A 26-part adventure series focused on the Fischer family, who owned a vintage Vauxhall Hurling car with a Kiwi mascot.
The regular cast included Siegfried Rauch, Anthony Blackett, George Henare, Estelle Woods, Peter Nichol, Kapa Kitchen, and Judy Stairmand.
Writers: David Stevens, Richard Sparks
Producer: Jack George
Director: Geoffrey Nethercott
STV/Global/GEORGE AND ASSOCIATES/PORTMAN
Episodes
1) Hot Welcome (24 June 1981)
After many years in England, Professor Larry Fischer returns to New Zealand with his children Pete and Deb. With them comes The Flying Kiwi their magnificent 1929 Vauxhall Hurling. But the professor is arrested at the airport... -
2) The Tiki Of Tamahau Part 1 (1 July 1981)
Since their return to New Zealand, Professor Fischer and his children, Pete and Deb, have crossed swords with their neighbour, their rich and powerful uncle, James Marriott. But what is the secret of the ancient Māori tiki in Uncle James's house?
3) The Tiki Of Tamahau Part 2 (8 July 1981)
The mysterious Māori tiki strengthens its hold on Deb as she, Pete and Professor Fischer, together with Hone and Ratu, retrace the steps of its discovery..
4) Coromandel Gold (15 July 1981)
Old Joe Murdoch single-handedly runs one of the last gold mines on the Coromandel Peninsula. But he is in trouble. It seems Joe is in danger of losing his mine through sabotage.
5) Captain Deborah Bligh (22 July 1981)
Deb pressgangs her landlubber brother, Pete, to crew for her in the under-16 sailing series. But someone is cheating
6) The Curse Of The Pharaohs (29 July 1981)
a terrified phone call; two mysterious deaths and suddenly Professor Larry Fischer is the only survivor of the team who excavated the tomb of the Priest-King.
7) Find The Lady (5 August 1981)
A con-artist worms his way into the household and then the Flying Kiwi goes missing
8) The Last Home (12 August 1981)
The Kokako, a rare exotic bird, is under threat of extinction and when Pete joins a birdwatching expedition, he discovers that the harmless Kokako has ruthless enemies.
9) The Ninth Man (19 August 1981)
Professor Fischer would never sell the Flying Kiwi, his magnificent vintage car. Unless he was in serious trouble
10) The Human Fly (26 August 1981)
Pete and Hone take their hang-gliders to the cliffs above the beach. But what are Uncle James's surveyors doing in a nature reserve?
11) The Soft Life (2 September 1981)
Deb and Hone catch the waves on an empty blacksand beach, while Pete and a beach ranger hope to catch poachers.
12) The Break Part 1 (9 September 1981)
James Marriott feels little but bitterness for his nearby relations, the Fischers, but for Pete he has tempting plans.
13) The Break Part 2 (16 September 1981)
Pete is determined to take his uncle James Marriott's scholarship to University in England. And Professor Fischer has been offered a post at Cambridge.
14) The Phantom Canoe Part 1 (23 September 1981)
Tapu Maori land is sacred, yet a phantom war-canoe has been seen on the lake, the spirits of their ancestors telling the Māori to depart. And when Professor Fischer uncovers a skeleton on a nearby dig, it is seen as the reason for the spirits' wrath.
15) The Phantom Canoe Part 2 (30 September 1981)
A land deal, an ancient skeleton; prisoners of the warriors, and the return of the mist-shrouded lake of the phantom canoe. The Maori legends come to life and oppose the Fischer family and once again their tycoon Uncle James Marriott uses events to his advantage. -
16) Stable Mates (7 October 1981)
Nimbus is an ordinary old horse; but why is he suddenly behaving strangely?
Diana Payne - Liz Coulter
17) The Trap (14 October 1981)
Pandemonium interrupts Pete's work and drives him to run away from home, taking the Flying Kiwi with him...
18) The Guinea Pig (21 October 1981)
To her surprise, her uncle, James Marriott, has given Deb a present. But the new spirit of friendship is soon soured. Could the Fischer family be responsible for a killer epidemic that could destroy New Zealand's farming industry?
19) No Option (28 October 1981)
The city is spreading, eating into the surrounding farmland. James Marriott intends to make another fortune from the trend, but Pete and Deb's school stands in his way.
20) The Bargain (4 November 1981)
Even Hone, the mechanical wizard, can find nothing wrong with Miriana's ridiculously cheap car. But when is a bargain not a bargain? When it disappears in the middle of the night...
21) Du Fresne’s Bottle (11 November 1981)
Pete cannot see the use of a radio-controlled float. But when Nick Sargent points out that one day per-haps the ocean currents will supply the world's energy needs, Pete is fascinated. With Hone and the Professor he sails to the Bay of Islands for a holiday. But there they learn another much sinister use for the float and find themselves drifting into danger...
22) Knock Knock Who’s There? (18 November 1981)
No one likes working on the house, especially as the old Fischer family house needs so much restoration. When the Professor is away in San Francisco, no one seems to have told Deb she must do her share. No one that is, until Pete learns of the curse of the ancient Māori Queen Whetu, and determines to teach Deb the right "spirit".
23) The Cheat (25 November 1981)
Pete is challenged by his father to sit the university first-year archaeology exam, since he seems to know all the answers. And Pete does well until the professor notices that his answers are the same as those of one of his brightest pupils, a pupil that Pete openly admires.
24) The Last Vintage (2 December 1981)
Professor Fischer's favourite vine comes from a small vine-yard. But the widow who runs it is about to be evicted. Ratu Rawiri, as a lawyer, finds his professional interest clashing with those of his friend, and Pete and Hone are caught in the middle.
25) The Sacrifice Of The White Queen (9 December 1981)
A spate of letter-bombs puzzles the police - and the lawyer Ratu Rewiri is as puzzled as they are. The clue involves a game of chess, but as Pete takes up the challenge, he soon learns that another, far deadlier game is being played.
26) Eye In The Sky (16 December 1981)
Pete and Hone fly their radio-controlled model World War I aero-plane and the past catches up with the present. For the tranquil New Zealand countryside is not all as innocent and old-worldly as it seems. And the camera they have rigged on the plane takes pictures that worry them all. (Final)
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