Islands of the Gulf (1) First Episode

Television (Full Length Episode) – 2018

Fifty-four years after TV pioneer Shirley Maddock presented series Islands of the Gulf, her daughter Elisabeth Easther heads to the Hauraki Gulf to see how life on the islands has changed. First up is Waiheke, by far the most popular island, and with its booming hospitality sector and vineyards, a bona fide Auckland suburb. The sparser Rākino Island attracts seekers of a simpler life. Biggest in size and attitude, Great Barrier retains its independent spirit. Midwife Adele Robertson recalles how the Barrier's 1989 absorption into Auckland Council meant more rules and less innovation. Easther writes about the Gulf here.

During filming, we would wake up in the morning and everything felt kind. I thought how mum would have really appreciated that, because it was a real muck-in kind of way she made television; there were no trailers, no hair and makeup, there were no pretensions, and I think we managed to create a similar sort of feeling.
– Presenter Elisabeth Easther on following the steps of her mother, broadcaster Shirley Maddock, The NZ Herald, 24 February 2018