David Holt (rawiri42)
If you like pictorial documentaries, NZ From Above is well worth watching. For some strange reason though, the whole of the East Coast of the North Island seems to be missing (maybe Channel 7 in Australia lost a disc) and what is shown in the space of 215 minutes is very interesting but far from comprehensive.I guess there are limits to what can be included in a documentary about a whole country but there were, I felt, some notable exceptions that should have been there whilst some bits were very personalised about individuals whose stories were interesting but took up limited time that could have been better used.For example, there is a segment about a violin maker that the time would have been better allocated to a look at the Banks Peninsular (given its significance in NZ history). Not that the laurien (a word apparently denoting a musical instrument maker but not in any dictionary I have) wasn't interesting but maybe more suited to a whole doco all about just him. I suspect that, in years to come, he may achieve equality with people Like Stradivari and Banks.To be honest, I think New Zealand (whether from above or not) could well fill at least 20 40-minute TV programmes without getting boring but there is no doubt that this short series whets the appetite for more rather as Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit have done.A whole programme could be made of the Milford Track without being the least bit boring. For example, a great segment would be the story with appropriate footage of how Quinton McKinnon and Donald Sutherland, whilst exploring the Arthur River Valley in Fiordland, flipped a coin to decide whose name would be given to the first waterfall they found and McKinnon won so his name went to a small fall half way up the valley and Sutherland got to give his name to the ninth tallest waterfall in the world.Maybe someone will make a more comprehensive series. I'd certainly watch it.
