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.

Join me today as we visit Nelson with our lovely couple, Evelyn and Richard.

After spending 15 years in Bristol, they realised they missed the feeling of home,

so they're moving back to Aotearoa New Zealand.

Evelyn needs a setup for a psychotherapy practice,

and Richard needs a space where he can shred on his guitars.

Luckily, I've got three killer options, so let's rock and roll.

Today we're in Nelson with Evelyn and Richard.

I'm not sure if you noticed the fruit trees. - Yeah.

- You're gonna be sorted for your fruit and vege for the next wee while if you do―

Can I just go grab a gin and tonic now?

Absolutely. - OK. Excellent.

- We've got three homes to explore, each offering a different take on country living.

- Oh, wow. Look at that view. - Yeah, OK.

- Having a bath in there and a book ― sorted.

- Plus, I swing by the Nelson Classic Car Museum for a spin in an absolute beauty.

So wish me luck as I try to find Evelyn and Richard something to call their own.

- I'm Evelyn. I'm a psychotherapist, and I'm looking for property in Tasman Nelson area.

Kia ora. I'm Richard, and I guess I'm going where she's going.

- We'd both been in Wellington in the, sort of, corporate scene for quite some time

and really getting a bit fed up with it, to be perfectly honest.

So we're having― It was a Friday night, I'm pretty sure, started off with a bottle of wine.

I'm not even sure whether there were two bottles of wine, but the―

- Let's just say one. Let's just say one. - Let's just say one.

The discussion progressed over the evening from 'We need a bit of a break.

'Let's take a little bit of a...' - Holiday.

- '...a little bit of a holiday somewhere'. Towards the end of it,

'Bugger it. Let's just leave the country

'and go live overseas for... ever.' - However long.

- However long or ever. - Yeah.

- Sold up our worldly possessions and moved to the UK, where we stayed for 15 years.

- For me, something never quite felt right.

The birds always sounded wrong to me, which sounds very strange, I know.

And the birds were right because they were in the right country,

but it sort of told me I wasn't in the right country. - Yeah, they weren't our birds.

And I think, look, you've got family in the South Island.

I've never lived in the South Island in my life.

Apparently, you're a mainlander if you come from here,

but I'll never be a mainlander, as I understand it. - I know.

- Our couple have a budget of around $1.3 million,

so let's see if we can find them their perfect welcome home present.

Situated on the beautiful Tasman Bay, Nelson has a way of captivating visitors

with its astonishing natural splendour and vibrant art scene.

This coastal region offers a sunny climate, wineries, local markets and a warm, welcoming community,

the perfect place for two Kiwis who have been wanting to come home to Aotearoa New Zealand.

Let's get started with the house-hunt.

Now, this first property might just be a keeper for Evelyn and Richard,

but is there a suitable space for Evelyn to run her psychotherapy practice?

Kia ora, Evelyn. - Hi, Matt. - Hey, how are you? Great, thank you.

- Very good to see you, Matt. - Nice to see you, Richard. - Cheers.

- Well, first of all, haere mai, welcome home to Aotearoa.

- Thank you. - Thank you very much. - Been away a wee while, haven't you,

over in the UK for, what, almost 15 years?

- Yeah, it's been a while... - Yeah.

- ...so it's sort of nice to come back home, really.

- And you've chosen Tasman District for your homecoming region of choice.

You've got the beaches around here, the walks. - Yep.

- Would you be outdoorsy people? You're into cycling, aren't you?

- We really like our cycling, so there's... I see a cycle path around here.

- Yeah, yeah. - Wine tasting or something.

Yeah, I've spotted a few vineyards.

- So that's a big part of the move for you, is it, Richard? - Might be, might be.

- So I know that you are looking for a minimum of four bedrooms ―

that's what we're after? - Yeah.

- Some fruit trees would be nice, a bit of a garden. You're gardeners, are you?

- Yeah, well, I am. - Yeah.

- He mows lawns. - Yeah. Look, that's gardening.

- And sundry sweeping duties and stuff like that. - Yeah, I'm sure you can help out.

What other things are we looking for in a house?

- I'm a psychotherapist, so I need somewhere where clients can come and work with me...

- Yeah. - ..which is often near a front door...

