All language subtitles for Country.House.Hunters.New.Zealand.S02E14.720p.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

Get ready to meet Paul and Adrienne,
the ultimate Otematata enthusiasts.

This couple knows this area
like the back of their hands,

having spent countless summers
camping here over the years,

but now they're ready
to trade in their tent for a home.

They've set their sights on
a three- to four-bedroom house,

open-plan living and somewhere
to store their water skis.

So let's find them their dream home
in this picture-perfect paradise.

Today I'm helping Paul and Adrienne
find a holiday house for the perfect
country escape in Otematata.

Now, with Paul being a builder,
they're open to the idea of
a fixer-upper

that they could put some work
into and truly make their own.

There's a bush there that'd have
to go. It's blocking the hills...

- ...but otherwise,
it would be great.

- Come along as I show
our couple three unique houses,

each offering the perfect
country getaway experience.

- We could just shift in there, and
we could just live in it like it is.

- It's gonna work really good for
outdoor living in the summertime.

- Paul and I got married in 1987,
however many years that is.
- About 33 years ago...

ish.

I'm a teacher by trade. Paul's
a builder, and particularly in
the early years of our marriage,

if Paul had a project that
he thought he needed a free
labourer for, then I was there.

The idea of buying a house that has
got maybe a little bit of work to do
on it isn't really daunting for us,

because we've just been doing
that sort of thing all our lives.

- Adrienne likes doing the design
work, and I love building them,
so it was a good match, really.

We picked this area
because we love the lake,

we love water-skiing, a bit of trout
fishing and the mountain biking,

and in the summertime,
it's just picture-perfect here.

- I've holidayed in
this region since the early '70s.

Paul and I got married. Paul enjoyed
coming here, so we've carried on
coming here,

but now it's time to have
a more permanent place for us.

- Initially, we'll just use
this as a holiday home.

- If we did decide to be here
quite a lot in our retirement,

we want it to be really comfortable
and have a bit of space.

- The budget we have for what we're
looking for is around 650,000.

- Located two hours north of
Queenstown, Otematata is
a cosy town for locals

and a popular summer holiday spot.

Campers flock here for the amazing
water sports, cycling and walking
tracks,

not to mention
the beautiful fishing spots.

Surrounded by beautiful mountains
and the magnificent lakes,

Paul and Adrienne will have lots
of reasons to enjoy Otematata.

The time has come
to bring in our couple

and show them the first contender
that I've lined up for the day.

Let's see if I can
impress them with this one.

- Good morning, Matt. How are you?
- Gidday, how are ya?
- Good, good.

- And you must be Paul.
- Paul, yeah. Gidday.
- Gidday, guys.

So, Otematata for you, it's not
a place that's unfamiliar, is it?

You've been holidaying here for
about 30 years or so ― is that right?
- Yep.

I came with my family in the very
early '70s, and we camped,

and then Mum and Dad and
their friends quite liked that,
so they carried on camping,

but we think we'd like something
a bit more permanent than a tent.

- Fair enough, especially
when you get chilly winter mornings
like here as well.

So you've been coming
here a long time, but it's time
to make things a bit more permanent

and find a house that you, at some
point, can possibly semi-retire in ―

is that the plan?
- Yeah. Yeah, that would be nice.

- And of course, you've got
a couple of kids as well.

So maybe somewhere with a bit of room
that they can come and stay with
the grandkids.

Yes, yes. Children do seem
to like to stay with their parents.

Especially in beautiful holiday
areas like Otematata as well.

- I'm a builder,
so a bit of work is OK...
- Sure.

- ...but move-in-ready-ish would
be good, four bedrooms would
be nice.

-Any other kind of
must-haves for you, Adrienne?
- Afternoon sun in the backyard.

- Right. A little bit of sun
in the afternoon, backyard.
- Yeah.

- And a bit of room
for the boat parking-wise.
- Yeah.

- I reckon we can find you
something, no problems.

