Original subtitles

- Relocating a house on the back of a truck is not for the faint-hearted.

The journey across treacherous countryside can meet unexpected obstacles from above...

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

- ...and below.

- RT: Van's just hit your load, bud.

- It's a tough set of decisions for the people responsible...

- You've been touching that line. Stop, stop, stop.

- That looks like power, man.

- ...and our owners, who are brave enough to take their greatest asset for a wild ride.

- God, I can't watch.

- Hold up!

- That was the front of our house.

- We're even crossing the ditch to hang out with our Aussie neighbours.

- No more fuel for 400km.

- What?!

'Join us for a trip across the countryside like no other.'

- Hey, guys, you've got a house. - Thank you.

- Let's go.

'This time ―'

This is amazing. I can see why you don't want to leave.

'a hardworking couple determined to pass down their legacy have huge ambitions.'

For a tiny home, this is big.

- It's right at the― maxed-out, yeah.

- But will their dream of keeping their piece of paradise in the family stay alive?

- All right, Max, are you ready?

- RT: Ready for what? - The Desert Road.

- Or is this one relocation that's about to get pipped at the post?

- Ooh.

- So come along for the ride.

This is...

Wow. Look at this countryside.

It's a great slice of rural paradise in the central North Island.

In fact,

it's a 520ha sheep and beef farm that's treasured by its owners.

They love it so much that they've put a plan in place to make sure it stays in the family.

And why wouldn't you?

This incredible region is rural Taihape,

and high on the hills,

fourth generation farmers Genevieve and Andy have been working this magnificent central NorthIsland farm

together since they met and married 30 years ago.

- We're going to bring those yearling heifers up here from the back of O'Shea's,

and put them in here in the middle of Vern's, and they'll be all good for about a week or 10 days in here.

- All right. - So that's tomorrow's job. - OK.

We meet at the

A&P show, on the bank of the A&P show.

It was a big deal. (CHUCKLES)

- I ran into Gen there and started chatting,

and nek minnit, you know? (BOTH LAUGH)

There we have it. Here we are 30― 30 years later.

- The three adult kids all live in Australia,

but they've just convinced the youngest, Michael,

who's been cattle mustering in the Northern Territory,

to move home and eventually take over.

- The timing couldn't be better, actually, and he's chuffed.

He's just― We were all looking forward to it. We're all excited about it,

and, um... we can't wait.

- We're getting older and need a bit more of a hand,

so it's nice to know that Michael is keen to come in and help

and carry on that family tradition.

- Andy and Genevieve live in the big family home on the farm,

but they want to give Michael his own place just a few hundred metres away.

And they've settled on a tiny home ―

but not just any ordinary tiny home.

- It's only small. It's only 55m2, but that's all you need.

I think if we lived together in the house here, we'd be all right for a little while.

But, I mean, I think you need your space, don't you?

We've had a great life. We've raised three great kids, and just carry that on.

Looking forward to the grandchildren. - Yes. (CHUCKLES)

- I'm on my way to meet Andy and Genevieve at their property

in high country Taihape.

This has to be one of the most picturesque farming regions in New Zealand,

but trucking a house along these country roads will have its challenges.

(EASY-GOING MUSIC)

- Gidday. - Hey, Andy. - How are you?

- Good to see you. - Hi. - Gidday.

- Lovely to see you.

- Guys, this is amazing. I can see why you don't want to leave.

- Yeah, no, it is. It's a great view, all right, isn't it?

It's got something about it, an aura or a vibe about it.

I suppose you get that that's the view and the sun and...

- The afternoon sun. - Yeah.

The 9 o'clock rush here is about three cars headed to town. - (LAUGHS)

- LAUGHS: Yeah, yeah.

- 'With a property this huge, the decision on where to build can't have been easy.'

Why did you choose this site?

- The power's just here, the― you know, the driveway was here.

It's all sort of here, so it was just going to be―

And at the end of the day, it's not a bad spot, really.

- It's a great spot. And this is where the original house was.

It's where Andy's parents actually lived.

But the house had deteriorated.

We'd had a couple of builders look at it to see if we could repair it,

but it was past it.

- We saved a few little bits out of it. There's a mantel piece that I've saved

and I've been sanding away at for the last few nights and weeks,

and a couple of little bits and other bits of wood we're gonna use as shelving,

but other than that, it was― the rest of it was full of bora.

- 'With retirement looming, Andy and Genevieve have a pretty tiny budget

'for this relocation, so they've chosen a house that fits the bill.'

Why did you decide on a relocatable as opposed to building?

- We looked at lots of options.

We've been talking about it for three years, and we just both had a light-bulb moment,

and thought, 'We need to look at transportable houses, tiny homes.'

Andy rang Adam, and we were in the car the next day going up to Raglan.

- 'A brand-new home sounds like a sweet deal for son Michael.

'I wonder how the rest of the family in Australia are feeling about it.'

The other two didn't want to come back?

- They're just at different stages, I guess, in their lives.

- If they want to come back, there'll be certainly enough room to...

