03x02 - Otago Peninsula

[bunniefuu]

Deep in the Southern Pacific...

..the sea gnaws at a corner
of New Zealand's South Island...

(SEA CRASHES)

..as it has done
for millions of years.

Muaupoko - the Otago Peninsula...

..flanks a long harbour...

..and a major city.

Yet, it's a haven
for some of the rarest wildlife

in the Southern Hemisphere.

Rich currents draw in visitors

from the restless ocean...

..while others are coming home

after centuries away...

..to this wild southern land.

(WHALE CALL ECHOES)

(WHALE BELLOWS)

It's early spring
on the seaward side of Muaupoko.

And the significance
of this homecoming is profound.

Female New Zealand sea lions
are returning to the same coast

where they were born.

Each of them is descended
from a single female,

who founded this family tree,

23 years ago.

Multiple generations
of her daughters...

(BELLOWS)

..have returned to this stretch
of coast each year to give birth.

(BELLOWS)

(SEA LION WAILS)

Just 200 years ago,

these shores would likely have been
jam packed with marine mammals.

Hunted by humans,
their numbers were decimated...

..and these females' ancestors
were forced away from the mainland...

..down to refuges deep
in the sub-Antarctic Southern Ocean.

Now, this wild peninsula

on the doorstep
of Otepoti/Dunedin city...

..is the epicentre of a miracle
of the natural world.

(BELLOWS)

The rebirth of a brand-new
sea-lion breeding colony.

Where females gather...

..hopeful suitors will be nearby.

Two beaches along, males congregate.

(BELLOWS)

(GRUNTING)

These big guys have travelled
hundreds of kilometres

from their winter foraging grounds,
deep in the sub-Antarctic.

(GRUNTING AND GROANING)

They're here for two reasons.

Females... and spring feeding
in these rich waters.

This male bears a scar
from his journey.

Great white sharks lurk in
the cold waters off the Otago Coast.

One of them has attempted
a mouthful of sea lion blubber.

Tooth marks from
a massive jaw clearly visible.

But there's no rest
for the wounded here.

(GRUNTING)

For male sea lions, fighting
for dominance is a way of life.

(GRUNTING CONTINUES)

The big guy in this bunch

has around 100kg on his associates.

It's his job to dominate.

(GROANING AND HISSING)

But even as he dispatches
with these young punks...

..he knows his position
is precarious.

An even bigger male arrives.

In the sea lion world,
hierarchy is everything.

(GROWLS)

(GROWLING CONTINUES)

(SNORTS)

(SNORTING AND GRUNTING)

The associates watch intently.

(SNORTING AND GRUNTING CONTINUES)

(SNORTING AND GROANING)

The newcomer sees off
the former boss.

The victor now
has full run of the beach...

..but heavy is the head
that wears the crown.

There's always
another challenger out there.

The long peninsula of Muaupoko...

..has many facets.

(BIRD SINGING)

On its seaward side...

..numerous inlets and beaches
provide sanctuary for wildlife.

Pukekura, or Taiaroa Head,

is the outermost headland
of the peninsula,

and is also the gateway

to Otago Harbour.

It's a breeding refuge for some of
the rarest sea birds on the planet.

An ocean wanderer returns.

A northern royal albatross -

or toroa.

His three-metre wingspan
has transported him

hundreds of thousands of kilometres.

The equivalent of circumnavigating
the planet multiple times.

From the day he fledged,

his feet haven't touched land...
for four years.

At six years old, he's returned
to the place he was born

for his first breeding season.

There's no instruction manual
for a novice.

So first he checks out
the neighbours.

(BEAKS CLACKING)

(TRILLS AND SQUAWKS)

Taiaroa Head, which includes
a working lighthouse,

is the only mainland northern
royal-albatross breeding colony

on the planet.

Every year, around 30 pairs
of these highly endangered giants

meet here in the spring

to rekindle
their complex relationships.

(BEAKS CLACKING)

Once this first-timer
chooses his mate,

if there's one available,

they'll be together for life,

which can be up to 40 years.

(BEAKS CLACKING)

This couple
have been apart for a year...

