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

Today we're joining Jill and Michael on their search

for peace and tranquillity in the beautiful Waitaki District.

Their ultimate goal is to settle down somewhere near Oamaru,

where their son has already established his roots.

They've got their heart set on a home with room for them to garden,

but they also want something different from the home

they're currently living in in Auckland, something with character. So let's go house-hunting.

Welcome to the Waitaki District. I'm down here to help Mick and Jill find their dream countryhome.

They want to stay close to Oamaru, but they're open to the idea of nearby areas.

So today I'm taking them to three different towns to look at three completely different options.

With Mick being a builder, he needs somewhere with plenty of workshop space for his gear,

and they're also interested in somewhere with the potential for rental accommodation.

Come along as we tour this mixed bag of potential options, and just maybe we can find this couplea winner.

- We're coming from Auckland.

Our kids have outgrown the family home, and we're looking to move,

and we quite like this area, don't we? - Yeah.

- We're on the footsteps of fantastic mountains and ranges, rivers.

- Yeah, the outdoor activities are amazing.

- We have the added bonus that our son also lives in Oamaru, so it would be nice to be near him.

We haven't really seen him that often for the last five years. - Yeah.

- That'd be a nice thing for us to do.

I'd be happy to look further afield.

There's nothing to tie us into Oamaru as such, is there?

We can look further afield. - Oh, sure, yeah.

We want a bit more space. - I would like a workshop.

- A bit of character, something a bit different,

maybe with some potential to put our own stamp on to it.

- Our budget is around about the 600 mark.

You know, we might be able to stretch it a little bit further.

- The Waitaki District sits between Canterbury and Otago,

and it's a mixture of rolling mountains

and dreamy coastlines.

The awe-inspiring scenery, combined with its cultural and geological activities,

creates a serenity that we just love here on Country House Hunters.

Mick and Jill certainly have lots on offer for them here in Waitaki.

I'm bringing a couple to the beautiful seaside town of Oamaru for the first house I've lined up today.

It's time to show them through and see what they think.

Hopefully we can kick things off with a good start.

Nice to meet you, Mick. How are you going, Jill?

First of all, welcome down to the South Island on a pretty crisp, chilly morning.

- Yeah. - How are you dealing with this cold?

It's a bit of a shock to the system, isn't it, eh?

- We've been in Auckland a long time while the boys were at school.

- That meant they were there from 4 years old to 18,

so that sort of committed us to Auckland. - That keeps you in the one place.

But now, footloose and fancy free, you can go wherever you like.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

- So why not the Waitaki District? - Yeah. - Yeah.

And just let our kids know they can't get away from us.

- So I know there are a few things that you're keen on ―

a bit a space would be, would be ideal, wouldn't it?

- Yeah, it would be. - Yeah.

- We'd both like to be outdoors. - Yeah.

- A nice outdoor area would be nice. - OK, yeah.

- Room for a garden. - Gardening, yeah. - A good garden, good vege garden.

- You both keen on gardening? - Well, not me so much.

So this is Jill's area, yeah? - I like creating a garden, can't stand the maintenance ofit.

- I know that, potentially, a little bit of income from the property that you buy would be a good thing, right?

Rental accommodation would be the obvious one, wouldn't it?

OK. - Big character, a character―

a place with a bit of character. - Yeah.

- OK, I think this is gonna be a bit of fun today.

I'm pretty sure I've found some interesting options for you two. - Great.

- The house that I brought you to, we've got a 1930s character home.

It has traditionally been used as a bed and breakfast... - OK.

- ...and a really popular one at that, so we're only― - Yeah. It's a good-looking house.

- It's a beautiful home, isn't it? I mean, if you're looking for character.

- Yeah. - ....this place...

- Got it. - ...definitely has that and droves. - Yeah.

- There are some stunning touches inside. So let's go and see them, shall we? Come on in.

Welcome in.

This is the larger living room.

All of those character touches are just so obvious ―

the wood panelling, that dark wood panelling, really gives a sense of warmth.

Obviously, the log burner helps with that as well.

I love that big bay window with the lead-lighting.

Just so much to like about this room.

How does it feel to you walking in? - Pretty comfortable, yeah. - It is.

Yeah, I think it brings the character of the outside into the room.

- Yeah. - Restored really nicely, you know.

As you say, the panelling and the rimu architrave and window frame are really nice.

- Yeah. - A few original features.

The cornice is really nice, the plaster cornice. - Yeah.

- You don't see this in modern houses, you know, and it is in really good shape.

- They've done a great job of keeping it up to date,

but also keeping all the character touches obviously intact.

Should we head through the kitchen, take a look in there?

- Yeah, I'll follow you. - Yeah, great.

