his partner Henry van Asch

offered bungee jumping to the masses--

here on the South Island.

Their franchise is now an international phenomenon,

worth up to $100 million.

New Zealand has a reputation for offbeat pursuits.

And one of its latest inventions is this ball rolling--

now a fixture on the North Island.

The activity debuted in 1998

and was the brainchild of two New Zealand buddies.

They envisioned a sphere

that would allow people to walk across water--

but it turned out people couldn't control it.

So the inventors brought their sphere to land.

Inside, passengers roll around in a ball

that's suspended inside a high-pressure air pocket.

The thrilling ride was featured on the amazing race

and is now up and running in ten countries worldwide

and in several U.S. states,

including Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

New Zealand adventures often take people off the beaten path.

A popular pursuit here is biking along its national cycleway--

a network of trails that stretches across both islands.

These "great rides" encompass more than 1,500 miles of trails.

Many bike trails follow old abandoned train tracks,

left over from the early 1900s,

the golden age of the New Zealand railway.

Today one of the few train trips still in operation

is the tranzalpine railway.

200,000 passengers ride this train every year...

Between Greymouth in the west

and Christchurch in the east.

On the North Island's east coast

is a town renowned for its style.

This is Napier, a city held up

as one of the finest examples of art deco in the world.

The pristine buildings and streets were rebuilt in 1931

after an earthquake devastated the region.

But the town recovered...

Thanks in part to an event they call art deco weekend.

Today, locals are preparing for the event,

which features classic cars,

parades and musical performances.

In 2011 New Zealanders faced another devastating earthquake,

this time in the most populated area of the South Island.

The South Island's biggest city is Christchurch--

home to nearly 400,000 people.

Established in 1856, it's also New Zealand's first city

and steeped in history.

Christchurch is home

to the nation's oldest independent school,

Christ college, the alma mater of New Zealand actor Sam Neill.

A few miles away is St. Andrew's College.

It was founded in 1917, with just 19 students.

Today, graduates include rugby stars,

members of parliament

and TV personality Phil Keoghan, host of the amazing race.

But in 2011, this historic city was shaken to its core.

On February 22nd, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit,

crumbling the city's centerpiece,

Christchurch Cathedral.

In all, the earthquake took the lives of 185 people.

Residents here, following in the footsteps of Napier,

began to rebuild.

In the central business district,

entrepreneurs used shipping containers

to quickly reopen stores.

The eye-popping design caught on--

and the area grew from 30 businesses

to more than 50.

Today, reconstruction continues

in a city New Zealanders believe has a bright future.

125 miles west of Christchurch

is the country's highest peak, mount cook.

This was the proving ground

for mountaineering legend sir Edmund Hillary,

the first person to summit Mount Everest,

along with sherpa tenzing norgay.

Hillary began climbing here in the 1940s

to hone his mountaineering skills.

Mount cook has become a mecca for climbers

and tourists who helicopter to surrounding glaciers.

To summit, mountaineers climb 10,000 feet,

a vertical rise comparable with the world's highest peaks

and making it an excellent training ground.

Adding to the treacherous climb

are snow, ice and unpredictable weather.

The area lies in the path of piercing winds

known as "the roaring forties," named for their latitude.

More than 200 climbers have lost their lives

on these unforgiving slopes.

In 1991, the entire east face collapsed.

The top of the mountain thundered down--

50 million tons of snow, ice and rock,

enough to fill ten football stadiums.

The debris roared into the valley below

at speeds exceeding 250 miles an hour.

The wave of destruction narrowly missed a group of climbers,

including the legendary guide Rob Hall.

Tragically, he died five years later on Mount Everest--

an expedition recounted

in Jon Krakauer's bestselling book, Into Thin Air.

Southwestern New Zealand is home to truly wild country.

Three national parks stretch across the coastline.

The crown jewel is Fiordland National Park,

home to Milford Sound.

It's one of 14 fiords here--

sea inlets carved by glaciers over millions of years.

The area receives 250 inches-- or 20 feet--

of rainfall each year.

The rainwater feeds the surrounding rainforest

and the sea below, where wildlife thrives.

It's easy to see why author Rudyard Kipling called this

the eighth wonder of the world.

This is also home

to New Zealand's most famous hike,

called the Milford Track.

The 33-mile trail starts inland and stretches to the sound.

It was first forged by the Maori,

who crossed this terrain in search of precious gems.

The Milford Track's highest point is MacKinnon Pass,

where a memorial to explorer Quintin MacKinnon now stands.

In 1888, he spent a month in extreme weather

blazing a trail through the wilderness to Milford Sound.

MacKinnon became the first official tour guide

leading visitors along the path he forged.

Seven miles away from the pass is Sutherland Falls.

Fed by a mountain lake, the water plummets 2,000 feet,

a display some hikers say is the highlight of the entire trek.

In the middle of the North Island,

a peaceful scene hides an explosive past.

This is Lake Taupo--

New Zealand's biggest lake and a popular playground.

Much of it is actually a collapsed volcano.

Deep underwater are remnants

of what's believed to be the worst eruption

in the last 5,000 years.

Experts say it was a thousand times more powerful

than the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980.

Volcanic activity is still bubbling beneath the surface.

Just 600 feet down, vents expel ash and dust.

The only protection from the next catastrophe

is a Maori carving of an ancient navigator...

Etched here to prevent another eruption.

On the southern shore of the lake,

volcanoes spring from the earth.

They're part of Tongariro National Park--

New Zealand's first protected land

and home to active volcanoes.

One erupted a staggering 70 times

in the last 70 years.

A second erupted twice in 2012 alone.

This park is a stark reminder

that New Zealand is a land of extremes...

A place where fire clashes with ice...

And people are always pushing the limits.

From peaks in the south...

To the hills in the north...

These islands showcase nature at its best.

New Zealand is a place where you can pierce the sky

and swan dive into adventure.

This is a country of dreamers...

And doers...

A small nation with a mighty heart

beating at the bottom of the world.