Original subtitles

- I'm on a hunt to help find everyday Kiwis their perfect country house.

Things are a little different out here in the country.

You still have the hustle and bustle.

Your neighbours can sometimes be a bit noisy.

Time moves a little slower.

But you don't get this...

...in the city.

www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023

On today's show, I'm in Cromwell with best friends Chelsea and Dani.

- It's beautiful. - Yeah.

- It's really― It's got that modern, but still a cosy feel to it.

It feels like a home.

- Chelsea's on the hunt for a house for herself, her husband and her dog.

So, it's the dogs that you're worried about keeping this place tidy, not your husband?

- Well, it's a bit of both, if I'm being honest.

- With three very different houses on offer,

which one will be right for Chelsea?

But you did find one that you were happy to put an offer in on, didn't you?

- We did, yes, and my answer might surprise you, but it was house...

- A couple of years ago, Dani packed her bags and made the move here to Cromwell,

and ever since, she's been trying to convince her best mate, Chelsea,

and Chelsea's partner, John, to do the same.

But it's not just about these best friends today ―

there's also a love story.

A love story between Riley and Beau ―

Dani and Chelsea's dogs.

They have fallen head over paws in love and they need to be close together again.

So today we're looking for a home that Chelsea can put her own spin on,

and one that's big enough for the dogs to run around as well.

So hopefully today I'm gonna find them somewhere

that is totally 'paw-fect'.

Oh, that's a 'paw-thetic' pun. Dear, oh dear.

- I have two black labs.

- I have a little golden retriever.

- And my youngest, Beau,

he and Riley

have fallen in love with each other― - Yes.

- ...over the visits,

and it's quite something to see.

They are besotted with each other, aren't they? - Yeah.

- So I really feel like the move over here could do them both the world of good.

- Yeah. At the moment they're in a long-distance relationship,

so we really wanna facilitate bringing them closer together. - Yeah.

- For a house, my must-haves would be at least three bedrooms.

We'd like to have a guest room.

We'd also need an office for myself ― I work from home.

I love a house with character,

so if we could find something that has that, that would be wonderful. - Mm.

- My partner John is a builder and he's an avid hunter,

so a garage would be on his 'must' list. - Lots of space.

- Our budget for a house would be around the 800 mark

if we have to put some work into it.

If a house is move-in ready,

we could potentially go above that, depending on the house.

For me, it's really exciting

the thought of moving closer to Dani,

especially that she has her first baby on the way,

and I would love to be close by so that I can

pitch in and be really close.

- Yeah, and I could definitely do with another pair of hands.

- Cromwell is located just under an hour's drive from Queenstown.

It has the appearance of a modern town, but its history stretches back to the gold rush days of the 1800s.

This history is best experienced in Old Cromwell Town,

a feature attraction for visitors.

This picture-perfect area offers a really nice blend of nature's wonders

and cosy rural charm.

So let's get to it and see if we can find Chelsea something to call her own.

Our first stop today is this newly-renovated cottage

that's filled with character and charm.

But is it to Chelsea's taste? Let's find out.

Here they are! - Hello. - Kia ora.

- How are you? - Chelsea, how are you going? - Nice to meet you.

- And Dani. - Hi. How are you going? - So well.

I'm really excited about today here in Cromwell. - Yeah!

- So it's kind of your fault that we're here in Cromwell, isn't it, Dani?

- I know. I moved over here a couple of years ago,

and I've just been selling the dream to pretty much everyone that I know. - Yeah?

And I bought in ― hook, line and sinker. Yeah.

- So, you guys are best mates. Have been working together in the past?

You hang out, but Dani's left ya, so you need to chase her. - Yes.

It's a bit of an effort at the moment.

We need to make plans way ahead of time and plan our meetup,

so it'd be really nice if we were closer and could just pop in and see each other.

- Just for a cup of tea. - Mm-hm. Yeah. - Exactly.

So, your partner, he's a builder? - He is, yes. - OK.

Does that affect what you're looking for in a home?

Are you OK with a house that might need a little bit of work?

- Yes, potentially. I mean, we wouldn't want

a complete teardown job at this point. - Yeah.

