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 2024

Today we're in rainy Motueka with house hunters Jim and Noeline.

They've been living in their motorhome for 10 years, and I've got three houses for them to see.

All of our options offer a lot of living space, maybe even a little too much.

What do you think it's gonna be like having all this room.

We've got no furniture.

So which home will be the right fit for our couple?

- And our offer was accepted.

- It's already been accepted? - It has. - Yep, straight away.

- Fantastic.

Well, it's a rainy episode of Country House Hunters today, but our couple is a ray of sunshine.

Jim and Noeline, they've been on the road for over 10 years in their motorhome,

but it's time for them to pull up the handbrake and put down some roots here in beautiful Motueka.

Now, they're looking for a cosy, low-maintenance home that can keep up with their adventurouslifestyle,

but there's one crucial consideration ―

Jim has got to have his own personal playground in the form of a garage.

So let's hit the road and see if we can find them their new beautiful home.

- So we've been married, we think, since 1975.

We met on the ski fields of Mt Ruapehu back in the old days

when both trips used to leave from Auckland for the weekends away,

and we were going at about five years, I guess,

before I think I said to him, 'Are we gonna get married or what?'

- Mm-hm. - You know, and he's like, 'Oh yeah, whatever, let's do it.'

- So, yeah, 1975, I think, was the time we did it. - We think that's it.

- Sounds good.

We first got into gold fossicking about 18 months ago when we were travelling along Otago,

and we came across a river, and there was a couple in it, Errol and Nat,

and so we walked down to the riverbed and we said, 'What are you guys up to?'

And they said, 'Oh, we're gold fossicking,'

and they said, 'Would you like to learn?'

So we thought, 'Oh, that sounds like a plan.'

So 18 months down the track now, we both have our slew seats, we have our gold pans.

And through that, we've met a lot of real hard-case characters

who have been doing it for years and always chasing the big nugget,

which is our dream one day, also, to find the one. - It will happen one day.

- Yeah, yeah. At the moment, it's little― little gold, yeah, a little fun.

We would like to have a budget of around $700,000, tops,

because we would like to be able to pop over to Australia and visit our children.

You know, we have a little bit extra and the piggy bank, So, yeah...

- Update the motorhome, maybe. - ...up to 700,000 would be our top maximum.

- Nestled in New Zealand's South Island, Motueka draws people in with its sun-drenched landscapes,

when it's not raining, of course.

There's a vibrant art scene on offer and a welcoming community,

so plenty of Kiwis are keen to call this picturesque town home.

Let's kick things off with our first property,

which offers a great location and light-filled living space.

Will our house-hunters be able to see themselves living here?

- Good morning. Hi. - Good morning.

- Noeline and Jim, here they are. You made it,

all the way on the ferry yesterday down from Tauranga. - Yes.

Here we are in Motueka. - It's been a big trip, a massive trip.

- So you're travelling down from Tauranga. That's where you've been

for the past year or so ― Is that right?

- 42 years in Mt Maunganui.

- But on the road for a lot of those years as well.

- We brought our kids up in the Mount, and when they fled the nest,

then we sort of started travelling, and we really haven't stopped since.

- We've had one or two breaks, you know, with Noeline's mum and bits and pieces,

and we've decided to... We like this area, Motueka.

- Yeah. So what is it about this area that drew you here?

I know you've spent a bit of time over the years travelling here.

- Just the mountains, the ocean, the lifestyle, the trees and the orchards,

the market gardens, the people. - The people.

- The sunshine. - It never rains here

- We got a bad day today, but that's not gonna dampen our spirits.

We're gonna have a good house-hunt today with you two, I reckon.

- Sounds great. We're looking forward to it.

- So here we are. We are very close to town, a nice little stroll up to the shops,

if that's what you're after, three bedrooms, two bathrooms,

- and I know you've already noticed the big double garage, Jim. - I sure have.

Double garage and workshop for you. I mean, straight away,

you're looking at this house ― what do you think from the street? How does it appeal?

- It's lovely, yeah. - Lovely. - It's really nice.

Gardens and trees and yeah... - Maybe the garden's a little bit too much.

Let's go look.

- Not big on the gardening, no? - I'm an inside person.

- Well, shall we escape this rain and have a look around? - I think that's a plan.

- All right, come on in.

All right, you two, welcome in. - Oh, lovely. - Look at this.

- First thing you probably notice is all the space. - Yes.

- Yeah. So it's a big open-plan lounge, dining and kitchen area.

Lots of light coming in through there as well. - For sure.

- Yeah. What do you think? As you walk in, how does it feel to you two? - I love it. It'shuge.

We could get two of our motorhomes in here.

It's lovely.

- Because we live in a 24ft home with tiny little windows

and just to walk in and see all that light coming through,

and each window's got a different look out over the lovely garden or the down the driveway,

the street, house across the road,

it just has that lovely feel

of openness and... - It does.

- ...cosy as well. - It does. - Yeah.

- What do you think it's going to be like having all this room?

We've got no furniture.

- I'll have to take me shoes off when I come in the door.

- Well, shall we head through to the kitchen and take a look? - Yes, certainly.

- Come on in.

Here we go. Lovely.

- That's nice. - Blue and yellow, my favourite colours.

- Oh, that's a good colour scheme for you? - Oh yes, yes.

- Easy to keep clean. - Yeah.

We had a house when we first got married, with our little children growing up,

and the yellow and blue walls from way back then, it's just a little bit of memorabilia,

and just the ocean and the sunshine, it's a nice bright...

bright colours, and it's my colours, as you can see with the blue.

- Probably a bit of a contrast to the motor home kitchen that you used to.

- We would be able to actually walk past each other without bumping shoulders,

or, you know, one can be in the fridge without being pushed into the stove. It's just lovely.