So the first house that I brought
you to, it is a three-bedroom home,
this one. It is a brickhome.

Good thing is this one's had
some nice work done to it recently.
It's got a brand-new roof onit.

There's been some renovations
made inside as well, so it's
a really tidy property.

- From the outside, it looks good.
The aluminium windows have been
upgraded by the look ofit.

- Looks nice and tidy, not
offensive, no. So, yeah...

- it's a good start ―
if it's not offensive, we're
on the right track, I reckon.

Well, are you ready to take
a look around our first home?

- Yes. Yes, please.
- Yeah. Show us what you found.
- Let's get inside.

Yeah, after you, Paul.

OK, welcome in.
Nice warm-feeling home, this one.

There has been some nice renovations
made lately. So the carpet's only
a few years old,

and there was a wall between
the dining area and the lounge.

They've knocked that one out,
Make it more of an open-plan feel.

So I think it's got
a nice light, bright feel to it,

and it does face the right way
for that afternoon sun.
- Good.

- You've probably noticed that that
deck out there is going to get a lot
of sun in the afternoons.

- It feels fresh and clean.
It is nice to have the windows

that are opening out
to the backyard. That's nice.
- For sure.

- And you can see the hills.
- That's brilliant.

- Shall we take
a look at the kitchen?

- Yes, please.
- Yep.

- So, not the most modern of
kitchens, but it's not the original.

It was put in about 25 years ago,
this one.

Would a kitchen like that
work for you two?

- As it stands, we'd be all right.
It looks fresh and clean.

It's wee a bit tight,
so possibly we'd upgrade.

- Right. So it's not something
that would be totally crucial.

It wouldn't put you off the house,
the way the kitchen is at the moment?

- Even though it's 25 years or so
old, it's got everything you need.

It looks like it's got quite an old
oven, but I'm sure if it works, no,

it wouldn't be a priority. As long
as there's Paul's coffee machine,

I'm sure will be fine.
- OK, yeah.

I might head out to that deck for
a little while. It looks like
the sun's come up.

So while I do that, you guys take
a look around the rest of the house,

come and find me when you're done.
- That'd be good.
- Cool.

Enjoy. See you soon.
- Thank you, Matt. Thank you.

- Mm, lovely view, Adrienne, out of
this bedroom, waking up to
that in the morning.

- It's a big bedroom, nice carpet.
It's probably a queen-size bed.

Looks like it's just got
a new ceiling in it too.
- Yep, freshly painted.

So a wee bit of modernisation
wouldn't go astray, probably.

- Gidday. Just enjoying this big
classic Kiwi backyard, heaps
of room out here.

That big functional deck.
That's a good space, I reckon,
for the summer evenings

and your barbecue out on the deck.
- Yes.

- You've got your garage,
so off-street parking.

Everything you need in the backyard ―
what do you reckon?

- Lots of space, and I can see that
it would be a really sunny backyard.
- Definitely.

- So that ticks the box.
- It's a lovely outlook.

There's room for barbecue. We would
like it out here with our friends
and family.

- So far, no major drawbacks
to this first house then?

- No, you've done a good job
with what you've showed us here.

- So what do you think it's worth?
- I don't know about you, Adrienne,

but I'd say mid-600s.
- That's probably about
right, actually.

I think that would be pretty close.
- Yeah, well, you are right, it is ―

looking at around 650 would be what
they're thinking that this place
would be on the marketfor.

- That was what we sort of expected
it would be on today's market in
Otematata,

because it is a holiday township.

- It's nice and fresh. The fire
was going. It was nice and warm.

We could see straight out
to the backyard straight away.

So we got a peek of what was coming.

- The hills, you can see them
from every window in the house.

- Nice feel.
- It's what we're after.

- Two more houses to show you today,
so should we head off to house
number two?

- Yep.
- Yes, please.
- Let's go.

This first option managed
to tick almost everything on
Paul and Adrienne's wishlist.