- Oh, I have a vision that they'll all have a house here.

- (LAUGHS) Of course you do, Mum. - Cos honestly―

I don't want to sound crazy, but it's―

it's there. - There's plenty of room for three up here, we've decided. (LAUGHS)

- Yeah, secretly, that's going on in my mind. - Oh, of course it is. That's great.

'The house is due to arrive on the back of a truck in seven weeks,

'and Andy reckons he's worked out how to position the house on-site.'

- This will be the corner of the house.

Yeah, so it'll be 3.3m out that way,

and 13.5m that way to that other little orange dot you can just see down there.

That's basically where it's going to sit.

- A large double garage will also sit on the corner of the site for storage,

and the tiny house will be angled north-east for sun and views

to the spectacular Ruahine Ranges.

- The kitchen, which is shaped like a H, or half an H...

The breakfast bar there is getting made out―

it's getting made at the moment out of some rimu that we had left over

from when we renovated our house 20 years ago.

So that's gonna be quite cool. - Great, so you can bring a bit of the history...

- Yeah, that's another little bit, you know, from back in the day is coming into the house.

- It's nice to keep a bit of that original history.

- Well, that's what it's all about, really, isn't it?

- It lives on. - It's just a bit of memorabilia, you know.

We'll know that it's there, and Michael will know that that's where it came from.

And then― And then it carries on ― the story about the farm, doesn't it?

- 'I can see why Andy and Genevieve chose this site for Michael.

'The views are like nothing I've seen before.

'And if this move goes to plan, their dream of the farm staying in the family looks really bright.

'So I'm meeting Andy and Genevieve at the builder's yard, 325km away,

'to see just what these Taihape farmers are hedging their bets on.'

- We could hook it up now. There's the tow ball.

- Hey, guys. Good to see you, Andy.

- How are you? - How are you, mate? - Good, good.

- Hi, Andy. Good to see you. - Hi, Genevieve. How are you?

Here it is. It's looking great, guys. - Yeah, isn't it?

- How are you feeling? - Really excited.

- Yeah, I bet. - It looks great.

- Certainly taking shape. (CHUCKLES) - It is. - Yeah.

- When was the last time you came and saw it?

- Um, well, we haven't actually seen it.

- So this is the first time you've seen it?

- Yes. It is. It's really exciting.

- I mean, for a tiny home, this is big.

- It's right at the― maxed out, yeah, as far as floor area goes, yeah.

- 'In fact, the new home is officially an XXL tiny home,

'the biggest one this company has ever built.

'And Genevieve and Andy have requested some changes to the base plan to make it even more bespoke.

'Let's hope they're not in for any surprises.'

I'm just looking at how high it is in there, and the roof isn't actually on yet.

Is it gonna sneak out of there? - (LAUGHS)

Yeah, it is a bit close, isn't it? - (LAUGHS)

- Once we let those tyres down, we'll get it out of there all right, I think.

- 'I hope you're right, Andy. There's not much on that.'

Well, you must be hanging out to have a look inside if you haven't been here yet.

I've caught you at the front door, so let's get in there, eh? - Yes.

- Let's do it. - OK, Andy, that'd be great.

- Oh wow.

- Wow, look at that. - Oh, it looks great.

- Yeah. - I love it.

- You happy? - Yeah. - Yes, we're very happy.

- First time you've seen it. - Yeah. - Yes, it is.

- It's just as I imagined it would look. It is perfect.

- For a tiny home, because of the ceilings, it feels quite spacious. - Yes, doesn't it?

- It does, yes. - Yeah, it looks great.

- Genevieve, where are we standing right now?

- We are in the kitchen area.

And along here there's going to be a stainless steel bench with the cupboards underneath.

And here

we will have the rimu breakfast bar.

- All right. - And in the left corner, a fireplace.

- It's great you're able to put a fireplace in the tiny home.

- Yes, it is. - That was one of my non-negotiables.

- Yeah? - Yeah. I really wanted a fireplace.

- Who's really going to be living in here?

- LAUGHS: Well... - Yeah, well...

Maybe on the day, eh, we'll say to Michael, 'Oh no, you're over there now.

'We're in here.' (ALL LAUGH)

- 'Genevieve and Andy are smitten, but Michael hasn't even seen the plans.

'I just hope there's enough room for him to stretch his legs.'

So where's the bedroom? - Oh, we've only got one option,

and that's that way. - (LAUGHS) Right. OK.

Shall we have a look? - Yes.

'On the way to the bedroom is a large bathroom, with a back entrance

'for when Michael comes in from the farm.'

- So, we have the shower here, and the toilet over there.

Vanity unit here with the mirror just above it.

And over in that corner is the washing machine and super tub.

- It's amazing what you can fit into such a small amount of space.

- Every millimetre counted in here. - Yeah, I bet, yeah.

Let's go see what you can fit into the bedroom. - OK.

- 'The bedroom measures in at just over 9m2,

'and it feels really spacious.

'It's even got a second sleeping area thanks to some very clever design.'

Oh yeah. Awesome.

