All language subtitles for Country.House.Hunters.New.Zealand.S02E08.720p.TVNZ.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-BTN

- 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

Well, today is an exciting day. We're
helping a family from San Francisco

find their new home right here
in South Taranaki.

They're a really close-knit family,
so we're looking for something
with a cosy feel.

The budget goes up to $750,000,
so I'm pretty sure I can find them
something that feels like home.

Today I'm with Ilsa and Jorge
in Hawera, South Taranaki.

- Just as I was walking out, I saw
a great view of Mt Taranaki...
- Totally.

- ...that's just gorgeous.
- Mm.

- They've come to this beautiful
part of Aotearoa New Zealand

to find a house that's
brimming with character.

So, the renovation was actually
completed by a father and
his two sons.

- I think the builders did
a great job remodelling this house.
- Mm.

- Amazing. I'm really impressed.

- We'll be touring
three great properties today,

but will one of them be the perfect
fit for their tight-knit
family of four?

A lot of grass to mow.
You'd have to get a lawn mower.
- Or our son might...

- Ah, yeah.
- ...want to make a little bit of―
- We'll get him to―

- Some pocket money.
- There you go.

- Making the move
all the way over from San Francisco,

Ilsa and Jorge are now searching
for a quieter life to enjoy with
their two children.

- What I was getting
sick of in San Francisco
was just the busy lifestyle,

and just that it was very congested,
having to drive everywhere,

and people didn't know each other
and didn't even greet each other
on the street sometimes.

- Yeah, we are actually looking
for a place where we could walk
down the street

and meet, greet people, have a chat,
get to know our neighbours.

You know, it was very important
for us and have a good safe space
for our kids to grow.

- Yeah, so, when we were
in California, we didn't get

too much time to spend with
our parents and as a whole
family because, you know,

it was just work, work, work.
It was―

- A lot of stress.
- A lot of stress.

- So but we can kind of
relax a bit more here...
- Yeah.

- ...and we can go on walks
together.

- Yeah.
- School.

- And with Hawera, it's
a smaller town, really laid back.

You get a really―
a sense of community, really.

So I think it'll be a great place
for us to really spend some quality
family time together.

- Hawera is located in
the North Island of New Zealand,

about a three and a half hour drive
north from Wellington.

This charming town offers
a delightful escape with
its scenic landscapes,

rich Maori heritage
and captivating history.

Hawera suffered from three fires
around the turn of the 20th century,

and in 1914, a large water tower
was built in the town centre.

This is now one of
Taranaki's best-known landmarks.

With so much on offer in this great
little town, I think our family

will love their new laid-back
lifestyle in this little slice
of the Taranaki region.

Now it's time to tour our first
property on today's house-hunt,

and I thought I may as well
start it off with a big one.

This huge home has all of
the character features that
our couple are looking for,

as well as plenty of space
for the whole family.

So let's see what
they think of house number one.

Ilsa, kia ora.
- Hi.

- Jorge.
- Kia ora.

How are you?
- It's so nice to finally
meet you two.

This is exciting.
We're going house-hunting.

How are you feeling?
- Feeling pretty excited.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.
- Yeah.

I couldn't sleep last night
about that. Ah!
- Yeah.

- No, it should be a good day.

- What surprises are we gonna get?
- Well, I've got some good places
in store for you,

but before we find out about
the homes that we're gonna
be looking at today,

I wanna know a little
bit more about you two.

So, first of all, where did you guys
meet? What's your story? Have you
got a cute meet story?

- We do. So, I was studying Spanish
a few years ago, and I went
to Mexico.

I stayed with a host family, and
the host family was his aunt.
- Ah, OK.

- I just kept my― you know, an eye
there, and, yeah, she just enchanted
me, and that's how wemet. Yeah.

- Muy bueno.
- Ah, there you go.

- And the rest is history.
- Yeah. It's been, uh, 16 years.
- Yep.

- 16-plus years.
- Wow.
- Yes.

- And you've moved from San Francisco
all the way here to South Taranaki,

so tell me a little bit about that
story. Why are we in South Taranaki?

- Well, I was born in New Zealand
but have been away since
I was a kid,

so I've been wanting to reconnect
with New Zealand, and we just
decided to make the move.

- In terms of what you're looking
for, I know it's a classic Kiwi home
that's high on the list,isn't it?

- That's right.
Something with some character.

- Well, that brings me to the first
home that I have found for you,

which I reckon it's a real winner.
This is a classic Kiwi home.

