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00:00Hello there, and welcome to another jam-packed season of Getaway.
00:16Coming up, we'll show you around the beautiful Isle of Pines in New Caledonia.
00:21And learn about the most revolutionary artifact in all the Pacific, the outrigger canoe.
00:27We are tasting our way around New Zealand's delicious Hawke's Bay region.
00:32That's fantastic.
00:33Yeah, you are reinvigorated.
00:34A whole fanfare of flavour.
00:37But first up, the New South Wales beachside town of Saultelle.
00:52The New South Wales north coast is full of hidden gems.
00:55So if you're looking for a seaside escape filled with stunning beaches, pristine wilderness,
01:01plus a chic village, I know you're going to love Saultelle.
01:10Saultelle is just a 10-minute drive south of Coffs Harbour, and about six hours north
01:16of Sydney.
01:20This laid-back coastal town is framed by two stunning headlands, Boambi to the north, and
01:26Bonneville to the south.
01:29All right, we're at Boambi Creek Reserve.
01:30We ready to go?
01:31Yeah.
01:32Let's do it.
01:33Matt and his family made the sea change to Saultelle about 12 years ago to pursue their
01:41passion for outdoor adventures.
01:43So we're in an ocean-dominated estuary, so that means because the mountains are so close,
01:50there's not much fresh water, so it's mostly ocean water.
01:53We have lots of fish, and they breed in here, mullet, whiting, flathead, so it's really
01:58important to keep it clean.
02:00We're really lucky here, you know, there's not a lot of people, so there's not a lot
02:03of pollution here, and the estuary's really clean.
02:09What do you find people say when they come out here for, if they haven't kayaked before,
02:13because this is one of the most peaceful rivers I've ever kayaked on.
02:16It's beautiful.
02:17Yeah, we have little babies come on the kayak, and there's two adults and a kid in the middle
02:21sort of thing, and play some ball games, do some yabby racing, and catch the yabbies,
02:25and have a look at the soldier crabs, there's lots of things to see.
02:33This tour is perfect for all ages and skill levels, but if you're after more action, Matt's
02:38got that covered too.
02:40We'll do the sea kayaking out to Muttonbird Island off Coffs Harbour there, and we'll
02:45catch some waves on the way in, as well as doing whitewater paddling in the hinterland.
02:49So I'm relaxing, but I could be a thrill seeker and head out in the ocean with you.
02:53You could, you could do either, yeah.
02:54Boambi's ecosystem is brimming with bird and marine life, both above and below the surface.
03:01Alright, so the last thing we're going to do is try some yabbying.
03:05So the way you use it, left hand here, and we're going to find a hole, put it on a hole,
03:10suck up, and then squirt it out.
03:12Oh, this is fun.
03:14So would we use this for bait?
03:15You can use that for bait, yes.
03:16What would we catch?
03:17We're going to be catching brim, flathead, whiting, yep.
03:20Oh, this is so much fun.
03:22This is so rewarding.
03:23This is better than fishing.
03:24Every pump, we get something.
03:25That's it.
03:26Here you go, little fella.
03:27Alright.
03:28Can we keep going?
03:29This is so good.
03:30It requires no patience.
03:31This is just awesome.
03:32Sawtelle's charming village offers a range of galleries, boutiques, and cafes to indulge
03:44and explore.
03:48Local designer, Brooke George, turned her side hustle into a bustling boutique.
03:54Do you design your jewellery?
03:55Yes, I do.
03:56That's how I started, doing the jewellery, being a mum at home, and then it just elevated
04:04into having some boutiques, and now I have this big boutique in sunny Sawtelle.
04:10Brooke and her team design and produce most of the boutique's fashion and jewellery.
04:14We've really got a talent.
04:16I just didn't expect to walk off the beach of Sawtelle and walk in and do so much shopping.
04:20Well, you can.
04:21You can have sandy feet, come in your bikinis, and walk out with a hot pair of earrings.
04:25And designer wear.
04:26Why not?
04:27Love it.
04:28Next, it's time to soak in this laid-back coastal strip vibe and refuel at Cafe Trio,
04:36a local's favourite since 2011.
04:39Oh, it looks amazing.
04:42I couldn't decide what to have from your menu because everything looked incredible.
04:46Yeah, it's pretty good, isn't it?
04:48Nice, seasonal, local food.
04:49I love sitting here because everybody walking past has had a smile on their face.
04:54It's just that little town charm, isn't it, where you've got the beautiful, like, natural
04:57charm of the region and still feels like you've got the city vibes, you know, it's still bustling
05:02a little bit.
05:03So, yeah, we've just got the best of both worlds.
05:07The east coast of Australia is full of surprise packages when it comes to seaside towns.