I know they said they weren't afraid
to put in a bit of work for
the perfect house,

so after the break, we'll tour two
more options that could be perfect
fixer-uppers for our couple.

- Today I'm in the town of Otematata,
helping Paul and Adrienne

find a house in
their favourite holiday spot.

The first house we looked
at was an older build

but had lots of features recently
redone, making it move-in ready.

Because Paul's a builder,
this is a couple who are up for doing

a little bit of work
if they find the right property.

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

So that was a quick stroll just
around the corner to the second house
that I've got lined up foryou today.

This one is a beaut,
built in the '70s.

It's been owned by one family that
whole time, so they have lovingly
looked after this place.

It really is a nice home.
Four bedrooms, four.

So that extra bedroom,
a little bit more room...
- Yeah.

- ...a bit more room in general,
actually. There's a lot more space
inside that you'll see.

And you were talking about off-street
parking being quite important.
- Yes.

Obviously, lots of space here
for the boat and for the cars.

From a builder's perspective, what do
you think when you look at that roof?

- That needs replacing.
- Straight off the bat.
- Yeah.

- Roof's gotta go.
- It looks waterproof, but it's old.

- Yeah, but nothing
you can't handle yourself.
- No, nothing we couldn't handle.

- Let's find out about
the inside. Come on in.
- Thank you.

- Come on in.
- Oh, wow.

- Yeah, so, I did say there was a lot
of space in here. Look at the size
of this area.

So it has been extended over the
years. It used to be a separate
living area right here...

- Oh, OK.
- ...and they've knocked that wall
out, extended it out that way,

and so you've got
a really open-plan living area.

Lots of light shining in through
those windows at the moment,

so you can see you're going to get
nice afternoon light in this house

and good indoor-outdoor flow
on to that patio area at the back.

I feel like it's a little bit of
a time warp in here at the moment.

I love walking into the space.
I love that retro wood burner.

- Would that stay if you guys
were to buy this house?
- Uh...

Not so much?

- Adrienne, if you shift
the black TV, the white will stand
out against the wall there fine.

- Difference of opinions
on that one there?

- Yeah.
- OK.

There's so much to look at. This
is just wow. It's big, it's big.
- Yeah, it's huge.

- It's really big.
- Turning our attention
to the kitchen for a moment.

The kitchen has
that nice big floating island.

It's not a brand-new kitchen,
obviously, as you can see,

but it probably looks a little bit
more modern than the first house
we looked at.

- It's a big kitchen.
- Yeah.

- There seems to be a lot
of bench space, lots of cupboards.

Not sure about

the island.
- OK.

- I don't like―
I like things to be straight....
- Right.

- ...not on an angle,
but not a deal breaker.

- I'm gonna be outside. I think
you'll really like the backyard.

You guys feel free to check out
the rest of the home, and
I'll see you soon.

- OK.
- Thank you, Matt.

Uh, right...

- Well, it's a wee bit
tight for a master bedroom.
- A wee bit.

It's small, but there's
a lot of furniture in here.

It has got a double wardrobe,
nice windows, gets afternoon sun.

It's just very small.

- We've got the four bedrooms,
we're after; the other
bedroom's a good size.

So swap out the master bedroom,
make it work.

- Hey.
- Hi, Matt.

- A nice little patio area out
here straight off your lounge.

It's nicely covered, got the pergola.
So all year round, you can enjoy
it out here.

You've got views up to a peak up
to Totara Peak out that way.
- Mm.

- But what I really like about
this backyard is how much love
and attention

the current owner
has spent on that garden ―

beautifully established vegetable
plot there, really nice feel
out this backyard, I think.

- I think it's a beautiful garden.
It's lovely. You can't deny
that at all.

Quite a bit of work
to keep it looking like this.
- There is that point.

Now, does that worry you a little
bit, considering you're not gonna
be full-time here straight away?