It's a 1930s character home.
It's been renovated recently.

In the last few years,
they've done a lot to it,

so it's a really, really nice,
warm, modern home,

four bedrooms, two bathrooms,
very important...
- Mm.

- ...and a big outdoor space as well.
So I reckon this one really does
tick all the boxes.

Should we head inside and take
a look around house number one?

- Absolutely. Let's do this.
- Yep. We're ready.
- Let's head on in.

- This is definitely one of
those character homes that
we're looking for.

It kept a lot of its historical
pieces of it, and definitely that's
something we've been looking for.

- OK.
- Wow.

- Well, kicking things off here in
this beautiful large family room...
- Look at this. Wow.

- ...the lounge,
heaps of light coming in
through those beautiful windows,

and it has been, as I said,
recently renovated,

so you've got the modern with the old
touches, the character touches,
which are so nice.

- Such a nice welcome.
I mean, gosh, it's amazing.
- Yeah.

- Yeah. It is, yeah.
- And you just walk in here,

nice space just to relax
after a hard day at work.

- Exactly.
- Yeah.

- What do you think?
- Yeah, it's beautiful. I can
imagine entertaining in here,

Having friends,
having our― you know...
- Yeah, that's right. Yeah.

- It gets better as well. Should we
head through to the kitchen and
take a look through there?

- I guess so, yes.
- After you.
- Sure, let's do it.

- I think our kids
would really like this house.

There's plenty of space for them.
- Plenty of space, yeah.

- We do a lot of activities
together, and, you know,
that living room there

with space for all of us there
to spend our weekends.

- This is where I think
the house really starts to shine ―

this beautifully renovated
kitchen and dining area.
- Yes.

- They've redone the floors.
- Mm-hm.

- You've got that beautiful
wood burner there as well.

I think that was something
you were quite keen on, wasn't it?
- Oh. Definitely, yes!

- And that huge deck area ―
you can entertain.

I mean, that would be something
you'd wanna do, right? Would you
be entertainers?

- Yes, absolutely, yeah...
- Oh yeah, we would be.

- ...with those sliding doors,
just right out the door with all
the snacks and drinks, whatever.

- It's a great flow,
indoor-outdoor flow.
- Absolutely.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.

- There's plenty more to see,
though, so I'm gonna head outside

and just chill out for a while,
let you guys walk around the place.

When you're ready,
come on out and find me.

- Will do. Excellent.
- OK, see you in a little bit.
- Sounds great. Excellent, yep.

- Oh, so this is the master bedroom.
- It is indeed. Look at that.

Oh, look at that big closet.
- Plenty of room for all
your clothes.

- All my shoes.
- Your shoes. Yep, that's right.

- But, yeah, so what else do you
think, I mean, so far about
the house?

- I do like that flow
from the indoors to the outdoors.

- I mean, it's a really good house
for what they've done here.

- I am kind of concerned it might be
a little bit above our budget,
but we'll see.

- Big backyard, huh?
- It is, yeah.
- It is indeed.

I really like it. I really...
- Yeah.

- Yeah, it's a great space
over here.
- I'm liking it.

- And just as I was walking out,
I saw a great view of Mt Taranaki...
- Totally.

- ...which was gorgeous.
- Mm.

- It looks absolutely amazing today,
doesn't it?
- Yeah.

- And you'd have that view every day.
- Yeah. I know, yeah.
- Yeah.

- So what do you think
this place would be worth?

- I think we're
thinking about the 750s.

- Yeah, 750.
- Yeah, something like that.

- Yeah it's around that market.
It's probably pushing slightly
higher.

I think you'd be starting
to look at around 770, 780.
- Ah.

- So it's pushing the budget,
but for a big home and for
what this place offers,

I'm hoping that means it's not too
far out of the realms of possibility.

- Yeah, I think the house is
a little bit over our initial
budget...

- A little bit above, yeah.
- ...but I feel like having

that extra space might be worth it,
you know, for what it is.

We could probably push it
a little bit, you know.

- After the break, we take a look
around a renovated character home
with a really lovely story behind it,

and later, we explore this cosy
house that's perfect for family
movie nights.

- Today I'm helping Ilsa and Jorge
find their perfect family
home in Hawera.

They loved the first property we
toured; Ilsa was a big fan of all the
natural light that fillsthe home,

and Jorge was taken with
the stunning views of Mt Taranaki.