And the first thing that captures my eye in here is that mezzanine floor, isn't it?

- Yeah. - It's just the extra space for when Michael has guests,

place to chill out with the sun coming through that beautiful skylight that's up there.

- 'Let's hope it's carry-on luggage only.'

How much is this tiny house going to cost?

- It'll be, uh― Adam's―

The bill from Adam is going to be about 197,000, plus the move,

and plus the septic tank and the shed and everything.

So, you know, we're sitting around about 300,000, I think.

Maybe a little bit over.

- It's nice to think you get a brand-new, super-sized tiny home

on your family land for $300,000?

- Well, that's including a 70-odd square metre shed as well...

- Yeah. - ...with a concrete floor in it and windows, and...

So, you know, that― You can't even build a house for 300,000.

- And, Genevieve, any nerves with the move from you?

- I'm not

too worried about...

moving it from here.

I think the guys here know what they're doing. I'm sure they've got this.

It's when we get to our place and to the section.

If it's wet, it could be a bit tricky.

- If it's muddy, it'll be― just make it that much trickier, won't it?

And they've done some beautiful fencing around it,

and I'd hate that any of the posts get broken.

- It is pretty tight up around that bend.

- Yeah, we might have to sprinkle a bit of metal, eh, before the move. We'll just see how itplays out.

We'll check the weather forecast out before they come, as they will as well,

and work it around some sunny days.

- I like the idea of a brand-new house arriving on the back of a truck,

I love the fact that Andy and Genevieve commissioned a one-off design for the return of theirson.

But before I ask them to adopt me,

I need to make sure that this XXL tiny home can make it safely

325km

to the family farm in Taihape.

And that means navigating this precious tiny home along the shores of New Zealand's largest lake,

down the blizzard-prone desert road and ― perhaps the biggest worry of all ―

the final squeeze on to site.

- Andy and Genevieve are the fourth generation to work the family farm.

They've had a lifetime of hard work and are now ready to hand over the responsibility to their son Michael.

Trouble is, they need to move a super-sized tiny home from here in Raglan, over 325km away.

But this isn't just any tiny home.

It's an XXL, where every effort has gone into stretching the sides

to the absolute limits for the road.

So, I'm back at the builder's yard to meet the man in charge

and find out a bit more about this tiny home movement.

Tell me ― what actually is a tiny home?

- Well, a tiny home can be many things.

We're here― We're building tiny homes on wheels here, mainly.

So they're basically classed as vehicles, and can move around the country,

moved very easily on and off a property. Yeah.

- They've been calling it an XXL. - An XXL because we had an XL, and they've made it bigger.

So I guess we're calling it the XXL, yeah.

- Is this the biggest one you've ever built? - It is, yeah. Yeah, it is. Yeah.

- Can you go bigger than this? - Um, no, I think we'll keep it at 13.5m.

I've been told, you know― The delivery guys say 14m,

but I think maybe, you know, 13.5m in the factory is, you know―

we're getting to either end of the factory so, yeah.

- (LAUGHS) Yeah, it's rather huge. - Yeah, really.

- Will you be able to get it out of here? - Um, let's hope so, yeah.

I've been keeping looking at the door there, and it's really close.

So it's been designed to go out the door, but it's going to be within millimetres, yeah.

- I'm still a bit worried that Michael, who's gonna be living in the home,

might find it a bit small.

Plus, there's still a couple of precious features that Andy and Genevieve need to find space for,

before the house can actually hit the road...

- Stop, Andy.

- STRAINED: Oh gee, it's heavy.

- Are you all right? - Yeah. Where do you want it? - Over there on the table.

- '...including a seriously heavy, bespoke breakfast bench.'

I hope it fits. - Pfft, man. Are we gonna get it through the door?

(LAUGHTER)

- What is it? - That's a piece of rimu that was milled on the farm 25 years ago.

- 'It also looks like it'll take up half the kitchen area.'

- This is really great. This is going to look so good. - Isn't it?

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

What else do we have? - We have an old mantelpiece out of the old cottage.

- OK.

- Where is this gonna go, Gen? - We don't know yet. We've yet to decide.

- Is that what today's about? - Yeah.

- Walk around and have a look? - Yeah.

- So, what are you thinking?

- I feel like up there, was what I think, but that's above the bed, you see?

- Oh, that's lovely.

- What do you think about that?

- I'm thinking that'd be quite cool too, wouldn't it? - Yes.

- Do you want to try it on that wall? - Yeah, try that wall.

- OK. - Sorry.

- Cos that could go anywhere you want. You're not restricted to heights or...

you know, if you want to go higher or lower... - Yeah, exactly.

- That's pretty cool, isn't it? - Or you could go... - Up.

- Yeah, maybe that's a cool spot for it.

When you come down the hallway, you'll see photos of Mum and Dad and his favourite dogs. (LAUGHS)

- If you're happy with where it is, do you mind if we put it down now? (LAUGHTER)

- Thank you for doing that.

- 'It feels like we might have just added another couple of hundred kilos to this relocation,

'so we're going to meet the mover who's taking it all on his shoulders.'