- Sure. - ...is what I'm thinking,

and big enough to have my study and my books and everything in there as well.

- Great. Yep. - Yeah, well, I also work from home.

Well, I'm working for a British company, so I work strange hours.

- Right, yeah. - I also play a bit of guitar.

I wanna get back to playing in a band,

so I've got some gear that needs being around in some place... - Yeah.

- ...I can make some noise without entertaining the neighbours too much.

- Yeah. So a bit of space will be good. - Bit of space, yeah.

- OK. - Yeah, space.

- So the first house I brought you to, a lot of space.

It's a five-bedroom home. - Mm-hm.

- It's about 10 years old. It's a nice modern home.

There are some fruit trees in the backyard...

- Yay. - ...bit of garden for you as well.

Why don't we head inside and see if this one works for you? - Cool.

- Main living area here. You can see just to your right you've got a separate living space right there,

which I was wondering if that might work for you, Evelyn, as an office.

- Yeah, I think that could work quite well...

- It's a big space. - ...and it's a nice big space,

so there's enough distance and enough to put my bookcases and chair and tables up, so...

- So that could be an option for you, yeah. - ...that could be really nice.

- The kitchen comes with a butler's pantry, which is always nice. - Mm.

- Plenty of storage for you. How does it feel to you now that you've walked in?

- I like the indoor-outdoor flow. Just standing here, that looks really nice.

- Yeah. - Mm. I know we've said we want blue sky and we want warmth and things...

- Yeah. - ...but I'm really attracted to this.

I mean, it makes it feel very cosy.

- And you'd have a lot of family visiting from time to time, do you think?

- Yeah, a lot of people coming and staying,

so this would work really, really well. - Yeah.

They may not go home.

Oh yes, they will.

- Well, I'm gonna get out of your hair and let you have a good look around the home,

so spend some time, and once you're done, I'll just be outside on the patio.

- Fantastic. Thanks very much. - See you shortly.

- Wow. Look at that. Look at that.

- Yeah, certainly, it's the size, and you can go straight outside... - Yeah.

- ...into the spa pool. - Yeah.

Do you think that comes with it or get our own one? - Hope so.

- Yeah, that's really cool.

- OK, well, I guess we'd better find out what the numbers look like and see what Matt can tell us.

- Go find him? - After you.

- Hi. - Gidday.

So we got ourselves a classic Kiwi backyard.

You probably haven't seen one of these for a few years.

- No, it's been a while, but, yeah, it looks very familiar, very tidy, very clean, very organised. Yeah.

- Would you keep the chickens, you reckon? - Oh, I've always wanted chickens.

- You don't think they're a bit 'foul'?

Ohhh, no.

- I'll give you a free pass on that one, Richard, that was― - I'm sorry.

- I've always wanted chickens. They'd be really good, yeah.

Do you think they'll take them with them? - Yeah, probably.

- Darn.

- In terms of the garden setup, is this something that you would work with?

- It's really nicely laid out.

Maybe some of the plantings would come out and some fruit trees would go in.

So there might be a bit of work involved, but it's not a problem. - Yeah.

- Let's be honest, you would change it entirely. - Yeah, I would.

Yeah, I do that. Yeah, yeah. - Yeah, rip it out and start again. - Rip it out and start again.

- Wherever I go, I seem to dig things up and change it, so...

- But there's plenty of opportunity for that. - So it's not a problem.

I like the outlook to the hills. That's nice. - Yeah, that is nice, isn't it?

- I get the impression it might be a tad over budget. - Mm-hm.

- It really depends. I mean, it's a place you could walk into.

- OK. Evelyn, you're on the same page? - Yeah. I'm thinking it is

most probably a bit over what it is for us.

- Do you know what? I love giving good news.

You've actually overestimated. - Yeah? - OK.

- We're only looking about 1.1 to secure this house. - Really?

- It was a lot less than I was expecting. - That was a nice surprise.

- Two more houses to look at today. Shall we hit the road?

- Absolutely. Let's go. - Let's do it. - Away we go.

Coming up ― we've got two more houses to explore,

both of which I think could work for Evelyn and Richard's return to Aotearoa.

Plus, I get to check out some truly amazing machines in the Nelson Classic Car Museum.

