Twelve cameras from different vantage points on the boat capture the beautiful scenery and wildlife. Photo / Supplied.
Twelve cameras from different vantage points on the boat capture the beautiful scenery and wildlife. Photo / Supplied.
Although we're confined to our homes throughout the Covid-19 lockdown, new slow TV show Go Further South offers viewers a scenic escape all the way to the bottom of the world.
Following on from Go South, which debuted last January, recording a rail, road, and boat trip from Auckland toMilford Sound, Go Further South does just that, embarking on a 12-hour sea voyage across the Sub-Antarctic islands and along the Ross Sea coast down to Antarctica.
Go Further South lands on Prime on April 10. Photo / Supplied.
"This is quite different because we are with Christchurch's Heritage Expeditions the whole time on one boat that leaves from Bluff and goes all the way down to McMurdo Station and Scott Base," producer Spencer Stoner tells TimeOut.
"So we're in one vehicle, but obviously the amount of ground we're covering is huge. We've got almost a half dozen different Sub-Antarctic Islands that are all really unique, where we sail by, stop off and explore, and then you get down to Antarctica and the Ross Sea."
Premiering on Prime on April 10, Go Further South shapes as an unlikely saviour for those struggling with the tedium of isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The cameras also captures the fantastic wildlife. Photo / Supplied.
Much as Kiwis might keep a casual eye on the cricket throughout the day during the summer months, slow TV – a concept that originated in Norway – allows viewers to tune in and out as they please.
"It's really the perfect sort of programme to have on while you're at home for an extended time," Stoner says.
"The format's really good for having something on that you might be watching actively, then you might go and make a cup of tea, or respond to some emails.
The boat also navigates the high seas amid freezing weather conditions. Photo / Supplied.
"And you can really appreciate it better that way because you're able to check in and out of it at your leisure. It's not the sort of thing that you just watch intently for 12 hours straight."
Twelve cameras from different vantage points on the boat capture the beautiful scenery and wildlife and there are also moments that may raise your pulse, as the boat navigates the high seas amid freezing weather.
"The Southern Ocean is such a character and that really comes through," says Stoner. "There were times we had 13m swells and we see every little bit of that. It's pretty glorious.
Go Further South embarks on a 12-hour sea voyage down to Antarctica. Photo / Supplied.
"Some places are very volcanic and feel like the Central Plateau. Other places feel like they're these huge mountain ranges that feel more like the Himalayas, right next to the coastline, so you get a sense of those shifting landscapes.
"Everywhere you look it's just the scale of animal life that most people have never seen, really. And it makes you realise what things used to be like.
"You go through periods where there are so many amazing things going on around you, you don't know which direction to look. There are other times when you are just able to be completely in the moment and at peace with this kind of calm and serenity."
What: Go Further South When: April 10 Where: Prime