- Hi, Angus. Genevieve.

- Nice to meet you. - Lovely to meet you. - Andy. How are you?

- Gidday, I'm Andy as well. - Angus.

- How are you, Angus? - Yeah, good. This is Ella. - Hey, Ella.

- So you're doing the move? - Yes. Yup. We're doing the move.

- Have you done many of the moves out of here, mate?

- Ah, yep. We've moved about 30 out of Fox Cabins.

- Oh, nice. OK, well, that makes me feel a little bit better.

And any this sort of size?

- Uh, this is their biggest one to date, I believe.

Yeah, this will be the biggest one we've done for them.

- So you haven't done one this big before? - That makes me a bit nervous.

You're not nervous? - No. No.

- You haven't seen where this one's going yet.

There's a little bit of a steep driveway going up to the site,

and it's pretty muddy at the moment, but hopefully it dries out a bit.

- Yeah, we'll just have to play it by ear with the weather.

It could be muddy, but our tractor unit that we'll be sending on the job's four-wheel driveanyway,

so that gives us a little bit of reassurance. - Yeah.

- You feeling confident? - Very confident. - Yes.

- It's not his first rodeo, is it?

- The 380km move will take us south to Hamilton

just after rush hour on the Waikato Expressway, then on to Tirau.

Here, we bypass east to the geothermal region of Rotorua.

From there we rejoin the main highway south to the shores of Lake Taupo,

one of the country's tourism hotspots, where traffic and sharp bends could slow us down.

Then it's on to the blizzard-prone Desert Road,

where rapid weather changes can roll in, before finally hitting Taihape

and the last kilometre of narrow country lane to Andy and Genevieve's farm.

It's a huge journey that all hinges on getting Michael's home out of the workshop.

This is so tight that Adam and his team are going to have to let down the tyres

just to get this XXL tiny home out of here.

It's seven weeks later. The moving truck is rolling in,

and the house is ready to be moved,

which means it's crunch time for Adam the builder,

who needs to get this giant tiny home out of his workshop

before Angus and Ella can take over the responsibility

for getting it safely to Taihape.

- It's 20mm, he reckons. (LAUGHS)

Which is― Which is not what we would be doing normally ― about a 150mm gap normally,

so it's a little tight. - Good thing it's not our responsibility till it's outside.

- Yeah, well, you'll see me right in a minute. - (CHUCKLES)

- Only one thing you can do but try. - Yeah. We'll see it when it's outside.

- Yeah. Right, right.

- Adam and his team are getting the trailer connected

and doing everything they can to get this home as low to the ground as possible.

With only 20mm in it,

every little bit helps.

Even then, it's gonna be incredibly tight.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

- Ready to go? Let's go, let's go, let's go.

- 'We're falling behind schedule,

'but Adam isn't taking any risks.'

The tiny house has just started coming out now.

We need the forklift here, because what it's going to do is just keep

the level of the tiny house even as it comes out,

so at no point it can flick up. It's on a trailer, remember?

As it comes out, it's just keeping it square.

And it is so tight.

There's 20 mils.

'It's barely making it.'

- Is it all right?

Looks all right at the back.

- 'The house must be perfectly balanced as it's pulled out of the warehouse,

'so the back end doesn't tip up and hit the roof.'

Look how close it is.

It's just creeping out.

'Genevieve's non-negotiable chimney just clears it too.

- Well, you're clear of the door, anyway.

- 'They've done it. The house is free of the workshop and ready to be loaded on to Angus' trailer.'

For the first time in about three or four months, the house is actually outside.

'It's a fantastic sight, and I reckon there's one guy who's feeling a little lighter rightnow.'

- Whoo-hoo! I don't know what all the fuss is about.

Told you it was easy. (LAUGHS) - Mate. Actually, well done. That's outstanding.

Gee, it looks a lot bigger when you get it out. - I know.

- It looks great.

Oh, Andy and Genevieve are gonna be so happy.

It's gonna look great up on that site.

- Yeah, it's come out really well. - Yeah. - Yeah.

- 'Now that Adam's job is done, it's time for Angus and Ella to take over.

'They're securing a hydraulic jacking system to the exterior to lift it...'

- You helping, Ella?

- '...so that the truck and trailer can be backed under.'

(SWINGING ROCK MUSIC)

Usually, Angus would just strap the tiny house with the wheels on the back of his trailer.

But because it's so high, we've had to take the wheels off

before it goes on the back.

'So it's goodbye to the tiny house wheels for now

'and hello to the massive truck ones.

'This might be a tiny home, but the accuracy involved with reversing a 15m-long trailer

'is as impressive as ever.'

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

- 200.

Yep, it's about a 100-mil gap.

- 'This XXL tiny home is just moments away from the ride of its life.'

- Just touching... now.

- 'And just like that, we're locked and loaded.'

Well, that's one of the hardest bits done, and it's only just the beginning.

We're 380km away from getting this beauty to the family farm

and Michael seeing it for the first time.

Let's get going.