- I'm in Nelson, helping Evelyn and Richard on their quest for a country home in New Zealand.

The first house really had a lot of potential,

but I'm keen to show them through this next one for some amazing views,

but will these two cyclists be up for pedalling around this neighbourhood with all of these hills?

Here we are, house number two. So we're still in Brightwater,

just a few minutes up the road from the first house on an elevated section.

I was wondering, being cyclists, is that a problem ―

having a hill to have to get home up every day?

- E-bikes, E-bikes. - E-bikes. - Cheat bikes, I get it.

- Yeah, OK. - So that's fine, yeah.

We brought them with us from Bristol.

Bristol's hilly, so this is not a problem. - Oh, nice.

So you're powering your way up the hill to home. - Yeah, absolutely.

Bit of help, yeah. - OK.

Well, the house itself, though, it's a really modern home, again, about 10 years old,

and you've got the internal-access garage right out the front, leading you into a three-bedroomhome.

And I know that's alarm bells ringing, because your must-haves... - Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

- ...were four bedrooms. Don't worry, I've thought of everything.

I've got a solution for you inside. - OK.

- Shall we take a look around? - Let's go. - Let's do it.

- Kitchen-dining area ― obviously, it's a nice modern kitchen.

You got everything you need right there ― big breakfast bench, you got the butler's pantry

and a nice view out to the garden while you're doing the dishes.

- Fabulous view. - It's pretty amazing, isn't it?

- Fabulous views. - View's not bad.

- Now, I know we did talk about the fact that this was three bedrooms... - Yes.

- ...and I know you must-haves list included four bedrooms. - Yes, yes.

- So don't worry. I've thought about that.

This media room currently is being used as the entertainment area... - Mm-hm.

- ...with the TV, but it does have external access.

So we've got a sliding door... - Yep.

- ...which I was thinking would mean, just like the first place,

that could be converted into your office. - OK.

- What do you think? - And the fact that it's got a door

there already makes it a bit easier, doesn't it? - Great.

Let's head through to the lounge.

It just gets better and better, this place. - OK.

- Big, spacious lounge area.

It feels open plan, even though really it's just separated by the gas fireplace in the middle,

so your dining-kitchen-lounge flows through really nicely. - Yeah. Mm.

Obviously, the access is fantastic out to a courtyard here,

the outdoor entertainment. Yeah. - That's superb. That's really good.

- It's covered as well, so if it's a little bit windy out this side of the house,

you can come around this side of the house.

Rain, hail, snow, whatever you need. - That's good. Nice.

- Richard, as a music fan, I've got another treat for you.

We've got speakers all through the house, surround sound. - You can't have too many speakers.

- Everywhere you go, you've got it outside, inside... - Excellent.

- ...all controllable from wall panels.

- So we're, like, right in a 1930s house in Bristol, aren't we,

and this is a really different style than that.

- I mean, it's got the modern cons. I mean, it's got speakers in every room.

- I know. You like that, eh? - I do. - Yeah.

- How does it feel in here? Is it feeling like― you know, like home?

Would it be a space that you could really relax in, do you think?

- Yeah, I'm really loving the whole vista.

It's like looking at a big picture, really,

a surround-sound picture just out the windows. - Yeah.

- It's beautifully designed.

- I'm gonna head outside. I'm looking forward to the view out there,

but make sure when you check this main bedroom out you do have a look through to the bathroom.

- OK. - Got a funny feeling you're gonna be taking a lot of baths in this house.

Yeah. See you soon. - OK.

- Is he saying we're dirty? - I don't know.

Look at that. Look at the view. - Yep.

Impressive views from everywhere. - That looks nice.

- It's a good-sized room too. - Yeah.

- Well, should we check out this much-anticipated en-suite? - Yeah, let's go.

Oh, wow, look at that view! - Yeah, OK.

- Having a bath in there and a book and some candles, glass of bubbles ― sorted.

So how's this gonna work, do you reckon?

- Uh, interesting.

I think your working situation would probably work but would need something done to it.

We're gonna have to have that conversation with Matt around what's the budget,

because we would be needing to spend some money.

- Let's go find him, shall we? - We shall.

- Is that a spectacular view, or is that a spectacular view? - Whoa, that's amazing!