05:12But for me, Sawtelle has really been a highlight.
05:17It's a place where you can get active in a kayak or take a long, leisurely walk by the
05:21beach or just chill out with the locals and enjoy their easygoing village vibes.
05:30Coming up, Mount Isa in Outback Queensland.
05:33It was built on a rich mineral deposit that's made it one of the most important mines, not
05:37only in Australia, but also right around the world.
05:53Mount Isa has always been a bit of a diamond in the rough out here in Outback Queensland
05:57because it was built on a rich mineral deposit that's made it one of the most important mines,
06:03not only in Australia, but also right around the world.
06:07It's a land of red dirt, blood, sweat and tears.
06:11And because of its isolation out here, it's given the Isa a character all of its own.
06:18There's so much more to this town, though.
06:20And visiting is all about getting to know the story of this region.
06:26One of the town's most famous attractions is the Mount Isa Rodeo.
06:39It's a huge drawcard for cowboys and girls from right around the country.
06:45So much, in fact, it's become the largest rodeo in the Southern Hemisphere.
07:05But it's mining that really put Mount Isa on the map, and the Outback at Isa showcases
07:11some of that history.
07:26And just out the back is this natural gem.
07:29So this beauty right here, this is a ruby saltbush.
07:33Some people actually call it a little bush tomato because it looks like a little tiny
07:36red tomato.
07:37Oh, wow, you do get a really big pop of sweetness, don't you?
07:40The bush tucker tour gives you a chance to learn about the ancient culinary traditions
07:46of Australia's Indigenous culture, and there is quite an amazing way to come and taste
07:52a bit of the Queensland Outback.
07:53Yeah, so it's really good because it gives visitors an experience, an Indigenous experience
07:58actually, and we get to teach them about everything that's over 50,000 years old, so very old
08:03knowledge.
08:04Wow.
08:05Yeah.
08:07Led by local Indigenous guides, the experience takes you on a sensory journey, revealing
08:14some secrets of the Outback landscape.
08:17So what guests find amazing about North West Queensland is that there's so much out here
08:21that they think it's dead and dry, but it's not, there's like thousands of different plants
08:25and weeds and trees that you can use for anything, like fruit, medicine, pastries even, cakes,
08:31or just tea.
08:32There's plenty of interesting flavours to tickle your taste buds, but I'd highly recommend
08:38sticking close to your guide on this one.
08:41Laxatives.
08:42Oh, really?
08:43Yeah.
08:44Right.
08:45Constipation medication.
08:46We call it cattle bush because cattle eat it.
08:48Yeah, they poop and it smells horrid.
08:50Right.
08:51It's not as bad as bat poop, so there's that bonus.
08:54I just called into the city of Mount Isa.
08:58Mount Isa's story is really all about the people, and the resilience of those who have
09:04lived in the area is also on display in a totally unique experience.
09:11This is Australia's first and only underground hospital, which was set up back in World War
09:17II.
09:18And at the time, all the miners of the area banded together to blast and carve these tunnels
09:23out of solid rock in just under four months, but it was all for a very good cause.
09:29The underground hospital takes you on an immersive journey back to the 1940s.
09:34This place was set up as an air raid shelter.
09:37So during World War II, when the Japanese were threatening to invade Australia and threatening
09:41to bomb some of the cities around the coast, we were under the assumption that we would
09:44be next.
09:45So all the volunteer miners dug this tunnel out for the hospital.
09:49When the air raid drills happened, everyone had to come down here.
09:51That's patients, doctors, nurses, everyone had to come down here and wait out until the
09:55siren was over.
09:57The one hour guided tour brings to life the stories of the hospital.
10:02It's a living piece of history that was lost for decades until some local kids found the
10:07tunnels and made the mistake of lighting a campfire down here.
10:12The fire brigade are sent, the police are sent, the kids are picked up, and that's when
10:15all the stories start to come out, because you've got all the volunteer miners, doctors,
10:19all the nurses, everyone with all their stories start to come out, and that's when we turn
10:23it into a tourist attraction.
10:26Wow.
10:29One of the charms of Mount Isa is the surrounding landscapes, and Lake Mundara is one of the
10:34area's not-so-hidden gems.
10:37A sunset tour shakes up the usual outback scenery with a visit to the lake that sits
10:43just 15 minutes from the centre of town.
10:47The tour takes you to all the key locations, but it's the final stop, shared with a few
10:54of the locals, that everyone comes to enjoy.
10:57This is one of the things I love about travelling through outback Queensland.
11:01You just have to expect the unexpected.
11:05After the break, discovering New Caledonia's fascinating local history.
11:14Without this, the Pacific would be completely different.