(TRILLS AND SQUAWKS)

..so every sky call...

..and beak clack...
is deeply meaningful.

Although settling back
into domestic life...

(SQUAWKS)

..can take a moment.

This young male is now on the most
important mission of his life...

..to learn
the language of courtship...

..which will connect him
to the mate he chooses forever.

Every day, powerful tidal currents

sweep in and out of Otago Harbour.

(BIRDS CRYING)

Under the surface,

spectacular sea tulips
look like plants...

..but they are animals...

..which filter the water
through powerful siphons.

Sponge gardens also feed
on the nutrient-rich tides.

The constant draining
and refilling of the harbour...

..results in a pristine ecosystem...

..which makes it
one of the best places in New Zealand

to start a family.

(BIRDS CHITTERING)

During spring,

every nook and cranny
of the peninsula and harbour

become a hotbed of seabird courtship.

A coastal sea wall,

known locally as the Aramoana Mole...

..becomes the stage for white-fronted
terns' theatre of romance.

(CHIRPING AND TWEETING)

The currency of tern love...

must be freshly caught.

It's the male's job
to impress prospective mates

with the size of his fish.

(CHITTERS)

This one's respectable...

..but no takers.

There are wishful thinkers...

..and those who chicken out.

The nuance of gift-giving
is a delicate balance.

(CHIRPS)

When a female finally accepts...

..there's a courtly dance.

Which seals the deal.

Close by, red-billed gulls

have their own intimate version
of courtship feeding.

(SQUAWKS)

The female is very demanding.

(SQUAWKS)

Fortunately, her suitor has been
feeding on the harbour all day.

And he's got just what she wants.

There's no fresh catch
in this relationship.

They'll feed their future chicks
by regurgitating.

So they rehearse...

..and it's a tie that binds.

Aramoana Beach
at the entrance to the harbour...

..is where the female sea lion
has chosen to give birth.

She's attracted an annoying sidekick.

(WAILS)

(WAILS)
(GROWLS)

He's a two-year-old sub-adult male

known as a 'Sammy'.

He's still a kid...

..but he's also
responding to hormones

which will eventually rule his life.

(GRUNTS)

The dominator from
the males' beach arrives.

(GRUNTS)
(GRUNTS)

(GRUNTS AND GROWLS)

(GRUNTS)
(GRUNTS)

He knows that just days
after the female gives birth,

she'll be fertile again...

(GRUNTS)

..and ready to mate
to produce next year's pup.

(GRUNTS)

He's determined to... 'be the one'.
(BELLOWS)

(GRUNTS)
(GRUNTS)

However, it seems the 'Sammy'
has ideas above his station.

(BELLOWS)
(GROWLS)

He's audacious...

..but she's not keen
on either of them.

(BELLOWS)

(GROANS)
(GROANS)

As they scuffle...

..the female spies her chance.

Her labour will begin soon...

..and she just needs to rest.

At the albatross colony
on Taiaroa Head,

the young first-timer
is searching for a mate.

He's been wandering
the world's oceans alone.

Now it's time to learn the
intricacies of albatross courtship.

(SQUAWKS)

This could be an opportunity.

(CHITTERING)

Young albatross often gather
in groups called 'gams'

to practise the language
of love on each other.

(CHITTERS)

The newbie decides to join in.

(CHITTERS)

Turns out... this is not a gam.

(SQUAWKING AND CHITTERING)

All of these birds
have already found their mates.

Looks like he'll have
to keep searching.

Out in the harbour...

..today's incoming tide
brings a gift.

It's an alien invasion...

..of squat lobster.

These juvenile crustaceans
travel in huge swarms...

..feeding on detritus and plankton.

And then, they themselves become food

for just about every marine species.

The swarms stain the beaches red,

as they are washed up at low tide.

And the arrival of the winged
scavengers is instantaneous.

For red-billed gulls,
this is a perfectly timed banquet...

..as they all have
hungry mouths to feed.

Their breeding colony is right
next door to the albatross's

at the Taiaroa Head lighthouse.

Almost 6,000 of them nest amongst
the remnants of an old military fort.