Not only spectacular with the view, but there's a swimming pool.

- I know. - It's amazing.

- The budget that you gave to me was around the $1.3 million mark. - Yeah.

- What sort of wiggle room was there in that?

- A little bit. - I could sell parts of him, we'd be good - A little bit.

- Because you'd need to come up just a smidge up to about 1.4,

maybe just a hair's breadth over 1.4. - Just over?

- I guess it depends on whether there'd be much required to be spent

in terms of any, you know, work required for your office.

I don't wanna tell them this... - No.

- ...but it's probably cheaper than I would've expected.

- That's two houses down. We've got one more to look at. So let's hit the road.

Coming up ― we'll have one amazing ride,

one more house tour

and one very big decision.

I'll leave it up to you to make your final decision known.

Which way are you going?

- While in Nelson, I just had to make a pit stop at the Nelson Classic Car Museum,

where I got to meet up with Mike to talk all things classic cars.

Mike, just sitting behind the wheel of this thing,

I'm starting to get an idea of why people fall in love with these classic cars. It's amazing.

- Yeah, they're pretty special, eh? - It's magical.

And this is just one of, what, over 150 cars?

- Over 150 cars that are in the museum at any one time, yeah.

- That is incredible.

What do people love about visiting the museum? What do you see when they come here?

- It's a great range of collection, but also you can walk amongst the cars.

Most of them aren't roped off, and so you can get right in,

and you can poke your head in, and you can have a proper look. - Yeah.

- Sometimes you get people come along, and you get the feeling

they've been dragged along, but by the time they come out the other... - Yeah.

- ...end, they've got a big smile on their face,

and they didn't― they didn't realise they'd enjoy it... - Yeah.

- ...nearly as much as they did.

- You yourself, you've been involved with cars for quite a long time.

You're actually involved in quite an impressive effort involving a Mini, weren't you?

- Yes. I can't claim to have done much, but, um, I tagged along.

We took a Mini to Bonneville in Utah, to the salt flats... - Yeah.

- ...and now we can call it the world's fastest Mini.

Our very top speed the second time we went was 166mph.

- In a Mini. - In a Mini.

- Yeah. With someone very brave and skilled driving it. - Incredible.

Cars these days, they're all the same, aren't they? - Yeah.

- But look around you. These things are just beautiful pieces of machinery.

- Well, we can blow your mind a little bit more. We'll take the T-Bird for a ride.

- Are you serious? - Yeah, absolutely.

- Now, as much as I'd love to drive around in beautiful cars all day,

I'm here to help Evelyn and Richard find their new home,

and I think this third home could really work for them.

OK, here we are ― our third option.

I kind of look at this and think almost like a hacienda,

a Spanish-style villa. - Yeah.

Does it say that to you? - Yeah. - Hola.

It's...

It's got that and a little Italian sort of flavour to it as well. - Yeah.

- It's got that terracotta sort of Mediterranean warmth, yeah. - For sure.

- Just across the road there is Snowden's Bush,

a really nice little wee spot for walks, native bush.

- Wee bit worried about noise as we're standing― - Yeah, I can hear a car coming now.

Looks like it's quite a busy road. - It is a fairly busy road. - Yeah.

- One good thing is the owners have got double-glazing on this side of this house,

so it shouldn't really affect you too much when you're inside. - OK.

- So, yeah, it's a 20-year-old house, but it has been recently updated,

so you got brand-new carpet throughout. It's a nice modern feel inside.

- I really like the kitchen, and I like how you can see out to sort of the main road andthat.

I could imagine standing there and working there.

- Watching the world go by. - Yeah.

- You would have noticed, actually, as we walked in,

the front room's being used as an office at the moment,

and I thought that could be the perfect room for you for your practice.

- I saw that, yeah, that space is really good.

- The only thing was I do remember when we were scoping out what we wanted,

I had said, 'Never again do I want another house with stairs.'

- You can make it up the stairs. - Yeah.

I'm sure you can make it up the stairs, good exercise for you. - Probably.

Never say never. - It's only one room. - Yeah.

- Yeah, yeah. - OK. Well, something to keep in mind.

Let's carry on through. The main lounge is just this way. - OK.

