Islands of the Gulf - Episode 3

Conservation dominates this episode of Islands of The Gulf. Presenter Elisabeth Easther traces her mother Shirley Maddock's island hopping from the 1964 series of the same name. Easther visits a variety of native species protection programmes on different islands. First up is Tiritiri Matangi, a native bird sanctuary boasting a healthy population of tīeke (North Island saddlebacks) and even South Island based takahē. But the jewel in the conservation crown is Hauturu (Little Barrier) home to a huge variety of native insects, birds, bats and tuatara — New Zealand's "most intact" ecological environment. 

One of the things that's really nice is to see the birdlife so much closer to the house — and such a big variety. And the bush has encroached a lot closer to the house.

– Former Hauturu Islander Susi Chinnery-Brown on how the island has changed since the 1960s

Key Cast & Crew

Don Whyte

Cinematographer - 1964 Series

Shirley Maddock

Writer, Producer & Presenter of 1964 series

Laurie Clarke

Writer, Producer

Amy Barber

Sound Mix

John Hagen

Field Director

Elisabeth Easther

Writer, Research, Associate Producer, Presenter