Paul, what do you reckon?
- I think you'd have to,
the vegetable part of it,

possibly turn it into grass just
to make it more user-friendly.

There's a bush there that'd have
to go. It's blocking the hills...

- ...but otherwise,
it's a good-sized backyard.

- How do you think this one sits
on the price scale compared to
the first home we looked at?

- I'll put it at 660, as I guess.
- It probably is worth a wee bit
more than the other one.

- Well, I think you'll be happy
to hear that it's about 656

is where it's listed at
at the moment.
- Oh.

The price is probably actually fair.

We could just shift in there, and
we could just live in it like it is,
but we'd want to do somework to it.

So we've got to take
that into consideration.

- It faces the north-northwest.
It flows beautifully.

It's gonna work really good for
outdoor living in the summertime.

- Yet another great option
for Paul and Adrienne's house-hunt.

Coming up ― I'll show our couple
house number three, which is more
of a bach style,

but could be just
what they're looking for.

But before I do, I'll catch up
with Hana, the deputy mayor
of the Waitaki District,

to find out just
how special this area is.

- In between all of the house-hunting
in Otematata, I'm lucky enough
to be meeting up withHana,

the deputy mayor of the Waitaki
District, to hear more about
this special place.

So, Hana, you've got an amazing area
to be the deputy mayor.

From the Alps to the ocean,
there's so much in this district.

- Oh, absolutely. Yes.

And it's so awesome to have you
here to our beautiful district
of Waitaki.

- It's absolutely beautiful

and so many activities.
Obviously, a big, big influx
of people during summer.

- Yes, definitely. Like, you know,
the cycle trail, you know,

we've got the lakes,
we've got the mountains.

We've also got all the different
surrounding districts. It's
a very special place.

- Sense the community is something
that really strikes me travelling
around this district.

It really does have a family feel.
- Yeah, definitely. Yes.

And we do have an increasingly
diverse community,

lots of different migrant workers
that have come here and made
Waitaki their home,

and also a lot of the locals,
you know, they're really
community-oriented.

- Otematata itself, the lakes are
huge, obviously, drawcard for
a lot of visitors.

There's so many water activities
you can do up there ― water-skiing.

- Yeah, and it's a very popular
place. You know, lots of people
go out camping.

And what's not to love?
You know, like, it's so
close to the mountains,

the lakes, and the weather
is really awesome as well.

- Hana, what would you say to people
that maybe haven't visited
your district?

You know, why should
they come and see it?

- Well, they'll be missing out
on lots of special things.

You know, we've got our Victorian
heritage, we've got our ocean,

we've got our lakes, our scenery,
the community and just the people.

I think they're the ones that
make it a really special place.

- It's time to show Paul and Adrienne
something a little bit different

for this final house that I have
in store for them. Let's bring them
in for a look around.

So this is our third and final option
for the day.

It's classic example of
the houses that they built

for the workers
on the dam on Benmore,

The Ministry of Works houses.

So it's a classic kind
of a bach-crib-style home.

There's been some
alterations made to it.

Recently, they've put
a new garage on there as well.

But realistically, this one is gonna
be at the lower end of the budget.

so I wanted to show you
this one as an example of
something you might want to take

and put a bit of love into, but for
a holiday house, I think it would be
a good option foryou.

It's a nice, simple upkeep.
What are you thinking, Adrienne?

Yes...

- I think when you said 'holiday
house', you hit the nail
on the head.

- Yeah.
- I mean, I'll reserve judgement,

because we need
to have a look through it.

- Let's get inside there and take
a look around and see what we think.

- Yeah, no, show us
what it's like inside.

- OK.

So another open-plan
kitchen-living room,

smaller again than the last house we
looked at, but still plenty of space.

You can look around and
see there's work to be done,

but there is a nice new carpet
on this place...
- Yep.

- ...and this section of the house,
this is the extension. They've added
on this deck as we walked inside,

and a little extra room on
to the side of the house.
What do you think so far?

