Real Lives Less Ordinary

Helena McAlpine has long lived her life in the fast lane. Being diagnosed with terminal breast cancer hasn't slowed her down any. Relentlessly upbeat, Helena is determined to face her illness with courage, honesty and remarkable positivity.

Sir Edmund Hillary was the first to summit Mt Everest, but another New Zealander lays claim to an equally enormous feat. In 1988, Lydia Bradey was the first woman to summit Everest without oxygen. Some disputed her climb, but her story shows how getting to the top takes a fight.

When Harley Thompson faced scales that told him he was 240 kilograms and friends who said they didn't want to come to his funeral, he went for a walk, then a swim. It led to a small triathlon. Now he is training for an Iron Man competition but will the hard work have paid off?

In September 2010 and February 2011, the New Zealand city of Christchurch was hit by devastating earthquakes; the second took the lives of 185 people. Soon after the first quake hit, University student Sam Johnson hit Facebook and went on to create and lead the now internationally acclaimed Student Volunteer Army.

In the early '70s, when 33-year-old European journalist Sue McCauley began a relationship with troubled Maori teen Pat Hammond, many conservative eyebrows were raised. The original "Toy Boy" and "Cougar" have stood the test of time. We find out what has kept them together for 37 years.

Pene and Amitai Pati grew up in the Samoan version of the Von Trapp family, singing at a rest home throughout their teens. At the same time, their cousin, Moses Mackay, was making a difference in the lives of dementia patients with his music. Through singing to others, these three young men found their voices and each other and are now pursuing the same dream: to make it on the world opera stage.