11:17Our intention for the day was to have a wonderful time on the lagoon, enjoying the water.
11:35However, don't you just love it when the weather gods have other ideas in mind?
11:40It seems they would prefer we stay on land and learn about the local culture, the Kanak
11:45people, beginning right here, right now, with the most revolutionary artefact in all
11:50the Pacific, the outrigger canoe.
11:55You won't even have time to put your tray table down on your flight to the Isle of Pines.
12:00Getting to this magical place is just a short 30-minute flight from Grontea, New Caledonia's
12:07main island.
12:08Along with the epic scenery, it's also an important repository of the country's indigenous
12:16and colonial history.
12:17And better yet, the locals are more than happy to share it with visitors.
12:24It's also the only place in New Caledonia where they still use the traditional outrigger,
12:30or what the locals call the pirogue.
12:32So, Octav, are you Kanak or Kunye?
12:38I'm Kunye.
12:39Kunye.
12:40Because I'm from here.
12:41So, if you're native to the Isle of Pines, you're Kunye.
12:45And then the broader name around New Caledonia, you're Kanak.
12:51So, nowadays, the pirogue, the outriggers, they exist because of the tourist activity.
12:55But for them, it's really, really important because it can keep the culture, make like
12:59a portrait of what the people make for thousands of years.
13:03So, this is why it's proud of keeping this alive, actually.
13:08There are four different woods that they can find around in the forest or close to the shore.
13:18And they are very heavy woods.
13:20So, you need many people to cut them and carry them to the beach because they still do it
13:25like with hands.
13:26Yeah, in the traditional way.
13:28Yeah, in the traditional way.
13:29Something that I've noticed, no jet skis.
13:31So, that's a collective decision that they took, like the people from here, from the
13:36Not to have any engine, any motorboat or whatever.
13:39The only way to sail in the Bédouin is on this kind of outrigger, this kind of pirogue.
13:49They are all along the Pacific for thousands and thousands of years.
13:53And this is the link of connection.
13:55Because of this pirogue, they were able to cross the ocean and meet together and cross
13:59and colonize all the islands in the Pacific.
14:02Without this, the Pacific would be completely different.
14:09ÃŽle-des-Ponts may look like paradise today, but the island actually has quite a turbulent history.
14:16In 1853, the French took over the island, converting the local population to Catholicism.
14:23Then in 1872, it became a French penal colony.
14:30Fortunately, the local Kanak culture is still alive and thriving.
14:37And today, we are visiting the local Kunya people to find out more.
14:43They used to call it tree, or pandanus tree, to do basket, plates, drilling.
14:48They built like faraway huts, many things.
14:51The roof, and then of course you've got the oil, oil for the skin, for the cooking, for the hair.
14:58Be a good basket maker.
15:00It's something very important to be part of the tribe, to be part of the custom, to be part of the family,
15:05to be part of the local story.
15:09What everyone's preparing for at the moment is a huge wedding.
15:13Weddings and funerals are massive events here that require the entire clan to get involved.
15:21Every single person has a job to do.
15:24And sometimes the preparation, just like for us, can take months to get organized.
15:31How did they meet?
15:37They meet each other during a wedding.
15:39At another wedding?
15:40At another wedding, yeah.
15:41It happens quite a lot actually, because it's like a big reunion.
15:45Here, lovers meet at weddings.
15:49I love weddings!
15:54Across New Caledonia, and here in the Kuni tribe on the Isle of Pines,
15:59weaving and basket making is traditionally a skill that women learn.
16:04And whilst I am told there are exceptions, sculpting is still a talent predominantly learned by men.
16:11So they love to work with sandalwood, not only because it's easy to work with,
16:16but also because of the scent of the sandalwood and the color as well.
16:22The sandalwood from here on the Isle of Pines is also shipped to Grasse in France,
16:28where it is a key ingredient, creating some of the world's most beautiful perfumes.
16:35From the people, to the scenery, to the scent.
16:39This place truly is something special.
16:48After the break, we are crossing the ditch to Hawke's Bay on New Zealand's North Island.
16:54The land is singing, the energy is joyous, the vitality is palpable.
17:00You don't need to spend long in Hawke's Bay before becoming aware of something messing with your waters,
17:06something stirring your soul, a feeling deep within, a plush lushness tugging at your core.
17:13And you can't help but fall in step with a pulsating fertility.
17:18You can hear stuff growing, stuff gleefully bursting from the soil,
17:23the land is singing, the energy is joyous, the vitality is palpable.
17:32New Zealand's Hawke's Bay region is on the North Island's East Coast, about an hour's flight from Auckland.