- We'd want something ― if it was a bit of a fixer-upper ―

something that we could live in― - Yeah.

- ...while we fixed it up.

- Well, I've already seen your eyes light up when we pulled up to this first house.

In terms of character, this place has it all.

This is a nicely renovated villa. - It really does.

- It's on a recently subdivided section. We've got three bedrooms.

As you can see, as soon as you walk up to this place, it just has that street appeal.

- It really does. It's really lovely. - Yeah, it's beautiful.

- This is something you don't know about me, but I've always wanted a house with a centredoor

and a wraparound porch, so you've kinda read my mind with this one. - Ah, nice.

- There is a yard for the dogs. That's really important for us as well.

- How far is it from your place, Dani? That's very important.

- OK, we're probably talking a 10 minute max walk, so we could... - OK.

...we could work with that. - Doable. That's doable. Yeah.

- OK. Excellent. I think it's time to take a look around. - Yeah.

- Shall we head in? - Yeah, yes. - Cool. After you.

So, obviously, as we came through that nice, green front door

into this beautiful classic villa, you would have seen all those classic villa touches;

stained glass windows, everything is freshly painted,

and a brand new kitchen. As you can see, that's just been put in as well.

- This area, it may be a little bit small for what we're looking for.

We'd love to have a dining room, you know, as part of the main living area,

so we can have friends over.

- The kitchen, how does that appeal to you?

- It may be a little bit too white.

- White is definitely the theme of this house, isn't it? - Yes, yes.

But I do have two black labs and they do tend to shed,

so I do have to consider that as a factor.

- So it's the dogs that you're worried about keeping this place tidy, not your husband?

- Well, it's a bit of both, if I'm being honest.

He is a builder, so he also tracks in a fair bit of dirt. - He's a builder, yeah.

- So, that is a factor as well. Yeah.

- All right. Well, time for you to have a look around the rest of the house

without me bothering you.

So go and check out the bathrooms, that main bedroom.

It's a really nice, stunning en-suite for that bedroom as well that you'll love, I'm sure.

So once you're done, I'll be outside.

- Great. All right. Thank you. - Thank you. - See you soon.

- Oh, wow. Yeah. - Oh, yeah. It's gorgeous.

- Again, nice and crisp and white. - Yeah. - Modern-looking.

Done a really good job in here.

- It's a really nice-sized room as well.

- And the bathroom is absolutely stunning.

- Oh, yeah. - Done a really good job in there.

Budget wise, I'm thinking it might be on the upper end of our budget,

just where everything is already done... - Everything's done. Yeah.

- ...and it's a really big plus.

Should we go talk to Matt and see what the budget is? - Yeah.

Let's go find out. - OK.

- Gidday. - Hello. - Hi.

- So, overall, thoughts on this first house that we've looked at?

- I really like it. - It's beautiful. - Yeah, it is beautiful.

Aesthetically stunning. They've done a really wonderful job.

There's enough yard here for the dogs. - Yep.

- I'd say one of my only concerns at this point is that it might be

at the top end of our budget, potentially. - OK.

Well, speaking of that, what do you think it's worth, then?

- If I had to guess, I'd say around the 850, 875 mark. - Yeah, like, high eights.

- Yeah, a little higher than that at this point. - OK.

- They're looking for around 890.

- The price of the house is around where I was expecting it to be,

because you can tell that they have put a lot of love and work into the remodel,

so it― it doesn't surprise me it is at the upper end of our budget,

so that is a little bit of a factor when we're deciding.

- Well, that's our first option. - OK.

- Two more to look at today. So let's hit the road.

- OK. Let's do it. - Check out our second house. Come on out.

Coming up ― we tour this older― let's say, retro house.

But will the wallpaper frighten Chelsea off?

- Welcome back to our house hunt in Cromwell

with Chelsea and her bestie, Dani.

We've toured one house so far that was a newly renovated cottage.

As incredible as it was on the inside, I don't think the layout

was quite what Chelsea was looking for.

Our next house is an older build, but it does have a lot of potential.

So let's see what Chelsea and Dani think of it.

