The Pacific: In the Wake of Captain Cook with Sam Neill
Season 1
Actor Sam Niell retraces the route Capt. James Cook took 250 years before on his legendary journey across the Southwest Pacific, explores the cultures of the islands Cook visited, and discusses Cook's controversial legacy with the locals.
Where to Watch Season 1
6 Episodes
- Endeavour and Tahiti
E1Endeavour and TahitiOn the 250th anniversary of Cook leaving Plymouth, Sam Neill visits Tahiti in the first of six episodes to follow Cook’s journey around the Pacific, and hears from Tahitians about what Cook means 250 years on. Sam encounters ardent enthusiasts and practitioners of Tahiti’s vibrant culture. Some of the traditions are old, some new and when lost, he learns, the Tahitians are happy to make them up. - Endeavour and New Zealand
E2Endeavour and New ZealandSpeaking with historians, activists, artists and locals, Sam delves into a deep history of trade, tradition and turbulent conflict. To his surprise Maori oral memories of Tupaia are more strong and vivid than those of Cook. Reconnecting with lost Polynesian history was far more potent than awe at the foreign goblins. - Resolution and the Great Southern Continent
E4Resolution and the Great Southern ContinentSam visits New Zealand, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Norfolk Island before completing one of Cook’s unfinished ambitions by touching down on Antarctica. For Sam this episode, in a much more intimate way, mirrors what many consider Cook’s greatest achievement, the breadth and extent of the second voyage. - Resolution and Hawaii
E6Resolution and HawaiiBack in Australia Sam views an unfinished tapa waistcoat abandoned by Elizabeth Cook after his death – a poignant memento. A larger than life stainless steel sculpture of the man by Micheal Parakowhai is the focus of Sam’s reflections on Cook. Finally on an uninhabited islet in mid- Pacific Sam concludes his journey from being a ‘mere actor’ when he set out to becoming ‘a man of the Pacific.’