- El, come on.

- 'Time to get Michael's tiny home started on this massive journey.

'The detour ahead at Tirau will add an extra 50km,

'which means we need to tow this house 380km before the sun goes down.'

Let's get Andy and Genevieve's super-sized tiny home on its super-sized adventure.

- All clear from your left hand, all right?

- Up front, pilot drivers Max and Rob will be keeping us and other road users safe.

- All clear after the white car from your right.

Just got one light coming down the hill towards you, should be plenty of room.

- Copy that.

- 'I'm used to riding along with houses that are wide loads; this one is long.

'There's some dangers up ahead for sure, so it's gonna be a big test for the team.'

- 'We've departed from Raglan, driving towards Tirau.

'This super-size tiny home is just barely below the size restrictions

'for a daytime move.'

So you don't really need to slow down for any lines. - No, not at our height.

No, we're well under everything. Well, we should be.

- 'Should be? I just hope Angus is right.

'Michael is expecting a brand-new home to arrive tonight

'in pristine condition,

'which means the tiniest scratch is going to be a problem.

'We're on schedule so far,

'but this is the part of the trip that could throw us off.'

- Know where we're going?

- Uh, yeah, copy. Up here, first left and a right.

- We're just coming through Tirau now,

and we're going to have to take a slight diversion because we can't fit under the railway bridge.

Also, there's a big section of State Highway 1 that's closed,

so we're going to take a lift and head straight to Rotorua.

It'll add about an hour to our trip, but we are making good time.

'This house is in perfect nick, so Angus isn't taking any chances.'

- That was a bit unnecessary. - (LAUGHS)

- 'We've reached the Fitzgerald Glade, and pilot driver Max is flying ahead

'to secure the traffic in both lanes.'

- Coming down through the grove.

Got a couple of overhanging branches. Got one light coming up.

- Roger. Just coming under the first low and then gonna jump wrong side a little bit.

- We're just entering Fitzgerald Glade now,

which is a stretch of road about 1km long where all the trees grow over and connect at thetop.

Beautiful native sort of corridor. We're just in it now.

It is stunning.

We'll just take it slowly so that the truck can sit in the middle of the road

so the highest point of the house is kind of at the top of that native corridor.

'It's a dense section of growth.

'A sudden branch drop here could seriously damage Michael's precious exterior.'

Man, it is beautiful through here. - Yeah.

Yeah, not ideal from a 'moving a house' point of view, but... - (CHUCKLES)

'This might be a tiny home, but it's the biggest Adam has ever built

'and Angus has ever moved.

'It's only getting tighter the closer we get to the end.'

Bit of traffic waiting for us out the other side. - Yeah.

- We're through now, though. - Yep, all clear.

'We're safe for now and back on to the wide open road,

'and the backlog of traffic on the other side just goes and goes.'

You did need both lanes though, didn't you?

- Yup. If we were staying in our lane, then we would've just rubbed trees the whole way down.

So... - Good.

- 'With that out of the way, we're pushing on to the central North Island.

'As a southern boy, it's a region I haven't been to,

'and I can see why traffic can build through here.

'These views are blowing me away,

'but so is something else.'

Is that you or the dog? - No, I think that's Rotorua. - Oh. (LAUGHS)

It is too. (SNIFFS) Oh.

- It's good having a dog, though. You can just blame the dog. - (LAUGHS)

We're joking, mate. We're joking. (LAUGHS)

'Yep. The Rotorua geysers are in full force today.'

- So, do you still want to go for a spa?

- I kind of feel like the day's getting away on us a little bit.

We probably need to get through to Taihape. - Carry on.

- I'll come back here one day for a spa.

'It's 4.40pm, and we're finally off the detour

'and approaching the outskirts of Taupo.'

Beautiful blue-sky day.

The lake flat, Mt Ruapehu in the background.

'I can see myself living here.'

What a spot! I can't believe I've never been here.

- It's like the poor man's Queenstown. - (CHUCKLES)

- 'Careful, Angus.

'Jokes and beautiful scenery aside,

'we're approaching the first of three major corners.'

- Getting a bit of momentum on.

So keep ahead. - RT: Roger that.

A couple of trees hanging out over the left lane right at the start here.

- 'The scenic twists and turns around the lake are bustling with activity during the day,

'so Angus is relying on world-class traffic control from his pilots.'

- You got traffic waiting for you around the first points. Other than that, it's all clear.

I'll head up to the second point now.

- Roger.

- Look at that. That's stunning!

'Just as well I'm not driving. I can't take my eyes off that view.'

- Coming into the 25 now.

- RT: Roger.

- 'It's stressful. We're holding up tourists and locals,

'but we need both sides of the road around each of these corners.'

We're just coming up around some of the tight bends now.

It's a cliff face on one side, and it falls straight into the lake on the other.

I mean, it's stunning, but it's tight. - Just past the first point.

- 'And it's so easy to be distracted by these views.'

- Coming up to all the traffic stopped now.

- 'Angus has to manage a steep cliff to the left and an impatient queue of road users on theright.'