- OK, here we are. A small-ish kitchen, you'd have to say,

but it does suit the tone of the house in terms of the style.

Fridge is actually hidden in there, an integrated little―

- Oh, OK. - A little hidden fridge space there.

So this would be the space that you'd be whipping out the breakfasts for your guests.

Looking at it that way... - Yeah, maybe need a bit more bench space, I think, yeah

- OK. All right, so we'll get Mick on to a builder's plan.

- Yeah, yeah. There's always ways of making things different and changing it.

- Yeah, like, there's more space out there, I think.

- You might be able to utilise that laundry space.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

- Why don't you take a look around the rest of the house?

So there's three bedrooms upstairs. - OK.

- Go and have a look around there, and I'll see you soon.

- Fantastic, all right. Thank you. - Thank you.

Very tidy, eh? - Tidy. - Lovely.

I love the pull... - Pull cords. - Pull cord.

- Nice en suite. - Mm, yeah.

- Good use of the roof space in there, because that would have been original roof space.

Three bedrooms, could definitely have accommodation here. - Mm.

You wouldn't have to do much, would you? - No.

- Here we are.

Backyard carries that character... - Yeah. - ...through and through.

They've got a nice kind of a English country-style garden

on this side of the home. - Yeah.

- Over to the west, a bit more of a formal garden ― how does that appeal to you?

- Pretty nice, nice with the glasshouse there.

- That's a glasshouse, yeah. - It's a plus.

Probably more formal than I'm probably used to... - Mm-hm.

- ...for a garden, but really tidy, and yeah...

- Obviously, something you can put your own touch on as well. - Yeah. And it's big enough.

- You do have a shed on the property up that driveway ― big enough for you, do you think?

- Yeah, definitely. Once again, you know, you can extend that.

There's no reason― It's a nice long driveway. It's not a space that you're going to lose.

- Let's talk about the value of the home.

If you had to guess what they were asking for for this house...

- Uh, the way it's done up, maybe 7.

- OK. - Yeah.

- Jill, what do you think? - I would say around about.

- You're on the same page with that one. - Yeah, maybe early 7s.

- You're close. They're looking for inquiries over 649.

- Oh, OK. - Oh, OK.

- So maybe a little bit more of a of a deal than you're expecting on this.

- Yes, I would say so. - Yeah, could be.

- I think it's quite good value for money.

It's quite a good solid house. - It's a good, solid house.

- I like the character of it. - Nicely renovated.

It would have been nice for it to be a little bit more open, I think.

- Well, you're a builder, so you could extend it somehow.

- We could look at it.

- I think it's actually ideal for a bed and breakfast.

- Let's jump in the car to house number two.

- Yeah. - Yeah, excellent. - Come on out.

I think this is a really suitable first option for our couple here today.

It had the established gardens, plenty of character and the option for a B&B.

They did mention that they'd consider looking a little further out of town.

So coming up, I'll show them a true country escape.

- Today I'm helping Mick and Jill find the perfect country home

for their big move from Auckland down to the Waitaki District.

The first option we saw in Oamaru had plenty of character,

but I got the feeling some areas might be a wee bit too small to run a B&B.

I can't wait to show our couple this next option, which I reckon offers country living at itsfinest.

Well, we couldn't have much more contrast, really.

There was a bit of road noise where we were at the first house, but absolute silence here.

We are in Tokarahi in the Waitaki District, and it is so peaceful. - Beautiful.

- We are definitely looking at country living for the second house that I've brought you to.

You would have noticed the limestone cliffs that we drove past. - Yeah.

- Have a look at this house. It's made from that Oamaru stone. - Right.

Four-bedroom home. - Yeah.

- You can see it's had an addition ― this wing was put on in the '80s. The original home built inthe '70s.

The home was one thing, but the land is really the story of this property ― over 5.5ha.

So you wanted space. - Yeah, there's plenty of space. - This is space plus.

- I could get lost, yeah. - You could. - Yeah, absolutely.

- Let's get inside and have a look around. - OK, great.

Welcome in.

So obviously we just came through that nice country-style kitchen and dining area,

through that beautiful Oamaru stone archway.

Everything you need ― lots of bench space in there.

- It's big enough, yeah. - It was nice and spacious.

- Might change a colour or two, but yeah.

- OK, yeah, just cosmetic things. - Yeah. - Yeah, nice.

This lounge itself, first thing I've noticed is just these views ― everywhere you look, picture-perfect.

- 360-degree views out of every window. It's just beautiful. - Yeah.

- Shifting from Auckland, obviously, that big bustling city

to a rural landscape like this, how would that make you feel, do you think?

- I'd be up for that challenge. I would really look forward to having all that space.

- Yeah, I feel quite comfortable in the country.

- I'm gonna get outside and take in some of that fresh country air.