- Right, a nice light-filled lounge, that picture window framing that garden really nicely.

- Yep. - I thought you might like that. - I like the outlook.

In both directions, I can see the bush over there that you talked about when we first got here,

and there's something behind there too, so...

- Yeah, there's a reserve just across that way as well,

so you're really framed on both sides by nature. - Yeah, that's cool.

Hmm, I guess we just climbed the stairway to heaven there.

- Oh, ha - I couldn't resist.

- Well, you made it up. - Yeah, that's right.

- Hey, this is nice. - Nice room.

- And look at the bush. You can see it so much better from up here. - Yeah.

Overall, my impressions are good. I like that tree out there.

- Ha, I don't. No. - No. OK.

Oh, you caught me sitting down on the job out here.

- It is a nice feel out in the backyard, though.

It's a relaxing kind of a space, I think. - Yeah.

And you would have already noticed a lot of work has been done ― you got the vege garden here,

you got strawberries, you got grapes.

Out the front, I'm not sure if you noticed the fruit trees. - Yeah.

- You've got oranges, peaches, nectarines, limes, all sorts of fruit.

I mean, really, you're gonna be sorted for your fruit and veg for the next wee while if you do―

Can I just go grab a gin and tonic now?

Absolutely. - Excellent.

- So the price is the only thing left to discuss really at this point.

- Yeah. - What do you think?

- 1-plus, I guess, it's gonna be over a million, isn't it?

So, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3? - But I think within our budget,

I think we'd be right. - Might be able to make it.

- You have been overestimating so far.

- Overestimating, we have. - Yeah, yeah.

- You're around the right figure for this one, though.

So I think around 1.2 would probably secure this house for you. - OK. Cool.

- OK. - OK. I think the price is OK.

I think the price is within our budget.

- Certainly within budget. Mm. - I think this is good. - It has potential.

- Well, you don't have to make a decision right now, obviously. - Right.

- Yeah. - So head away, and once you have made up your mind,

maybe you want to put an offer in on one of these three houses,

let's get back together again and discuss it then. - Yeah.

- Evelyn and Richard found something to like in all three homes,

so as for which way they'll go, well, for me, it's just a game of wait and see.

Well, now that Evelyn and Richard have had some time away to properly think things over,

I'm keen to catch up over a drink and see if they were able to narrow down

the options from our recent house-hunt.

Richard and Evelyn, a decision has been made, apparently, I hear. - Yeah.

It's been close, but you didn't make it easy for us, Matt.

- There are some, you know― They're all three really good properties.

- That's a good thing. That's great to hear. - Yep, it is a good thing.

- So let's run through what we did look at, though. The first house I remember had a great littleoption

for you for the practice right off that main lounge. - Yep.

- It did need a little bit of work to make it completely perfect, though.

- It was good. It would just cost a little bit to get the door in and a toilet in and that,

had chickens,lovethe chickens. - Love the chickens.

Good, but not quite perfect. OK. - It was up there. Not quite right. - Yep, not quite.

- The second property we looked at ― wow, that pool. - Wow factor.

- Yeah. - Absolute wow factor.

Maybe just a little bit big is what we thought. - Probably big.

Yeah, she's a fair size.

- And then the third home... - Yeah.

....the hacienda, the Spanish-style home. - The hacienda.

- Yeah. - There was something about that Mediterranean sort of feel.

It was really nice. - Then you go through the house to the other side,

and it's an entirely different perspective, looking out to the native bush, the reserve, etc.

So that was really cool and that. - Mm. OK.

- Well, I don't think you need to be a psychotherapist to get inside your heads at this point

and figure out which way you might be leaning,

but I'll leave it up to you to make your final decision known. Which way are you going?

- Number three, we believe, number three. - Thought so. Number three.

- Yeah. - Number three.

- So we're gonna put an offer in? - Yeah, why not?

- Well, as I said, welcome home. All the very best. I hope your offer is accepted,

and hopefully you'll be moving in to Brightwater, Nelson,

Tasman Region very shortly. - Thank you very much. Cheers.

- Thank you. - Thanks, Matt. - Cheers, guys.

Evelyn and Richard, well done to both of you.

That third house, it's a really nice balance that gives you everything you need

as you fit right back in to New Zealand life.

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