- Just passed all the traffic.

- 'That's one of three nasty corners down, two to go.'

- Passed all them, just crawling my way up to the second corner.

- RT: Roger that. I got traffic stopped on the other side of the second point.

- The lake is so calm, and we're just cruising around the edge of it at the moment.

'The views are getting more and more epic, but in front of us is the second corner.

'Pilot driver Max has shot well ahead, so there's no traffic waiting for us on this corner,

'but we must be pushing our goodwill with the locals and tourists.'

- Yeah, clear of the second one. - RT: Roger that. Bridge is all clear.

Heading up to Bulli Point.

- 'Up ahead is Bulli Point, the last of the tight corners, and it's a notorious crash zone for big rigs.'

- RT: Traffic stopped on the other side of Bulli Point.

Should be all good to come up and around.

- 'This is where things get really twisty.'

Around Bulli Point now, and it is really tight on one side of the road.

- There's a lot of traffic waiting

as well. - RT: Are we pulling into this gravel pit?

- Copy. - Roger. Just at the gravel pit now.

- Just slowed right up, taking our time.

'We can't afford to get a single scratch on this new home.'

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

'And we're through the worst of the tight bends.'

There's quite a lot of traffic that we've had to hold up

as we went around some of those tight corners.

'But this team of tiny home relocation specialists know exactly what they're doing.

'We're taking it cautiously around the rest of the lakefront,

'but hopefully the locals will forgive us.'

(TRUCK HORN HONKS)

'We're less than 70km from Andy and Genevieve's farm now,

'where Michael will be waiting to get a first look at his new home.

'But we still have to make it through one of the most dangerous sections.'

- All right, Max, are you ready?

- RT: Ready for what? - The Desert Road.

- I've done the Desert Road at, like, 2 o'clock in the morning at 4m wide in torrential rain.

I think we should be fine.

- Famous last words, eh? Thanks, mate. Yeah. - Thanks for jinxing us.

- 'This is a fast, open highway across an alpine desert that's prone to extreme weather changes.

Let's hope their confidence pays off.

- 'We've travelled over 300km from Raglan to the heart of the North Island,

'and now we're about to cross the Desert Road.'

At this time of the year, this road can get closed down through snow or, like you say, rain,

but we've got some pretty good accommodation on the back if we do get stuck.

- I got the dog and the bed in the back, so I'm sorted. - (CHUCKLES)

- 'The Desert Road is the highest point of New Zealand's state highway network.

'We're passing Mounts Tongariro and Ruapehu,

'two of the most iconic mountains in the country,

'on our way to Andy and Genevieve's high country farm in Taihape.

'It's a section of highway that's often closed for ice and high winds,

'but today the weather looks to be staying on our side.'

This is such barren terrain, isn't it? - Mm.

What always gets me is that it's only 20, 30 minutes that way is just normal.

And then another 10 minutes this way is normal, but it's just middle of nowhere, just barren.

- It's like we're saying about that New Zealand landscape, though,

how quickly it changes and how vast it is. - It changes.

- 'It's jaw-dropping to see a brand-new home throttling down the open road,

'but we're starting to run out of light.

'Finally, we're out the other end of the Desert Road.

'Taihape here we come.'

The sun is setting, and we're just coming into Taihape now.

It's been a long day, but we're nearly here.

We just hope we can get it done while there's still a bit of daylight.

'It's been a pretty smooth ride,

'but having driven the road to Andy and Genevieve's farm, I get the feeling it's not over yet.'

And here's the turn-off up to the farm. Only a couple of kilometres to go.

'The next obstacle is a 40m single-lane bridge.

'Angus has to carefully steer this XXL tiny home to the other side

'and down below

'is a 50m drop to the river.

'The bridge is only 40m long, but is barely wider than the truck.

'Just a couple of metres to go...

'and we're through.'

We've made the turn-off, and we're over the bridge.

We've all got our fingers crossed that we can get this tiny house

up their driveway, and more importantly, that Michael really loves it.

- It's a long way to take it back if he doesn't. - (LAUGHS)

- Wow, look at that.

The dog kennels have arrived. (ALL LAUGH)

- 'We've finally done it ―

'380km

'and an entire day

'of hard North Island driving.

'And we're pulling up with Michael's new home.'

Oh, that must be Michael.

'The dream of keeping this farm in the family is so close now.'

Hey! - GENEVIEVE: Hello!

- How are you guys? - Welcome!

- 'And the young man who is going to be moving in has arrived in time to welcome it home.'

Hey, nice to see you. - Welcome back.

- Nice to see you. Good to see you, mate. - Very excited.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- Michael. - Nice to meet you, man. - Michael, nice to meet you, mate.

I've heard a lot about― I sort of feel like I already know you.

I've been talkin― I've been talking about you a lot, so...

- Oh, how about it. - Nice to finally meet you, mate.

What do you think? - Beautiful, eh?

- Yeah, isn't it? - Too good for me. (LAUGHTER)

- Oh, don't be silly.

- Nah, it looks pretty cool.