- Sunshine. Come and find me when you're done. Yeah. See you soon.

- It's quite spacious, eh? - Yeah.

- Jack and Jill en suite there. - Ah, yeah. - That'd be great.

Double-glazed as well, which is pretty important out here, I think, isn't it?

- And this probably would be all right for having guests, wouldn't it, this wing.

- It's going to be warm with the Oamaru stone walls... - Yeah.

- ...and that outside's pretty nice, I have to say.

- Well, with so much land around you, there's so many options for what you do.

There's fruit trees already growing, vege gardens, lots of gardens for you to work your magic on there, Jill.

Yes, almost too much, I would say.

- I think Jill would have me making some vege beds which are high and easy to work from.

It's quite important for us to get as much out of the garden as possible.

- Nice. - It's not just pretty flowers. - Yeah, I like being able to cook,

you know, and just go out and― - Pluck something out of the garden...

- Yeah, whatever you want. - ...and eat it for dinner.

The house does have that extra wing with the two bedrooms,

one with a bathroom in it. - Yeah.

- So looking at being able to have people come to stay,

making a little bit of extra income, you've got that option here as well. - It's got potential.

- That is quite important. Out in the countryside,

I think you've got to make every little bit of income count.

They've got their own wing that they can stay in.

- Mick, obviously, you've seen that bit garage around the back of the house.

- Yeah, definitely could work with that.

There's enough space to get all my machinery and tools in there. It's ideal.

- I mean, Jill, you'd hardly ever see him. He'd just be spending all his time in that workshop, wouldn't he?

- I know. - That's the idea.

- Big section, 5.5ha. What do you think that means in terms of the value?

- Low sevens. - Low sevens.

- Mm. - Mm.

- About 720, 730. - A little lower than that.

- Oh yeah? - Just a little bit.

So looking at enquiries around 695. - Right. - OK.

- Possibly a bit more than we had anticipated.

There might be a little bit of a wriggle room.

As far as the property is concerned, you're getting a lot of property for that money.

- Because it'd be a lot of work, I think. - Yeah, a lot of work.

- But it'd be a beautiful place to be because it's so peaceful.

Just the space is beautiful.

- What an absolute change of scenery from house number one.

The extra accommodation and the picturesque setting here in Tokarahi

will make this option pretty hard to beat.

Coming up ― I visit the breathtaking Waitaki Whitestone Geopark,

where Lisa tells me about its global status,

and later on I'll show Mick and Jill house number three, which you really have to see to believe.

- I've had a busy one today, cruising around the Waitaki District looking at houses,

but I was sure to put some time aside to experience some of the gorgeous scenery at the Whitestone Geopark.

Hey, Lisa, congratulations. Waitaki District has been awarded a UNESCO Global Geopark status.

- Yes. Thank you so much. - That's incredible.

- It's been― It's been a big journey, you know, with a lot of people giving their time,

a lot of communities involved. So, yeah, it's great to be here.

- For those of us out there that don't know exactly what a UNESCO Global Geopark actually is,

what does that mean? - Yes. So a geopark is an area that has geological significance

of international level ― but really, it's all about education.

It's about sustainability and involving communities... - Fantastic.

- ...in what we do to leave the land and in a better state than we found it.

- So I can see where we are right now, the Elephant Rocks, obviously a really popular spot.

There's a whole bunch of kids running around and learning about the place. - Absolutely.

I mean, here Elephant Rock is one of our hero geosites,

and education is a really important part of what we do as a geopark.

So it's really great to see all these kids enjoying it.

- So clearly Waitaki itself has a lot of pretty significant areas, things you want to protect.

- Absolutely, yes. And the Waitaki District is a big district.

We've got a lot of different sites, not just geology but also important cultural heritage sites.

Just down here from the road, we've got Maori rock art

that is very significant to Ngai Tahu ― so all on offer here.

- You can tell just from the screams of the kids that are enjoying the Elephant Rocks at themoment

there's a lot going on here, and there will be for a long time to come thanks to this new status.

Right, it's time to wrap up this house-hunt in Waitaki, so let's get going with our final option.

For this one, we're just down the road in Duntroon, and I think this is a really unique option,

but will it be right for Mick and Jill?

Now, if you've ever seen an episode of Country House Hunters,

you'll know that every now and then, I like to throw in a little bit of a curveball,

and I'm going to call this one a little bit of a Hail Mary.

I'm really trying something here.

Where I brought you right here in Duntroon... - Yes.

- ...it's an old Presbyterian church from 1897.

It's a heritage category-two listed building.

Now, you've also got on this property an old church hall.

The previous owner took that church hall, completely renovated it and turned it into a bed and breakfast.

So it's a four-bedroom home on this beautiful site and this beautiful area.

