OUTLANDER star Sam Heughan has opened up on the most “frightening” experience he had while exploring New Zealand for his Men in Kilts show.
Alongside fellow Outlander star Graham McTavish, the second series of the hit show followed the pair as they explored the history and culture of New Zealand.
The first season saw the pair travel across Scotland to discover their heritage and was accompanied by a book called Clanlands.
In an interview with The Scotsman, Heughan was asked what his favourite experience on the trip to New Zealand was.
He said: “It’s so hard to pick one, the Scottish connection, the adrenaline activities, the landscape but I think the Maori episode was the most rewarding.
“We were welcomed by the local Iwi, attended a welcome ceremony that was powerful and touching and learnt a great deal about the Maori customs and traditions.
“Learning the haka, was powerful and we performed next to the Marae – the meeting house – before attending the Moko (inking) ceremony.
“I think we both found the process of creating our personalised Moko very touching.”
However, there was one experience for Heughan (below) that proved particularly frightening. He singled out taking on a 100 metre high zip line as an example but also said how he admired the “remarkable experience and view”.
“Diving with the great whites was also nerve wracking. Incredible creatures and extremely clever, you could see that they knew exactly what they were doing.
“However, the most scary experience for me was going in a helicopter. I don’t trust them. But we flew over Milford Sound, a truly breathtaking landscape then landed on a glacier 7000 feet up. It took my breath away,” he said.
McTavish meanwhile said the shark cage diving was among the most “terrifying” but joked: “Despite Sam showing me videos of when sharks got inside the cage before we got into the water, it is a safe experience on the whole.”
