Alone Australia season two drops 10 Aussies in NZ — here's what ...

In the second season of Alone Australia, 10 Australian survivalists are dropped into the wilderness of Te Waipounamu, the South Island of Aotearoa/New Zealand.

They are, once again, testing their skills against the unforgiving elements, and I am, once again, watching from the comfort of my home — cosy, well fed and full of backseat opinions on everything they get up to.

[FYI: Minor spoilers ahead for the first episode of SBS' Alone Australia, season two]

"If you don't respect the environment here, it will slap you hard," says one contestant in the opening teaser that intercuts the rugged beauty of Te Waipounamu with footage of participants bow hunting, fishing and suffering their way through the elements, and ends with a dramatic medical emergency.

And that's the first two minutes of episode one.

As usual in Alone, contestants pack 10 survival items of their choice, along with dozens of kilos of camera equipment to document their experiences. They have a satellite phone for emergency calls and to officially "tap out" when they've had enough.

Aside from regular medical check-ups, they're utterly isolated, with the last person standing taking home a life-changing $250,000 prize.

The major change in season two of Alone Australia is that it's not in Australia.

After contestants struggled with lutruwita/Tasmania's strict hunting rules last season, they are permitted to use a bow and arrow to hunt wild boar, possum, red deer and tahr in Aotearoa.

While season one was marked by the unrelenting wet and spiky shoreline of a remote lake on the west coast of lutruwita, season two is set among snow-capped peaks and seemingly friendly-looking pebble beaches.

It's from one section of beach that Rick, a bearded 58-year-old survival educator, "bushtokker" and former SAS soldier from Queensland, decides to take a dip in six-degree water, popping up to give the first oddball self-tape moment of the season: "I am the captain of my ship, I am the father to my sons and the husband to my wife. I am the brother to my siblings, and I am my own king," he declares. Cheers, Rick.

Former SAS soldier Rick, 51, teaches bushcraft skills on Tiktok, where he has amassed more than 176,000 followers.(Supplied: SBS)

He may be his own king, but Rick and his fellow contestants are all fish out of water. They're in a different country, out of their element, 200 metres above sea level in steep, wet and windy conditions.

We're told earthquakes and flash flooding are real threats but in episode one, the worst pests are swarms of bitey sandflies — or namu, in te reo Māori.

Besides Rick, the first episode focuses on four others.

There's Chace, a 27-year-old Quandamooka man and combat engineer in the Australian Defence Force, from Queensland. He's an experienced hunter who's stoked to get onto the bow and arrow. Chace is the youngest contestant on the show, who wants to win to make his grandpa proud and buy land for a farm.

Barkandji woman Leanne, 41, already has a connection with the show, as her partner Rob competed in season one.(Supplied: SBS)

Leanne, 41, is a Barkandji woman and Aboriginal heritage programs officer from Victoria. Leanne also wants to buy land if she wins.

"As an Aboriginal person we've had so much taken, and this is my way of getting a little piece back," she says.

Leanne's also a pre-existing member of the Alone Australia cinematic universe: her partner Rob competed in season one and memorably spoke to country in te reo Māori before tapping out in episode one.

"Don't get sooky and tap out after one night," he says before she leaves home. She doesn't.

Tamika, 51, is an off-gridder and former police officer from Queensland. Although a champion archer, Tamika is reluctant to kill big game, and hasn't eaten meat in eight years. How will she go? Mentally, Tamika says she's preparing to hunt if she needs to, but hopes to rely on fish and foraging as much as possible.

"Shelter is number one," Tamika says early on, to which I, a lover of hotels, nod knowingly.

Off-gridder Tamika, 51, is also a champion archer.(Supplied: SBS)

Mike, 60, is a single dad, former rugby player and resilience coach. As the oldest contestant of the series, he sees his age as an advantage, and hopes to make it to 100 days.

"The ability to handle pain and discomfort … is my superpower," Mike says.

But in the world of Alone, this line becomes a dark omen, as Mike's chest pains deliver the episode's cliffhanger ending. Mike, sending good thoughts your way, I'm guessing you're OK because you're in the show!

We'll meet the other five contestants in more depth in episode two but, so far, it's interesting to note that of the 10 contestants, seven are over 40 and four of those are over 50.

So, season two is shaping up to be a middle-aged stand-off, which isn't a bad thing at all.

I'm also curious to see how dropping 10 Australians deep into the New Zealand wilderness like introduced apex predators will play out diplomatically in cross-Tasman relations.

To the contestants: may the odds be ever in your favour; I'll be giving notes from the pillow fort on my couch.

Season two of Alone Australia is available to stream now on SBS on Demand, with new episodes dropping weekly.