To enhance their coverage of the Southern Traverse, the producers mounted cameras on a plane, a kayak, and a biking helmet.

WINGCAM

To showcase New Zealand’s postcard-perfect scenery, producer Andy Salek set to work attaching a Sony Betacam to the wing of a Cessna 185. 16>> Sound simple? Not quite.

The camera, designed for use with a tripod, had to rest securely in a frame that hung from the plane’s left wing. Getting it positioned exactly right meant measuring, drilling, bolting. Then more measuring, drilling, bolting. The camera still trembled slightly, so Andy and pilot Willy Grey bound it with straps and tape. “Duct tape makes the world go round,” Willy noted cheerfully.

Thanks to a trio of cables threaded through the plane’s wing 199>> and into the cabin, Andy could control the lens and monitor results. One of the cables malfunctioned on the test flight—after performing perfectly on the ground, of course—which led to agonized rewiring.

Eventually the cables were “sorted,” and the wingcam yielded stunning shots of New Zealand’s South Island.

Kiwis never throw anything out. I’d heard that, then saw it for myself. To mount a camera onto Boyd Matson’s kayak 136>>, our mechanical whizzes concocted a rig worthy of MacGyver. A piece of pipe from a cattle yard, odd bits of old lumber, fence staples, and (naturally) duct tape kept the camera—and its waterproof housing—snugly in place 43>> for the shoot.

Vanessa Quin, New Zealand’s leading woman mountain biker, was the envy of accessory buffs everywhere as she modeled the latest in biking gear: helmetcam. 09>> Originally designed by Russell Baxter for filming while skiing, this utilitarian chapeau has its top sliced off so that excess heat can escape. All in all, a striking look for striking shots.

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