17:39The Maori name for Hawke's Bay is Timatao-a-Maui,
17:43a region blessed with a unique Mediterranean climate, breathable,
17:48Timatao-a-Maui, a region blessed with a unique Mediterranean climate, breathtaking landscapes and endless sunshine.
17:56Known as New Zealand's fruit bowl, it's also home to the country's oldest wineries.
18:01And who needs more of a reason to visit than that?
18:07My Hawke's Bay tasting tour kicks off in the beautifully preserved art deco town of Napier.
18:14An impudent little latte at Napier's highly awarded Central Fire Station Bistro and Bake Café
18:21to get the heart started, before owner Sam shows me the best of the farmer's market.
18:33Obviously it's a great area for growing.
18:36Yeah, definitely, probably one of the best in New Zealand.
18:39A lot of sunshine, it's warm in summer and cool in winter, and I think you can find everything here.
18:49Sam's keen to show me local produce store Chantal, the inspiration behind the region's organic produce.
18:56This store has been here for 40 years?
18:58Yep, oldest organic shop in New Zealand.
19:02So there was a call for it, there were people interested.
19:05Yeah, absolutely.
19:06Not only that, there was the growers to support it.
19:08I've noticed walking around here too, that the prices are really reasonable.
19:12Organic can be expensive.
19:14I think the fact that the product is grown very close proximity to where it's being sold or served, there's no middle man.
19:28My Hawke's Bay food mission has delivered me to Te Matafix,
19:32about a 30 minute drive from Napier.
19:34Figs are fundamentally an early crop for Neolithic man, and of course they're full of calcium, full of fibre,
19:41they're full of magnesium and potassium, but whole civilisations have operated on figs.
19:45Like the Roman army walked with dried figs and chickpeas, because that was the winter food.
19:51Murray's family farm grows around 120,000 figs per year.
19:56They use sustainable farming practices, relying on the region's year round sunshine to nurture the crop.
20:02This is all organic?
20:03All organic, yes, we don't spray, because nothing eats a fig in New Zealand.
20:07Australia, you have a few more of the beasties than we do here.
20:10So nothing eats a fig in New Zealand.
20:12Murray's figgery cafe is completely gluten and preservative free,
20:16offering endless ways to sample the versatility of the humble fig.
20:26So this is cooked in the leaf?
20:40Cooked in the leaf, and inside it is figs wrapped and cooked in fig molasses,
20:45so this is very much done there.
20:48And cheese?
20:51Calabrian fig ball.
20:55Chicken walnut, crunch at the beginning, big taste of ginger, textural flavour coming through.
21:02It's there, and then it fills up and then fades down, and then a touch of orange, and it's gone.
21:09It's exactly that.
21:10It is.
21:14Heratonga is the Maori name for the rich, fertile plains of Hawke's Bay,
21:19and now is my chance to taste another delightful product grown right here.
21:25Smith and Chef is one of the most famous winemakers in the region, with a very unusual cellar door.
21:35I've signed up for their unique wine tasting experience, guaranteed to get all your juices flowing.
21:43The film is one thing, it's fantastic,
21:45and the wine, it's just plush, and you're surrounded by barrels, and it's a sensory thing, isn't it?
21:51Yeah, I mean, there's a lot that's gone behind this.
21:53It's about how does your mind respond to different spaces,
21:56and the idea about connecting all five senses that you have within 30 seconds.
22:01Founder Steve Smith is, well, he's like my personal sommelier.
22:05He was also the first viticulturist in the world to become a master of wine.
22:10Today, he has my full attention.
22:13The thing you feel in this wine, and any of the wines that you try in Hawke's Bay,
22:16is the sense of energy and freshness to them.
22:19So they might be rich and full-bodied, there's a lot of tannin here,
22:22but there's also some purity and energy and freshness to the wine,
22:26and that's such a wonderful thing to have in a wine from an age-worthiness point of view as well.
22:37At Grey Hawke's Bay, I think of organics as affordable and vital.
22:42I think of figs as fascinating and entertaining.
22:45I think of the wine here, thanks to these guys, as absolutely delicious.
22:50And as for agriculture, Hawke's Bay has made it sexy.
23:03Thank you so much for welcoming all of us back into your home for another season of Getaway.
23:09We are so grateful.
23:10Now next week, you'll love the show. Tina Dalton is heading to Greenland,
23:15one of the most unspoiled and vast landscapes on the planet.
23:19It lies between the Arctic and the Atlantic Oceans,
23:22and it's rich in Indigenous culture, Viking history and wildlife.
23:27We are cruising the southern coast, enjoying all the spoils it has to offer.
23:32Wow, just arrived, first day out, deliver a humpback whale, that's magic.
23:38Yeah, just amazing.
23:39So until we meet again, you travel safely and bon voyage.