It’s 7.30am and I’m about to be helicoptered into the heart of New Zealand’s beautiful natural bush to, well, 'go bush' with TV adventurer Bear Grylls.
I can't help feeling a sense of dread about my impending adventure - after all, Bear is a man known for spending weeks in the wild at a time, surviving on nothing but the odd ant for dinner, a far cry from my usual existence.
While I was born and raised in this very special country, I’m ashamed to admit that, until this moment, I haven’t exactly made the most of its natural wonders. In fact, for the last eight years, I have been much more accustomed to spending my time in newsrooms or television studios in my job as a showbiz reporter and broadcaster in London.
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Getting into character: Bear paints mud on Dan's face before they embark on their survival adventureBut when Britain’s Chief Scout (his official title within The Scout Association) asked me to fly halfway around the world to receive a crash course in survival skills amongst the unsurpassed beauty of my homeland’s South Island, it was impossible to say no.
As we touch down in a freezing cold valley in the Crown Range Mountains, between Otago's adventure capital Queenstown and Lake Wanaka, I’m instantly beginning to regret my decision. It all looks a bit, well, rustic.
Luckily, within minutes Bear makes his entrance - dangling from a rope hanging from a helicopter. I should have expected nothing less. As he effortlessly drops to the ground, the slight 38-year-old charges across the same rocks that have just taken me ten minutes to navigate in a matter of seconds.
He greets me with a firm handshake and thrusts a large backpack at me.
"In there is all you need to survive out here," he assures me. There’s a very large knife, a smaller knife and binoculars. His own survival kit contains a satellite phone, a box of anti-inflammatories and anti-venom treatment.
Wild at heart: The Crown Range Mountains dominate the landscape between Queenstown and Lake Wanaka Flames of glory: With a few tips from Bear, Dan manages to spark up a fireI gulp and warn Bear that I’ve never done anything like this before. "Some people thrive and some people crumble," he admits. "You have to use your brainpower and tune into your environment. Slowly, you will begin to get it. My responsibility is to look after my buddies and get back home safe to my family."
Without a second thought, Bear orders me to climb up to the tallest rock in sight. He stretches both my arms out and starts painting my face in dark brown mud. My transformation into bush warrior has begun.
As we head towards the fast-flowing river which cuts through the mountain range, I ask Bear just how much danger there really is on his shows. I don’t get the answer I want.
"I remember Steve Irwin being killed when we were in the middle of the Ecuadorian jungle," he remembers. "I’d just had a very near miss after falling 20 feet down a waterfall when a vine broke. My head missed the rock by two inches, it would have killed me outright. That’s just one reminder that TV doesn’t guarantee any protection."
Equal footing: In the wild, water filtered through a used sock is just par for the courseThe cameras are here today because Bear is filming a video for Air New Zealand. His Bear Essentials safety video for the airline, also filmed on the country’s South Island, has become a viral internet sensation with over two million views on YouTube.
Next, Bear wants me to get to a rock in the middle of the river. This is much easier said than done. After numerous failed attempts where I am inches from ending up in the rapids, he puts out his arm and simply flings me across.
As we sit down, he asks me to take off one of my boots and socks. What? Why?
"I’m going to use your sock to filter our drinking water," he replies matter-of-factly. This really is a whole new world.
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