- You wait till you see the inside. That kitchen bench. - I'm looking forward to that.

- Yeah. - We allowed a little sneak preview tonight, or is it all locked?

- It's all locked up, mate. You gotta wait till tomorrow.

- Oh, that's teasing. (ALL LAUGH)

- 'But there's still that narrow driveway to tackle in the morning.

'I don't think Andy is going to be getting much sleep tonight.

'It's 8am, and the team are back at the farm to finish what they started.'

Morning, guys. - Good morning. - Hi.

- Did you have a look through it?

- Nah, mate. Promise, promise. - Oh...

- Yeah, same goes.

- 'Angus and the team aren't wasting any time this morning

'getting Michael's new digs on to site.'

- RT: Straighten up a bit.

- 'But already I can see that this is going to be a tight squeeze.'

- Better get in a bit closer and inspect, though, eh?

- Yeah, he's going for it. - It's pretty tight.

- GENEVIEVE: It is going to be tight.

- Wow.

- Ooh. (CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY) It's close!

- What's that, a centimetre?

- Ooh.

- 'With a rock wall on one side,

'and fences all around...'

- RT: Stop.

- '...we're at a dead end.'

I don't know if that's going to fit. It's pretty tight.

'There's no way through without damaging the house.'

- Want that post out?

- Yes, please. - Yes, please!

(LAUGHTER)

- It's a dozen.

- 'Lucky for the movers, Michael's got just the right machinery to help out.

'Everything's riding on getting this house up and through the gate.'

This post has got to come out.

The house was not going to get around it.

Problem is, it's about this height again into the ground.

So they're brought the tractor up.

They're gonna try and pull it out so this will fit.

(CHUCKLES)

'But it's not going to be simple.'

- Go easy on that.

- 'Michael's going to have to pull up within centimetres of his brand-new XXL tiny home

'and lift the post without tipping and damaging the house.'

- Whoa, whoa, whoa.

- 'A single post is standing in the way of Andy and Genevieve's dream

'of this family farm passing on to the fifth generation.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

- GENEVIEVE: A little bit too close to the house for my liking!

Ah... - Back.

Coming. - Yes, it's coming, it's coming.

- Coming.

- See that? It-It wobbled a bit. - Yeah, yeah.

- Yes. Here we go.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC CRESCENDOES)

- Whoa. - Whoo-hoo!

- Just down here. We'll just drop it here.

- OK. Hopefully that's the last... hurdle. - Yes. I think we're....

(HORN HONKS, BOTH CHUCKLE)

- Truck driver's happy. - Yeah.

- 'The post is safely pulled away from the house.'

- RT: OK, we're good to go.

- Oh, it's shifting now. - Yes.

- 'But even with the post removed, it's a tight squeeze on all sides.'

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

- RT: Keep coming on that line. You're clear ahead.

- 'Even up here, we're barely able to turn on to site.

'It must be a pretty proud moment for Andy and Genevieve and their son Michael,

'watching their dream three years in the making finally come true.'

- 100 mil backwards.

Yup.

- Right there. Downburger.

- Is that us? It's looking pretty good.

- We're in tight. Bit of wiggling and waggling, but it's there.

- 'With the house on jacks, the trailer is able to be pulled out,

'and we get our first look at the home standing onsite.

'The wheels are being rolled back under the house and positioned to take the weight.

'Once the house is lowered, they'll be reattached, along with four support legs.'

- That's the front touching, eh? - Yup.

- Yeah, I'll jump in and check everything, but just grab the rattle gun, Max, and wind thoselegs tight.

- 'Andy and Genevieve's dream home for their son Michael is finally here

'after three long years of planning.'

Guys, it looks so good.

- What do you think? - Stunning. - Love it.

Very happy. - Unbelievable.

More than you could ever wish for, eh? Unreal.

- How soon are you gonna move in, Michael? - Tonight, probably.

- (LAUGHS) Yeah? Yeah. (OTHERS LAUGH)

Gonna live in this beautiful new house.

You're single. You're a pretty good-looking bloke.

Are you new Zealand's most eligible bachelor? (ALL LAUGH)

Sorry, mate. It's true. (LAUGHS) - Stop flirting with me, bro. Come on.

- Should we go and have a look inside your tiny home? - Let's do it.

Can't wait. - Yeah, yeah.

- 'Time to see just how well this brand-new home survived the journey.'

- It's a bit of a climb up, isn't it? - Yeah, it is...

for me. - At the moment.

Wow. - Oh, look at it.

I love it. Wow. It's come up beautifully.

- That benchtop. - It looks so good.

- There's a fair bit to take in, isn't there, too? - Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- What do you reckon, mate? You'll be able to live in here all right? - Oh, happily. Can't wait.

- Oh, it's great. I remember standing on this site when there was nothing here.

- Yeah. - And looking at out at that view and imagining standing in the kitchen.

Here we are. - Yeah.

- 'It's a small home, but Michael seems happy with it so far.

'I'm not sure it's going to be a long-term solution once his bachelor days are over, but you never know.'