- You don't come across this every day.

- Let's head into that church first, and we can talk more about it. - Excellent.

OK. - Come on in. - Yeah, let's go.

- Come on in. - Ohh. - Wow.

- What a space.

It's an old church, so it's one big cavernous space. - Yeah.

The current owners have been using it six months of the year.

In the summer, they're renting out the accommodation,

living in the church itself... - OK.

- ...but during the winter, it would be freezing cold in here.

So you wouldn't really be able to do that during the winter months.

In here, you could definitely make it more of a liveable space for yourselves.

- Yeah. - I do like a project, I have to say.

- It's a big project. - It would be a big project. - I like a big project.

Let's get through to the accommodation.

Welcome in.

So a much more modern feel in here. - Mm.

- Is this what you're expecting to see when you came in?

- I don't know what my expectations were, to be perfectly honest.

- Nice and warm. - It is nice and warm.

Yeah, that wood burner is definitely doing the job in here.

And again, with that thick Oamaru stone....

- Yeah. - ...really well-insulated. - Holds it well.

- This kitchen, though, a really great job on the modern renovated kitchen that they've got there.

- It does look nice. It looks a nice setup. - Functional.

- Yeah, the gas hob in the middle of the island's a nice touch.

Skylights let a lot of natural light in,

which really helps to brighten the space up. - Yeah, it feels nice.

- All right. I'm gonna let you guys explore. I'll see you soon.

- Yeah. - Great. Thank you.

What do you think? - Well, I like it.

- It's got a nice feel. - Not much― Yeah. Not much storage.

- No. No wardrobing, is there? - Otherwise, it's got a nice feel.

Yeah, I think it would work well for accommodation if we did decide to do that.

- How's this for a backyard, eh? - Wow.

- Different. - Yeah.

Standing underneath these trees... - Beautiful. - ...looking at that church,

it's almost a religious experience, isn't it?

That's quite a bit of land, really, isn't it? - It is.

Look, I know it's a curveball. I know I've really thrown you with this one. - Yeah.

- Do you feel like it could be an option for you two?

We'll have a chat about it.

Definitely. Yeah, we'll talk. - Possibility.

- The price is something that we should talk about. Any idea what this might be worth?

- I haven't a clue. - Yeah, I wouldn't have a clue.

I mean, I guess you can't, sort of, base it against anything.

- It's hard to get an exact figure on this, but we're thinking around the 600 mark.

- The price is right there on the top of our budget.

I wasn't expecting to come up to see a church.

- But it's liveable as it is, isn't it? - It's very liveable, yeah.

- Yeah, I think it would work for accommodation.

- Well, three completely different houses across three different towns.

Each property had its own unique country setting,

and all with the potential for extra rental accommodation.

I can't tell which way our couple is leaning on this one, but I'm eager to find out.

I've given Mick and Jill some time to think about all of the choices

we saw for their big move to the Waitaki District,

but were they able to pick out a winner? Let's catch up again to find out.

Jill, Mick, how are you? Nice to see you again. - Likewise, yeah.

- You guys been busy since I last saw you, I hear. - Yeah.

- I hear there's been a bit of a decision made, but again,

before we get to that, let's just run through the houses that I showed you.

So the first place was a real character-filled home in Oamuru,

the bed and breakfast right close to town, beautiful home.

- And quite good income potential. - Definitely. - Yeah.

- Really nice, well-built, beautiful architecture. - Yeah.

- You looked at the second home, huge property, 5.5ha. - Yeah.

- A lot of opportunities for how you would― - Nice Oamuru stone.

- Nice and cosy. - And peaceful, you know, way out in the country.

- 5.5ha is a lot of space. - Yeah.

- Then the third home we looked at here in Duntroon,

which gives me a little bit of a clue about what might be coming.

- I'm surprised about that, because I thought this was a bit of a curveball...

- It was a curveball. - ...the church. - Yeah, quite a unique property.

- We felt that we wanted to take another look, you know,

just to see if we did buy that place, what we would be getting ourselves into.

- So, I'm picking up that there has been consensus reached here. - Yep.

- Tell me what's going on. - We've actually put an offer in. Yeah.

- The Duntroon property. - Wow. That's huge.

- We felt that it's a unique place,

and never again in our lifetime would we come across such an opportunity.

- Yeah. - I mean, how many people own a church in their back garden?

- Well, hopefully you two very soon. - Yeah.

- Going for the church, I love that. Some would say it's a bit of a leap of faith.

- Yeah. - Yep.

- Well, not as much of a curveball as I thought,

because Mick and Jill fell in love with the old church property in Duntroon.

I've heard since that their offer was successful,

and they are indeed making the move to the Waitaki District.

All the best, guys.

Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air.

www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023