Once abundant on every beach,

red-bill numbers have declined.

But here in this haven,

their population is expanding.

(SHRIEKING)

It's chaos in the colony
during the breeding season.

(SHRIEKING CONTINUES)

Some couples are already
tending to newborns...

..while those late to the party
are playing catch-up.

(SQUAWKING AND SHRIEKING)

The neighbours see it all.

(SQUAWKING AND SHRIEKING)

(TRILLING AND SHRIEKING)

(SQUAWKING)

All the chicks want...
is some of the harbour's bounty.

The parents are under
a heavy workload.

(SHRIEKING AND TWEETING)

But their chicks' welfare
is all that counts.

(CHIRPING AND SINGING)

At the albatross colony,

the young male circles
the headland searching for a mate.

(CHIRPING AND SINGING)

There's no one close to this female.

(CHITTERING AND CHATTERING)

It seems like a mutual connection.

He plucks up the courage...

..to preen her.

And just like that,

this male's wandering
bachelor days are over.

It's late afternoon
on Aramoana Beach...

..and a female sea lion
is in the throes of labour.

(BELLOWS)

She is one of 20 sea lions
who will give birth

on the Otago Coast this year.

(GRUNTS)

Each new birth is a crucial step

towards the '35 new pups a year'
threshold

required for a new breeding colony.

She's a first-timer,

as her family tree
is well known on the coast.

(GRUNTS)

It seems her pup
is in no rush to be born.

(BELLOWS)

The onset of labour
can take many hours.

And like humans,

there can be complications.

She's in for a long night.

At the southern end of the peninsula,

ancient sandstone cliffs,

sculpted by the Pacific Ocean...

..stand guard over Muaupoko.

Narrow ledges
in the vertical rock face...

..provide improbable dwellings
for another annual visitor.

They always arrive
under the cover of darkness.

(CHITTERING)

They are fairy prions...

..tiny birds about
the size of an apple.

(CRIES AND FLAPS)

Once, these birds bred
all along the coast.

Now, the high-rise nests

keep them safe
from introduced predators.

(CHIRPING)

The soft sandstone is perfect
for a tiny bird to burrow into.

(CHIRPING AND CALLING)

Inside, the bonded fairy prions

set about increasing
their population.

They are untouchable
in this sanctuary,

high above the restless sea.

Dawn reveals the expanding population

of New Zealand sea lions...
has just increased by one.

(COOS)

In these early moments of life,

it's crucial that the pup finds
his mother's energy-rich milk.

(CRIES)
(SNORTS)

She attempts to help
him find the nipple.

He needs to do it on his own.

But both mum
and the newborn... are exhausted.

A short rest...

..and then he must try again.

At Taiaroa Head,

all the prospective
northern royal albatross parents

are primed for the event
that's brought them here.

For three days, the young first-timer
has been fishing far out at sea.

Now he reconnects with his mate
at their nesting spot.

She has a surprise for him...

..a single, huge egg.

It's the only one
she will lay this entire year.

(CLUCKING)

Both parents will take turns

keeping this egg
safe and warm for 11 weeks...

..one of the longest incubations
of any bird.

It's the young male's
first time being a parent.

And as he's discovering,
it's a full-time job.

(CLUCKING AND TWEETING)

He'll take the next shift
on the egg...

..while she heads out to feed.

She's flying into a southerly blast.

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

The fragile egg must be kept warm...

..or the embryo inside will die.

Nothing will distract this dad
from his responsibility.

(SEA ROARS AND THUNDER CRASHES)

The storm couldn't come
at a worse time for the sea lion mum.

Her pup still hasn't fed.

For hours, he's been struggling
to find her n*pples...

(WAILS)

..and now, he's exhausted.

(CRIES)

The cold rain floods their nursery...

..and his body temperature plummets.

The pup is starving,

but is now also
at risk of hypothermia.

His mother tries to find a dry spot.

But her pup is now very weak.

(BLEATS)

(WARBLES)

(BLEATS)

(GRUNTS)

Finally,
his survival instinct kicks in.