Andy and Genevieve's tiny home is well and truly Michael's now.

It might not be your average farmhouse, but it's probably the cosiest farmhouse in the country,

and I can't wait to see how Michael puts his final stamp on it.

- A couple of months ago, we moved Andy and Genevieve's tiny home 380km from Raglan to here inTaihape.

Mum and Dad built it for son Michael, but I was actually a bit worried

that they were gonna keep the tiny home for themselves.

Well, we're back in Taihape now, and I can't wait to see what happened.

'It's been a busy couple of months in the farming calendar since I was last here,

'but pulling into the farm's driveway...'

Oh yes!

Oh my goodness.

Look at that deck. It's like a whole 'nother room.

'...I'm absolutely stunned at what they've achieved in such a short amount of time.'

- There he is. - Wow.

Amazing. - Yeah. - It's been two months!

- Two months. Not even that, is it?

- How's it going, mate? Good to see you. - Good, thank you, yourself?

- Yeah. Good, good, good. - Hi. - How are you?

- Good, thank you. - Good to see you, mate.

- Yeah, same goes. - How's things? - Oh, pretty good. Pretty cruisy.

- Mate, you must be absolutely stoked.

- Uh, yeah. It's unreal, eh?

- 'Michael's tiny home feels anything but,

'with the addition of a beautiful front veranda and a massive double garage next door.

'As a family, they've managed to make this tiny home a functional farmhouse.'

You did get some help into... - We did, yeah.

- Sort of finished it all off. - There was no way it was gonna be finished, that's for sure.

- Genevieve, how are you feeling?

- Really happy. It's perfect for what we want.

- Yeah, another addition to that kind of generational family farm,

isn't it? - Yes. Yes, absolutely.

- Are you sure you're ready to pass it over to Michael?

- Yes... - (LAUGHS) That's not very good! - No, no.

- Mate, I'd love to have a wee look inside if you want to show me around, Michael.

- Yeah, absolutely. Let's do it.

- 'Finally, after two months, I get to see how Michael's new digs have come together.'

It's just such an impressive deck, this one, isn't it?

- Yeah, nah, it really fills up the space, eh? Just looks unreal.

It's come up well, and they've done a great job.

- And that view too.

Oh, well, we'll be back out here soon, I suspect. - Let's do it, man.

- Oh, furnished. - Yeah. It's good, eh?

- Looks great in here, mate. - It does, eh?

- 'Inside, the tiny home is picture perfect, with space to relax

'in front of Genevieve's non-negotiable fireplace,

'a full-sized kitchen with all the mod cons

'and a touch from the original farmhouse.

'But I'm dying to know if it's a fit for Michael.'

How have you found using the space?

- Oh, it's awesome, eh? It's cosy.

Everything flows so nice, you know?

- It's not too small? - No, absolutely not, you know?

I don't take up much room. (BOTH LAUGH) - Yeah, yeah.

- Nah, it's easy, mate.

- 'Down the hallway, the bathroom is light and functional,

'with space to swing a towel, and the washing machine hides away nicely.'

- Here's the bedroom.

- Oh, great. Oh, it still looks really big even with the bed in here.

- Yeah. It's unreal, actually. - It works well, eh? - It does.

- 'And there's even a hidden closet under the stairs.'

So when docking was on, did anyone sleep up there?

- Nah, mate. They all went down to the lounge.

Avoid my snoring. - (LAUGHS) Did they? Fair enough too.

I know your dad was really proud of the shelf over there. - Yeah, yeah.

- How has that been? Worked? - It's― It's holding stuff up,

so it's working well, yeah.

- Does it kind of, like, really sink in,

just what Mum and Dad have kind of done for you?

- Yeah, yeah. Nah, for sure. It's― Yeah, it's pretty special, eh?

Yeah, to have the opportunity to come back here, it's, yeah,

something not a lot of people get, so very fortunate.

- 'And let's not forget those spectacular country views from every window.

'The house and move to Taihape cost Genevieve and Andy $220,000.

'The double garage and deck was extra, but what a result.

'So it's time to celebrate,

'and I know the perfect spot.'

- Cheers. - Cheers. - Good on ya. Awesome.

I got you a little something, Michael, and I'm― I'm sorry. That's all I can say.

I apologise in advance.

(CLEARS THROAT) It was a bit awkward first time round, so I've doubled down.

(ALL LAUGH) - No.

Ah!

(LAUGHS)

- Taihape's most eligible bachelor. (ALL LAUGH)

Something for the trophy wall, mate. - Oh, mate.

Ah, it's perfect. Thank you so much. - Good on you, mate.

- Yep, it's going straight to the pool room. (ALL LAUGH)

When people ask me where that came from, I'm going to be able to say Andy Ellis.

- All right. Cheers, guys. - ALL: Cheers. (GLASSES CLINK)

- 'Genevieve and Andy's vision of creating a future

'for the fifth generation of this family really has paid off in spades.'

It feels like this tiny home has helped save money,

but also helped keep the farm in the family.

And it's a farm well worth saving.

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