George Clarke's Homes in the Wild

George explores three remarkable homes that push the boundaries of design in extreme conditions. They include a house based on a love of circles that challenges every architectural convention and an award-winning home that redefines the traditional courtyard.

In New Zealand, George visits one of the Hauraki Gulf's best-kept secrets - Rakino Island. With fewer than 30 full-time residents, this island has no shops or services, just a self-reliant community that thrives on connection and co-operation. George explores a one-of-a-kind tiny home with a clever stowaway interior and a house perched so close to the ocean that the tide feels like a front doorstep. He also meets the island's rubbish collectors, is welcomed into a charming cottage and visits the home of an immigrant-come-resident, who proves that belonging can be found at the ends of the Earth.

The host travels to the remote Lord Howe Island, a tiny Pacific gem off Australia's east coast. Isolated and self-sufficient, the island's residents thrive using its natural resources amid a close-knit community spirit. George explores a remarkable multigenerational renovation - a home built on sweat, ingenuity and a family legacy so moving it brings him to tears. He visits a stunning coastal retreat sought after by the rich and famous, where style meets seclusion, before diving into an ocean paradise where coral gardens line backyards - and friendly turtles virtually mix with humans.

Just a stone's throw from New Zealand's Auckland City, George sets sail for Kawau Island - a boatlover's paradise where life is lived by the tides. With no roads and with complicated access, he explores a community that embraces true off-grid living. He pops in on an old friend to visit an architecturally designed boathouse with the waves lapping at its front door, and visits a stunning home crafted around a lifelong love of timber. He also discovers a one-of-a-kind yurt - a circular sanctuary full of character and creativity perched on craggy cliffs.

The architect ventures deep into New Zealand's Marlborough Sounds, on the edge of one of the wildest and most unforgiving stretches of water in the world. Among the maze of secluded bays and forested ridges, he finds a dangerously remote barn conversion, climbs aboard a replica pirate ship and visits an iconic architecturally designed home.

The architect travels to the windswept shores of Bruny Island in Australia, off Tasmania's coast, to meet the people who've chosen a life of isolation, beauty and resilience. He visits a working sheep farm where the home's design is deeply influenced by the very wool it produces. Next, he steps into a serene Japanese-inspired cabin, crafted to honour simplicity and the quiet rituals of daily life. Finally, George is transported to another realm entirely, as he explores a science-fiction-inspired dome that feels like a home from another planet.