So it's a bit of a tough act to
follow, but I think I can top it
with house number two.

I know our couple are
searching for that cosy feeling,

and once they step inside, I've got
a feeling they're gonna sense
that straight away.

- Nice.
- Second house of the day.
This is a really cute little option.

Funnily enough, this home
was actually on the last street
that we were just looking at.

- No way!
- It's been lifted up...
- You're kidding!

- ...plonked down on to this section
and given a new lease on life.

Three bedrooms, so a little bit
smaller from the last house

on a smaller section, about 440m2,
but it really is completely up
to date now.

It's been renovated, and it's ready
for a young family to move in to.

- I mean, it looks like they did
a great job renovating it.
- Yeah.

- Yeah, kind of a quiet street, too,
so, yeah, I'm looking forward
to looking inside.

- Excellent. Well, there's more
to see inside, so let's get in there.

- Yeah.
- Right.

- I think the builders did
a great job remodelling this house.
- Mm.

- Amazing. I'm really impressed.

- Welcome in.
- Nice.

- So, the renovation was actually
completed by a father and
his two sons,

so it was kind of a weekend job
for them; they do it as a hobby,

but what it means is
they've spent a lot of time

and put a lot of love into this,
and it really is a quality finish ―

but all the original character
elements of the home are still there,

lovely detailing around the home,
but with a fresh lick of paint.

- And it's ready to move in.
- Exactly, yeah.

- I see a lot of potential here
for us, to be honest.
- Mm, yeah.

Yeah, and the character details,
we really appreciate.

Also the bright colours,
we like, kind of, light...
- That's right.

Lots of light here.
- Nice.
- Light.

- I think having the home feel cosy,
it really will make it feel
like home,

so that's something that
we really are interested in.

- Well, I'm gonna leave you
to it again for a little while.

So have a look around the house,
and I'll be outside.

Come and find me, and we'll
have a chat about the price.

- OK. Great, thank you.
- We will.
- Cool, see you soon.

- Oh, wow. Look at this.
- Wow. Look at this space.
- Wow.

I love all the light that we're
getting here, the natural light.

- Yeah, this is the second living
space, but it really could be
converted into a bedroom...

- A studio, office, guest room.
- ...or a office.

- I think this is― this has
got a lot of potential in
this particular room.

They did a great, great job. I know
I keep saying that, but I think
it's really, reallygood.

Well, let's go and talk
to Matt and see if we are
at the right price.

- Yeah, yeah, let's go.
- Let's go and check it out.

- How was the rest of the house?
Did you have a good look around?

- Yeah, we did, yeah.
- Yeah. It's great, yeah.

- Yeah, we liked it a lot.
- Excellent.

- I mean, there will be
a little thing about the size,

wondering if it's the right
size for a family of four...
- Yeah.

- ...but we are thinking about
becoming this, kind of,
minimalist family.

- Oh, awesome.
- So I think the door is open
for this one, so we'll see.

- Nice.
- We would like to know
more about this.

- Right, price ― that's the thing
we need to talk about now.
- Yes, ha-ha-ha.

- Do you have a sense of what
it would be worth in your opinion?
- So we were thinking around 550.

- OK. Can you read
my face at the moment?

- Ah.
- I got good news.
- Mm.

- You could get it
for less than that.

- What?
- Yeah.
- Woah.

- It's around the―
500 is the asking price, so...

- Wow.
- Wow.
- Yeah.

So that's a lot
of house for $500,000.

- The fact that it's
right under our budget,
that makes a big difference.

I'm really happy with it. Although,
there are a couple of things that
I'm not too sure, like the carpet.

We are a little bit like―
because we're always dropping
a lot of hot sauce on the floor,

- so we just have to make sure that we are...
- Yeah.

You just have to be
very careful with it.
- ...very careful here.

- When we come back, I met up
with town local Racquel

to learn more about what it's like
to be a part of this community.

Then we've got one more property
for our couple to see before
the big decision.

Help put me out of my misery. Which
one are you gonna put an offer in on?

- So we decided to go on―
with house number...

- Hawera, and South Taranaki
in general, is well-known for
its tight-knit community.

So I caught up with town local
Racquel to hear firsthand

what it's like to be a part
of such an amazing place.

- Hey, Racquel, how are you going?
- Good. Nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet you, too.
Nice to be here in South Taranaki.

I love this place.
- Yeah. Well, welcome.
It's good to have you.