(GROANS)

The milk brings warmth
to his chilled body.

His mother can relax for a moment.

(GULPS MILK)

The pup is resilient.

He'll have to be to survive
on these unpredictable shores.

(WIND BLOWS)

The storm passes
and male sea lions head out to feed.

These marine mammals are masters
of their underwater universe.

They're well insulated...

..with eyes
that can see in the dark...

..and have sensitive whiskers
to help them find prey.

A skate,
a member of the shark and ray family,

provides an easy lunch.

(BIRD SCREECHES)

(BIRDS CHITTERING)

What the sea lion rejects...

..the ocean receives.

Clumps of seaweed come alive.

Decorator crabs are scavengers,

and they've discovered the remains
of the sea lion's meal.

They attach gardens to their shells

to conceal themselves from predators.

But in a fight for scraps,

camouflage won't protect
them from each other.

Summer means busy days
for the hardworking seabird parents.

Gull chicks
get regurgitated baby food,

as their parents are surface feeders.

(TWEETING AND TRILLING)

White-fronted terns
dive for their prey,

so deliver whole fish
to their chicks...

..which can be more than a mouthful.

(CHIRPS)

(BIRD WARBLES)

Over in the sand dunes
at Aramoana Beach...

..the sea lion pup
is healthy and playful.

(BELLOWS)

(BELLOWING CONTINUES)

He still has the remains
of his umbilical cord attached...

..but that will soon drop off.

In between feeds...

harassing Mum is lots of fun.

(BLEATS)

The pair are being watched.

He's one of the young males

who's been trying to muscle in
on the big guy's territory.

He wants to chaperone the female
until she's ready to mate.

(GROWLING)

Her pup is an inconvenience.

(WAILS)

He could easily k*ll him.

(GROWLS)
(GASPS)

(GNARLS)

(WAILS)

(GNARLS AND HISSES)

(BELLOWS)
(WHIMPERS)

(CONTINUES TO WAIL)

This male is just a teenager.

His hormones are driving him...

..but for now...

..he's content
with playing happy families.

In an established breeding colony,

where huge males dominate
harems of females,

this would never happen.

But here the females are spread
out...

..and upstart youngsters
have opportunities.

The female treads a fine line...

..putting up with him,
while protecting her pup.

(BIRDS CHATTERING AND CALLING)

For 11 weeks,

northern royal albatross parents
at Taiaroa Head...

have been taking turns,
diligently nurturing their eggs.

Today, the female is on duty,

while her mate
is out foraging at sea.

(CHICK CHIRPS)

The chick opens her eyes
for the first time.

She begins a process
called philopatry...

..which imprints
this place on her brain.

(BIRD TRILLS)

As much as she will
ever have a home...

..Taiaroa Head will be it.

She'll travel millions of kilometres
over her lifetime.

But the map in her head will always
lead her back here to breed.

For now, she is utterly
dependent on her parents.

In their high-rise clifftop nests...

..fairy prion parents are still
industriously incubating.

(CHITTERING)

They also regularly swap shifts...

..keeping the egg warm.

(CHITTERING)

It's a big egg...

..for a little bird.

As the prions snuggle
in their sandstone caves...

..the night sky
over the Otago Coast...

..begins to illuminate the cliffs.

This is the aurora australis...

..otherwise known
as the southern lights.

The pulsing light show
is caused by waves

of electrically charged particles

blown into Earth's atmosphere
by solar winds.

The phenomenon disappears
as dawn lightens the sky.

In their secluded hideaway
on Aramoana Beach...

..an unlikely sea lion family
sleep together.

(WAILS)
(SNORTS)

The pup is around
three days old now

and has figured out exactly
where his food comes from.

(GUZZLES MILK)

Once he's done...

..like most babies,
he wants attention.

(BLEATS AND BELLOWS)
(GROANS)

His mom's consort appears relaxed.

(SNORES)

He's claimed his place
and is playing the long game

for when she's ready to mate.

(SNORING CONTINUES)

He even tolerates the pup's antics.

(GRUNTS)

(BLEATS)

(GROANS)

(BLEATS)

But this hideaway is no protection
from other lurking males.

