The most extreme and wild parts of New Zealand are in the South Island, which lie towards Antarctica, in the path of the tempestuous `roaring forties'. This is home to some of the most rapidly rising mountains in the world, the Southern Alps. From hyper-intelligent parrots, to sinister snails with teeth and magical constellations of glow-worms, this is the story of New Zealand's wildest places and its most resilient pioneers, all of who must embrace radical solutions to survive.