Here we are. The second property I brought you to has a nice story.

This one has had one owner its whole life since 1985.

He's kept the place really well maintained, especially the gardens - big gardener.

Is that something that you'd be interested in keeping up?

Are you into your gardening? - I can learn for sure.

- I have faith in you. You could. - Yes. Absolutely. - Absolutely.

And location wise, what are we thinking here, Dani? How's this one working?

- I'm gonna be a bit biased, cos I do happen to live 60 seconds that way.

- 60 seconds? - 60 seconds. - Roughly speaking.

- So this is― this is your― - So... I wouldn't mind. This is my street.

- Oh. right! So we are on Dani's street. - Yeah.

- So in terms of moving to Cromwell to be closer to your mate,

you couldn't really be much closer than this. - Couldn't be much closer.

I could probably throw a rock and hit your roof, right? Yeah.

- Or a tennis ball for the dogs. - Yeah. Yeah.

- It's more a neighbourly thing, right? - Absolutely.

- And I do love this street. It's beautiful, so...

- Let's get inside, take a look around.

Oh, yeah. Nice and warm in here. - Mm.

- Double glazing's keeping this place nice and warm. - Yeah.

- But as you can see, a big change from the first place that we looked at

where it was completely renovated. What you've got right here is an open book.

Bit of a retro feel, but that gives you the chance to stamp your style on this property.

But there is a lot of light flowing in at the moment, as you can see,

and a really beautiful view out this main window. - It does.

- Yeah, the mountains are gorgeous. - And I can see something else from here ―

Dani's roof.

- I'll be there talking― - Wave to each other in the mornings.

- I'm just right across the street. - Yeah.

- Right, let's take a look through to the kitchen just through here.

- Sounds good. - Yeah. - Come on in.

Here we go. This is the classic 1980s Kiwi kitchen right here.

So perfectly functional as it is.

You could move in and start cooking in here without a problem.

- I could definitely work with it as it is right now,

you know, I'm sure that it functions perfectly. - Yep.

- And then eventually, we would want to update it.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

- Is John the sort of builder that gets things done in a timely manner at home?

- Sometimes. - A few little things.

- Personal encouragement. - Yeah. - Yeah. Yeah.

- Keep him on task. Get those deadlines. You'll be all right. - Yes.

- OK, well, why don't you take a look around the rest of the house?

Bedrooms are down that way. - Mm-hm. - And, yeah,

we can have a chat about what you're thinking after you're done. - OK.

- Cool. See you soon. - Perfect. Thank you.

- It's quite nice.

- Wow. Wallpaper. - Yeah.

- They've got, like, different wallpaper, different carpet in, like, every room.

- Yeah. It's like every room has its own little theme. - Little style.

Yeah. - Yeah, yeah.

But it's really, I mean, it's a great size room.

As far as the bathrooms go,

I would definitely want to do something to not make it three separate spaces.

- Yeah, maybe just two. - Yeah.

I'm not sure if we would have that amount of space to do something like that, but potentially.

- Yeah, I think so. Yeah.

- Right. Let's go find out the price from Matt.

- Yeah. Let's go. - OK.

- Kia ora. - Hello.

- So, again, a nice, big backyard space, this one. - Mm-hm.

- So that word 'potential' comes into it. You could do anything you like out here.

Can you see where you could take it at the moment as you walk around?

- Yeah, definitely. I think this is a great backyard space. - Yeah.

There's tons of potential for a greenhouse and for the dogs out here as well to run around.

That's really important for us. - Lots of different options―

- Yeah. - ...that we could do.

- So I guess the question is,

do you think this is within your price range? Where are you thinking this one sits?

- We were thinking maybe... - Eights? Eights?

- Yeah, like low eights, upper sevens maybe. Hoping for that. - Yeah.

- Yep. You're bang on. - OK. - So we're looking at around

795 is the asking price, but obviously, everything's negotiable,

so, I think this one would give you the opportunity to, you know, hopefully get it for a good price

and then have some money left over to make those changes.

All right. So, two down, one to go.

So this third house ― it's a little bit different again,

so― be interesting to see if you like it. Let's head on over and see what you think.

