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

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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