Last Paradise

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Synopsis

Forty-five years in the making, this documentary looks at the history of Kiwi adventure sport. Via spectacular — original and archive — footage, it follows the pioneers (AJ Hackett et al) from sheep farm-spawned maverick surf kids to pre-Lonely Planet OEs chasing the buzz; and the innovative toys and pursuits that resulted. From the Hamilton Jet to the bungee, No.8 fencing wire smarts are iterated. The exhilaration of adventure is underpinned by a poignant ecological message — that the places where the paradise chasers could express themselves are now in peril.

Credits (7)

Clive Neeson
Director, Camera, Producer

Katrina Jones
Editor

Sam Scannell
Sound

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Comments (3)

Brenda Leeuwenberg

Posted at 04.17PM - 09.06.2011

@Hōri see above and to the right, there's a BUY IT tab. DVDs are available from Zealand Films.

Hōri B

Posted at 03.23PM - 08.06.2011

how do i see the whole movie? where can i get it from?

cheryl

Posted at 08.02AM - 28.05.2011

This was such a great video to view. What fun fit creative people. Bold and Beautiful. Wishing ....

View all 3 comments ›

Produced by

Zealand Films

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The synopsis and credits are included

Related Titles (11)

Off the Edge

Film, 1977 (Excerpts)

Footage from this Oscar-nominated doco features in Last Paradise

The Adventure World of Sir Edmund Hillary

Television, 1974

Hillary and mates go adventuring down south

The Leading Edge

Film, 1987 (Full Length)

Feature film Kiwi adventure sport action

This Is Your Life - AJ Hackett

Television, 2007 (Full Length Episode)

The bungee pioneer gets the big red book

Landmarks - A Land Apart

Television, 1981 (Full Length)

Features the Hamilton jetboat

Start Again

Short Film, 1969 (Full Length)

Roger Donaldson doco on Kiwi 60s counter-culture

Surf Sail

Short Film, 1978 (Full Length)

The first windsurfers to cross Cook Strait

Intrepid Journeys

Television, 2003

More OE adventuring

Off the Beaten Track

Television, 1973 (Full Length)

A Sir Ed NZ adventure journey

Children of the Sun

Film, 1968 (Full Length)

More classic surfing action

Raglan by the Sea

Television, 1987 (Full Length)

Also features Raglan

Photo Gallery (5)

Quotes

One of the things I used to enjoy most when I was a kid was jumping off cliffs and bridges. But there's a limit you can go to — after about 40 or 50 feet, when you hit the water, it really hurt.

– AJ Hackett on the impetus to go further

It [equipment] wasn’t there to buy: you went and built it yourself. You figured out to how to make it and you made it.

– Surfboard maker Dave ‘Biggie’ Smithers

It's really the story of how what some people call Kiwi ingenuity, led to the phenomenon of modern extreme sports. And these days we're renowned as the capital of extreme sports and that story has never been told before.

– Director Clive Neeson on the film

Why is it that in our quest for paradise we end up losing it?

– Professor Adam Green (USA)

Awards

2010 XDance (United States)
Best Eco Adventure

2010 New Zealand International Film Festival
Most Popular Film

2010 California Surf Festival
Best Editing

Festivals include
2011 Banff (Official Selection), Hawaii, Santa Barbara, Telluride Mountain Film Festival, Maui

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