All language subtitles for Country.House.Hunters.New.Zealand.S02E13.720p.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.

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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.

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