Captain's Log

Actor/presenter Peter Elliott traces Captain James Cook’s first voyage around New Zealand in this four-part series, which was named Best Documentary Series at the 2002 NZ Television Awards. Starting from the North Island’s east coast, he ventures north before hitching rides down the island’s western side, nipping through Cook Strait on his way down to Lyttelton. The conservation history of Fiordland is explored, as are the rugged seas of the West Coast. Among the many ships Elliott journeys on is Spirit of New Zealand, a square rigger quite similar to Cook's HMS Endeavour.