- Sounds good. - Yeah.

- Coming up ― I make my dream of being a fireman come true.

- I tell people, you know, if you're never gonna be a fireman in your career,

this could be your only chance. - Yeah. Yeah.

- If you're visiting Cromwell, or just passing through,

the Goldfields Mining Centre is a must-visit for young and old.

Chris, you can't tell the story of Central Otago, of this part of the world

without including the gold mining story.

It's such an important part of our history, isn't it? - You're quite right.

It's how Otago got its start. - Yeah. Yeah.

- Yeah. - So tell me about Goldfields Mining Centre itself, though.

How long has it actually existed?

- It's been operating as a tourist attraction since 1971.

Before that, it was an economic gold mine― - Right.

- ...from 1863 onwards.

And then, it was bought by some people who wanted― who turned it into a tourist attraction.

Yeah. They built the bridge across the river.

- It's an unmissable place, isn't it? - It certainly is. Yeah. - You drive through the Kawarau Gorge

and it's right there. - It's an oasis in the desert. - It is.

- Yeah. - And it's such a fun place to stop in. I mean, I've been here before,

and I remember how much fun it was― - Yeah.

- ...actually getting hands on with the experience of gold mining. - Yeah.

And there's quite a lot to see. There's the old machinery.

You get to gold pan and you get to walk around a real gold field.

- So you must see people from all walks of life coming through here―

- And every country in the world. - Yeah. - Yeah.

- The water gun, the sluice gun. - Yes.

- I remember that is a real highlight of any trip. - Yeah.

- So can anyone operate it?

- Anybody can operate it, and everybody is encouraged to operate it.

Well, I tell people, you know, if you're never gonna be a fireman in your career,

this could be your only chance. Yeah. Yeah.

I'm definitely keen to get my hands on that again.

It's been about 20 years since I've panned for gold, so, uh―

- Well, you might need a refresher, then. - Yeah.

Should we get down there and have a go? - Let's do it.

- I might make my fortune today, Chris. You never know. I could say goodbye to this televisionlife.

Unfortunately, those pieces of gold weren't quite enough to set me up for life,

so I'd better get back to helping Chelsea with her house hunt.

For our final house,

I'm taking Chelsea and Dani to a home that's turnkey ready.

Okey dokey. So, the third house that I brought you to is a one stop shop.

Brand new home, just over a year old,

ready to move in and nothing to be done.

How does that appeal to you?

- It definitely appeals to me as far as looks wise and the ease of just move-in ready.

As far as adding value to a property, that's where I'm not sure.

- Mm-hm. Well, it looks great from the street,

but there's a lot to like about it inside as well. So let's take a tour.

- OK. - Great. - Sounds good.

- So third and final tour of our houses today.

Instantly you can feel that insulation.

It's a new build, so it'ssocosy and warm

and it's a big open plan space, this one, with your kitchen, dining and lounge all in the onearea.

Northeast facing, lots of sun in the afternoon and that indoor, outdoor flow

out to the patio off the lounge as well.

- It's got that modern, but still a cosy feel to it. It feels like a home.

- All right. I'm gonna take advantage of that indoor, outdoor flow and go and hang out on thepatio.

So have a good look around and I'll see you soon.

- OK. - Cool. Cheers. - Thank you.

- Oh, wow.

- OK. Yeah. - It's a little bit smaller.

A little bit smaller for a master bedroom I'd say.

But it could work. You know, there's a lot of closet space. - Yeah. Mm-hm. Yeah.

- There's an en-suite.

- Yeah. - What are you thinkin' price-wise on this one?

- I don't know, I might be stretching it a bit, but maybe somewhere in the nines.

950, 9... - Yeah. That's what I was thinking.

I think― - Just the size. Really good size.

- Mm-hm. - Ready to go.

- It is a great location, this one.

I mean, look at those views of those ranges. - Yeah.

Just beautiful. And access to golf courses close by.

It is a nice entertaining area out on that patio for when friends like Dani come around.

- Yep. - And more importantly, when Riley comes around to play with the dogs...

- Mm-hm. - ...they've got lots of space to run around as well.