- Racquel, one thing I
know about people from Taranaki,
and South Taranaki in particular,

is that they are so staunchly proud
of coming from this region ―
is that true?

Is that something
that you've noticed?

- Yeah, absolutely. Like,
once you come from Taranaki,
you're born in Taranaki,

you're always from Taranaki,
particularly South Taranaki.
- Yeah.

- We are incredibly proud of who
we are, and we're a pretty
tight-knit community.

We all look out for each other
and, yeah, this is definitely
where we call home. Yeah.

- Awesome. And Hawera itself,
it's a town on the rise, isn't it?
It's a really vibrant place.

It's getting busier and better, and
so much is going on at the moment.

- Yeah. I think, you know,
people have kind of recognised
or re-evaluated a few things

in their life and perhaps decided
that they can see some value in
living in that slower-pacedlife,

and with that, we're starting to see
a bit of an emergence of, I guess,

more hospitality options and a bit
of an art scene starting to really
creep in too.

So I'm really excited what the
next five years look like for us.

- And from the mountain
to the beach...
- Yeah.

- ...you've got
everything right there.
- Yeah.

We're just blessed to be able
to climb the mountain in one day

and go back down to the beach and go
for a walk or a surf or whatever it
is you like todo,

and I don't think there's
many places that could say
that they get to do that.

- Oh, maybe I should put my climbing
gear on and get up the maunga.
- Yeah, you totally should. Yeah.

- What do you reckon?
- Yeah, do it.

- I have one last property
to show our couple.

They've been really positive so far
with the other two homes, so let's
keep up the momentum withthis one.

It's got plenty of character features
and a really cosy feel,

but it's the backyard that I think
might just get them over the line
with this one.

So let's see what
they think of our final home.

- Interesting.
- Jorge, Ilsa, this is
our third and final home,

but I'm really excited about this
one. I think this could be a great
option for your family.

This is a 1922 character bungalow.
It's on a back section, so it's
really nice and private.

It's fully fenced, and again, we're
in that fantastic area ― so close
to town, close to everything.

- It's really off the road.
It's very quiet, peaceful.
- It's lovely.

- It almost feels like
you're in the countryside.

- Yeah.
- Yeah. I like that.
- Yeah, yeah.

- But it's very close
to town as well.
- For sure.

Well, shall we stop talking about it
and start looking at it?

Let's get inside.
- Definitely, yeah.
- Sounds good.

I really love the house. I love
the bright colour. It's white,
it's beautiful.

- OK, welcome in.
- Oh.

- This is the first
of two living areas,

and I reckon this one's gonna
be the movie night living room.

It's nice and warm, it's cosy.
You've got the wood burner in here.

Again, I know that's
a huge plus for you.

- It is. It is.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.

How do you feel about this place?
- I like it, yeah. I's pretty cool.
- Yeah.

- Yeah. I mean, one of
the key elements of a home for us

is to have a fireplace,
so it's good.
- Mm.

- Yeah.
- Let's head through
to the rest of the house.

I'm pretty sure you're gonna like the
kitchen and the open-plan living as
well, so let's go havea look.

- Perfect. Thank you.
- Thank you.

- Oh, look at that.
- So a little bit more space
in this kitchen

compared to the last house
that we looked at.
- Yeah.

- It's a nice open-plan area
with your dining-kitchen
into the living area,

onto that sun-drenched deck
right there as well.

So what do you think of this place?

- I like the light that this room
gets. That's amazing.
- Oh yes.

- So does the size of this house
appeal more potentially than
the last house?

- I think so. Although,
the other house was kind of cosy.
- True.

- We're like a wolf pack,
the four of us.

We're always together doing things.

- So, yeah, I'm not sure,
but, definitely, I mean, having
the opportunity to have sometime...

- Yeah.
- ...to do our own thing,

that's very important
as a family as well...

- Yeah.
- ...so yeah.

- Well, speaking of having time to
do your own thing, I'll give you
that now. I'll be outside.

Have a good look around, check out
the place, and I'll see you when
you're done.

- Excellent.
- Very good.
- Cool.

- Wow. What do you
think of this room?

- I think it's pretty nice.
I mean, there's plenty of space.
- Yeah.

- Yeah, it's spacious, and I love
the ceiling, the wooden ceiling.

- Although, I think all the windows
around here are single pane...
- Mm.

- ...and I don't know, you know,
how cold it's gonna get.

- Yeah, that's true, yeah.
- Something to consider.