The consort is caught napping.

(BLEATS)

(SNORTS)

(ROARS)

(HISSES)

(HISSING CONTINUES)

The young male has defended his claim
to his female...

for now.

(BLEATS)

Whether she will allow
him the final privilege

is yet to be determined.

(GRUNTS)

(TRILLS AND SQUAWKS)

A week after hatching...

..the albatross chick
is calling the shots.

(WHIMPERS)

Her nubs will eventually grow
to a wingspan of three metres.

She needs a lot
of sustenance for this.

And her dad is on hand to deliver.

He feeds the chick
a concentrated oil...

..formed in his gut
especially for this purpose.

(CHITTERING AND SQUAWKING)

(CHATTERING)

The parents see very little
of each other during this busy time.

(CHIRPING)

Another shift change...

and the female
takes her turn on the sea.

Scattered across Taiaroa Head,

30 other albatross couples

are also working hard
to keep up with demand.

They all know
that intimacy takes a back seat

when the baby's hungry.

(SQUAWKS)

(CHIRPS)

(WAILS)
(TRILLS)

On Aramoana Beach,

the first-time sea lion mum
is back from a hunt.

Since the females
began returning here to breed...

..they've begun a tradition
of stashing their growing pups

in this pine forest,
while they're hunting at sea.

It's a mini creche...

(BLEATING)

..where the pups are safe on their
own while their mums are away.

(GROANING AND BLEATING)

The female cannot
see her pup in the creche.

(CRIES)

(ROARS)

(BLEATS)

Luckily, they've worked this out.

He's hungry.

And with food in her belly,
she has plenty of milk for him.

(GUZZLES MILK)

But even as mother and pup bond...

(PUFFS)

..the ambitious consort
has tracked them down.

(SNORTS)

The Otago Peninsula has welcomed
thousands of new lives over summer.

(TWEETING)

Fairy prion chicks have
a few more weeks of parent care.

(CHICKS TWEETING)

(SINGS)

Whereas the 3kg albatross babies...

..will be dependent
for another seven months.

(CLUCKING)

(SQUAWKING)

Tern chicks are all ready
to take to the skies.

(CHIRPING)

(SQUAWKS)

They favour stretching
before anything too vigorous.

(CHIRPING AND SINGING CONTINUES)

(SNORTS)

In the pine forest, it's
a moment of truth for the consort...

..and the female
he's invested so much into.

(SNORTS)
(GRUNTS)

He's caught a scent that indicates

she might change
her attitude towards him.

(GROWLS)

This... could mean she's interested.

In an established breeding colony,

a six-year-old male
wouldn't get a look in.

But the evolving dynamic here
has allowed him to reap his reward.

(GRUNTS)

One month later...

and most of this year's sea lion pups

are now ensconced
in a shallow estuary nursery pool.

Their mothers bring
them to Hoopers Inlet,

as it's a perfect place
for the pups to learn to swim.

The young male pup's confidence
has blossomed during this relocation.

And now he's inventing new games
during swimming practice.

(GRUNTING)

Forging social bonds
with his buddies

is another skill
he'll need throughout his life.

(GROANING AND SNORTING)

At the end of the day, though...

..he still needs his mum.

(BLEATS)

(BLEATING CONTINUES)

She may be already pregnant
with next year's pup...

(GUZZLES MILK)

..but she'll guide him
through many more months...

..before he finally
goes his own way...

..into the wild Southern Ocean.

(GRUNTS)
(SNORTS)

Almost a year has passed
since a young male albatross

arrived at Taiaroa Head
to find his first mate.

His chick is now as big as he is...

(CHITTERING)

..but still asks for one more feed.

In the distance...

she spies another
migratory visitor to this coast...

..a southern right whale
and her calf.

Like the sea lions,

the whales are slowly coming home
to these shores to breed again.

The whale passing signals
the fledgling's time has arrived.

She will travel the Southern Ocean
for four years now.

And not touch dry land
until she is ready to breed.

But her connection
to this wild, southern place...

..will always bring her back...

..to Muaupoko.