- Absolutely. Yep. - Yeah. Fully fenced, ready to go.

- So, what do you think the price is?

- So I'm thinking that this one's going to be mid to upper 900s,

just because of how new the build is. - Mm-hm.

Well, you might get it for that, but they are...

they're looking for around the 99 mark at the moment.

- I feel that the price is justified for how new the house is

and for the area. - Yeah. Mm.

It is on the upper end of what we were thinking,

and what we were budgeting for.

So, yeah. That is a consideration.

- Well, those are our three options for the day.

So... a lot to think about. Obviously, John's gonna need to come and have a look as well,

and you can have a chat with him.

Thanks for today, though. It's been a lot of fun.

- Yeah! It's been... - Yeah! It's been great! Yeah.

- Yeah, we've loved it. - Loved looking around. - Nice.

Once you have come to a conclusion, made a decision,

let's get back together again, and we'll see which way you're going.

- OK. Sounds good. - How exciting. - Cheers.

So that wraps it up for this house hunt through Cromwell.

The first house was a newly renovated cottage

that was full of character and charm.

House two was a retro house, but with lots of potential,

and house three was a turnkey ready home, being a new build.

But which one will Chelsea choose?

After giving Chelsea some time to talk over the three options with her partner John,

I head over to Dani's home to say hello to Beau and Riley,

and see which house Chelsea has settled on.

Good to see you guys again.

- Good to see you, too. - And thanks for welcoming me into your home, Dani,

it's nice to see you, too.

I tried to say hi to Beau and Riley, but they were more interested in each other,

and they didn't really give me the time of day, so...

- Standard. - Standard thing, yeah. - Understandable.

But I hear that you have managed to reach a decision

and that an offer is in at the moment.

- Correct, yes. Yep. - Amazing. This is great news.

Before we find out which one you've gone for, though,

let's just talk about the houses we looked at.

The first one I remember was that beautiful renovated villa.

It had a lot of work done to it, didn't it?

- It did, yeah. The bathrooms are beautiful, lovely high ceilings. - Yeah.

- It felt very fresh and new. - Yeah.

- And then the second home was more of a retro feel.

The '80s home that needed a bit of work― - Mm-hm.

- ...but did have a really nice vibe.

- Yeah, I think the word for that one was potential, right? - Yeah.

- Seeing the potential in it and seeing past the decor as it is right now,

and looking at what you could potentially do with it.

- Exactly. Yeah. - Yeah.

- Great. And then the third home we looked at,

again, a completely different direction.

That was a brand new, just over a year-old home. - Mm-hm.

- So, as is, where is, move-in ready.

- Yeah. Yeah. - Mm...

- Really well insulated, really warm and beautiful. - Yeah.

- It's hard to know which way you'd go ― they're completely different choices,

completely different options. - Mm. Mm-hm.

- But you did find one that you were happy to put an offer in on, didn't you?

- We did, yes, and my answer might surprise you― - OK.

- ...but it was house number two. - House number two?

- Yeah! Yes. - Oh, right, so this is a bit of work ahead of you over the next while.

- So I consulted with John, obviously, and he came to look at the properties,

and we decided that, again, it had so much potential,

and if we just put some work into it, we can really make it our own

and turn it into something lovely.

And, it also helps that Dani is 60 seconds down the road.

- Let's be honest, that's why, isn't it? - I might not have put any pressure.

- Yeah, that might have been the tipping point as well.

- Riley and Beau are gonna be together at last.

- It was the perfect love story. It had to happen this way. - Absolutely.

Hey, well, I am so happy for you. Hopefully it all works out.

I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to find you a home,

and then I'd be the one in the dog box.

- No, not at all. You've done really well. - Yeah.

You did very well. - You couldn't have got any closer to my house.

- Well, so glad for you two ― best friends together,

So all the best. - Yes. Cheers.

- And thanks for the cuppa! - Cheers! Any time. - Cheers, you guys.

Well, it wouldn't be a love story without a happy ending,

and I am pleased to announce that Beau and Riley

will finally be reunited ―

and neighbours, as the offer has been accepted.

Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air.

www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023