I don't know. We'll see.
I mean, it depends on the price,

and we'll have to find out.
- Mm-hm.
- Yeah.

- Hi.
- There you are.

- You wanna talk about a classic Kiwi
backyard, I think this one ticks
all the boxes ―

so much space, a lot of grass to mow.
You'd have to get a lawn mower or―
Would that be your job there?

- Jorge's not too
keen on the lawn mower.
- I'm not sure.

I mean, we love a space
like this, obviously.

- I think it's
gonna be a lot of work.

- You would have
your responsibility.

- Or our son might...
- Yeah. Oh, yeah.

- Ah, yeah.
- ...want to make a little bit of―

- Some pocket money. Exactly.
- There you go.

- So what is your assessment? What
are you thinking this place is worth?

- Guessing around, uh...

7... something.
- At least, yeah.

7, mid-7.
- Yeah, you're pretty close.

Of the three houses that we've seen
today, this one sort of sits in
the middle.

It is around about the 710, 720 mark,

so within budget.

- The price will be something to
really consider, especially because
we wanna be within ourbudget,

but we also have to see if we
wanna make any additions to what
we have here, but I'm not too sure.

What do you think?
- Yeah, yeah, I think we
have to kind of consider

any kind of upgrades that we need
to make or anything as well.
- Yeah.

To stay within our budget, yeah.
- Mm.

- Well, I think our couple will be
pretty happy with all of the homes
that we toured today.

There weren't too many drawbacks
on any of the three options,

so I've got no idea which way they'll
go. I guess we'll just have
to wait and see.

Now that our couple has had some time
to discuss the three options

with their family, let's find out
if they've come to a decision.

Jorge, Ilsa,

como esta?

- Muy bien, y usted?
- Uh, muy bien... I think.

- Is that good? How's my Spanish?
- I think it's pretty good.

- You're being very kind, very kind.
But it's so good to see you again.
- Thank you.

- I hear you've made a decision.
You've managed to pick one
of the three houses

that we looked at
to put an offer in on.
- Yeah. It took a little while.

We had to really think and
kind of weigh pros and cons...

- Yeah?
- ...but we have come to a decision.

- And I imagine your kids
had quite a lot to say as well.

- This new generation,
you know what it's like.

- So let's just recap the houses
that we looked at, though.

The first one had a lot
of room, a big section.

It was the 1930s character home,
the moulded ceilings, a lot
to like about that home.

- We really like the space.
- Yeah.

- Yeah, we like the space.
- Yeah. The spaciousness, and
the light was very light andbright,

and we like the kitchen,
large kitchen for entertaining.
- Yeah.

- And the view of
Mt Taranaki from there...
- That's right.

- Yeah.
- yeah, it's amazing.

- Awesome little house.
- Yes.

- The second home we looked at was
smaller in size but packed a punch
as well.

The one that had been relocated
from that same street on to
the new section.

What'd you think of that one?

- I think it was great with all
the renovations that they did.
- Mm-hm.

- Yeah, we love the character,
but also the modernisation.

- That's true, yeah.
- Nice new carpet and painted
throughout.

- A warm, nice home you could
just move in to straight away,

not really needing much work.
- It was such a history―

- It's ready to go.
It's ready to go, yeah.
- It's good.

- And then the third option that
I brought you to, again, a large
section, lots of space.

That backyard was just absolutely
phenomenal, wasn't it?

- It was. It was― It's beautiful.
Yeah, lots of space, as you said

- and lots of work to do
in the backyard.
- Yeah.

- Yeah. The backyard was really―
you know, quite stood out to us.
- Beautiful.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.

- You're very positive people,
so all three houses you've been
very positive about,

which means I've got no idea
which way you are gonna go.

So put me out of my misery ―
which one are you gonna put
an offer in on?

- So we decided to go on―
with house number...

- Numero tres.
- ...tres.
- Uno, dos, tres!

- Ah!
- Number three!
- There you go.

- That is so exciting. I love that
home, and I can imagine you there.

All four of you, I think, are gonna
be so happy in a home like that.

So here's the start of your new life
here in Hawera in Aotearoa.

Haere mai, welcome to New Zealand.

- Thank you, cheers.
- Thank you, cheers.

- Congratulations, Ilsa and Jorge,
on finding the new place for
your family to call home.

I'm sure you'll all enjoy
your new lives together

in this incredible
part of Aotearoa, New Zealand.

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