- Well, we've got two double couches
in here, so there is room.

It's a good-sized living area. Yes,
the roof needs a bit of attention.

- We're thinking it's
probably under our budget,

which would leave us money for
the improvements and to really
make it our own.

- So positives and negatives.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.

- Time for you guys to have a good
look around, and I'll be outside
when you're done.

- Yep.
- See you soon.

- We still get the hills, Adrienne.

- And it's got a built-in wardrobe,
so there's a wee bit of
space in there.

I like the windows because you get
nice morning sun looking at
the hills.

Just a different kind of work
to what we could see in
the other two houses.

- Yeah, you could shift into it.

- Another decent-sized backyard,
this one...
- Yes.

- ...and what we do like
about this is it's easy care.

In terms of the holiday house aspect,
that would work for you two.
- Yes.

- Just a couple of fruit trees,
but what I do like about this one
is it does back on to a reserve.

Nice green space, again, thinking
of family coming to stay...
- Yes.

- ...somewhere to run
around and have a play.
- It's perfect.

- It's a nice backyard.
It faces the sun. It is easy care.
- It's got the views over thehills.

- That garage is a real bonus,
could put a lot of gear in there,

couldn't we, Paul?
- Yeah, that's for sure.
- It'd be perfect.

- What do you think it's worth?
- Probably in the low 500s

What did you think, Paul?
- Well, I thought it was
about the mid-500s.

- So 530 is what
we're looking at for this house.
- Right.

- So it's significantly
lower than the first two.
- Yeah.

- The price would leave us a lot of
money to make it what we really
would like it to be.

- It would be great.

- Paul and Adrienne certainly
have lots to consider with all of
the houses that we've seen today.

Are they gonna pick
something that's move-in ready,

or will they go for one of the
options that needs a bit of work?

I can't wait to hear
what their decision is.

After giving out couple some time
to discuss all of the options for
their move to Otematata,

I'm catching up with them to see
if they've come to a decision.

Kia ora, Paul.
- Gidday.
- Gidday.

How are you going, Adrienne?
- Hi, Matt, good, thank you.

- Nice to see you again. You picked
a beautiful spot for us to catch up.

It was great going through
those houses with you when we
were here a couple of weeks ago.

There were some interesting options.
- Yes.

The first one I remember had a really
nice deck off the lounge, that
sliding doors out on to the deck.

What did you like
about that first one?

- It was lovely. It had been
upgraded inside, new carpet,
roof had been done.

- Yeah.
- It was only three-bedrooms,

but the outdoor living area,
you couldn't fault it.

- Then the second home we looked at,
I just remember how much space
there was,

that huge living area,
that massive open-plan lounge,

but the garden... was something
that you weren't super keen on.

- Initially, we're going to use it
as a sort of a holiday home;

a big garden like that, a lot of
work, that would have to change.

And it had the four bedrooms,
which was top of our list.

- On the third one, got the feeling
that it probably wasn't really in
the mix as much as the first two.

- Cost-wise, it gave
us room for renovation.

It would do as a bach for somebody.
- 'For somebody' the key word there,

but maybe not for you too, though.

So, we're coming down
to the first two houses,

and I know that you have
gone so far as not just put
an offer in on one of them,

you've actually bought one
of these houses, haven't you?
- Our offer has been accepted.

- In the end, we went
for house number two.

It had the four bedrooms and
that very large open-plan living.

- Congratulations. I'm really,
really glad that it's all worked
out for ya.

And I can see you spending
a lot more time out on that lake
water-skiing, so all the very best.

- Definitely.
- We will be, very much.
- Cheers, guys.

Well, Paul and Adrienne certainly
have a lot to look forward to

with their new holiday home
here in Otematata.

I'm sure with just a little bit
of handiwork, it's gonna be
the perfect house for them.

Captions were made with
the support of NZ On Air.

www.able.co.nz
Copyright Able 2023