- Well, why don't we see what you think of the rest of the house?

So I'll let you guys walk around and take it all in. - Yep.

- I'm gonna be outside when you're done, so I'll find you out there, OK?

- If we're not back by lunchtime, give us a bell. Will do.

See you in a second.

- Oh, this is lovely. - Wow-wee.

- Love the colour, and look, we can walk around the bed. - You certainly can.

Look at the size of the closet ― that's as big as our camper.

- I'd have to go shopping and buy clothes,

heaps, heaps and heaps of clothes.

I love it ― the curtains, the colour, the space. - It is nice, any room.

- It's a huge home.

- Shall we go and have a talk to Matt?

- We shall, yes. - OK.

- Hi. - Hey.

It's still raining, but that's OK. - It is.

- Nice big backyard to take in, though, and I know the size of it

was something you were potentially a little concerned about,

but how does it feel just spending some time in the backyard now? - It's really nice.

It's lovely and spacious and lots of grass and the gardens. - Lovely outdoor feeling.

- And I know you're a big fan of that garage ― lots of room to work in there, Jim.

- Oh yeah, it's even got a built-in La-Z-Boy, did you notice that? - I did notice that,yes.

- If there was a bed in the corner, I'd be... - That's all you need.

- ...I'd be happy, man. - I'd be happy too ― no snoring. - You'd never see him.

Having a guess, what do you think it might be worth?

- Probably at the top of our budget. - I'd say... I'm picking 750, close to 8, maybe.

- I get to give you some good news on that front. - Oh, really?

- Yeah. It's around the 700 mark.

- 699 would be where they'd start looking at selling this home. - Oh wow.

- Actually, we are...

- We are surprised that it is that price.

We thought it would be way over our budget,

but it's at the top of the range,

and I think it's something to think about, definitely.

- It's certainly affordable for us... - We like it.

- ...and we do like it.

- Before we get too carried away, we've got two more options.

- We have. I'm looking forward to that.

- Let's hit the road, shall we? - Oh yes.

- Coming up ― we tour a very pink house.

And later on, I speak with Lee-Anne about Waka Abel Tasman's

cultural tours of the beautiful natural wonders.

I'm in Motueka, helping Jim and Noeline on their quest for a country home in New Zealand.

The first house had a lot of potential and a lot more space to offer our buyers,

who have been living in a motorhome for the past 10 years.

Our next house offers a lot of space as well, but will the pink be too much?

All righty. So, the second option I've got for you today,

I think this is a really good one. I think you're gonna like it.

It's a really nice, quiet cul de sac, a really nice neighbourhood.

I've met your neighbours. They're lovely as well.

The home itself, it's a 2000s build, another three-bedroom, two-bathroom home,

and, Jim, I know you've already spotted a decent-sized double garage.

- I'm in love. - Exactly, the workshop's all set up for you in there.

So it's an interesting option ― how do you feel about this one? You're only seeing it from thestreet.

- No, from the street, it's really nice... - It's very appealing.

- ...very nice. - Lovely, clean, tidy lines.

- Let's take a look around, shall we? - Follow you.

- Here we are. - Wow.

- Another big space, this one, open-plan kitchen, dining and living area.

The first thing I've noticed is just how warm it is. - It's lovely.

- Yeah, really cosy house, this one.

- Lovely big windows once again. - That's right.

And again, that yellow and blue theme. - Oh, here we go again.

- It's almost like they knew you were coming.

And the red velvet curtains, it's like going back into time.

- The pink carpet. - Yeah. How do we feel about the colour of the carpet?

- It's very nice. Yeah. - Mm-hm.

- Well, the carpet is a little bit of a...

To be discussed.

- To be reviewed. Maybe we could dye it.

- Looking at that kitchen... - Yes.

- ...again, lots of room, heaps of storage space.

Is that something that you could work in, you reckon?

- Definitely. - Oh yeah, for sure.

I can burn the scones in there, no problem. Yep.

Lovely wall oven.

- All right, time for you to have a good look around. The main bedroom's down that way,

and you can find me outside when you're done.

- Thank you. Look forward to it. - Sounds good. - See you in a bit.

- Oh, look, that's pretty cool. - This is lovely. - Beautiful.

- Once again, the big walk-in wardrobe.

More clothes shopping. - Smashing. But look at the view outside.

- Yes, I can see us sitting out there having a cup of tea

in the morning, sun shining in when the sun comes up, lovely, nice en suite.

- I like that. - Yeah. - I really like it.

- Let's go talk turkey with Matt. - Let's go and see the man. - He's waiting.

- Hello. - So, you've seen the house?

- Yes. - We have.

- Now you're seeing the backyard. - Yes.

- Again, a little bit of gardening to do for you. - Yes.

- I mean, the simple stuff, though, a nice couple of rose bushes for you,

a little bit of pruning. - Yeah. Nothing the shears can't handle.

A bit of accidental pruning.

- So the house itself, what do you think this one would be worth? You think this one―?

- We would say top of the range in our budget line. - Yeah.

- Yeah, heading up maybe... - 750. - Upwards, even.

Yeah, 780. - It's such a beautifully presented home.

- So huge.

- It is a great location. - Yes.

- It is a lovely home, lots of space and a really nice area.

So it is

at the upper end of your budget if not stretching it

to above your budget. - OK.

- 749 is where we're looking at offers from, but everything's negotiable,

especially in this market, as you know. - Yes, that's right.

- And one thing to consider is chattels for this house.

There's a lot of potential for negotiation in terms of keeping some of the furniture.

- Yes.

And interesting with the chattels that with the furniture

coming with it makes a little bit of a drawcard as well. - It does.

- We've got nothing, just...

so we will be starting right back from the basics,

and the furniture is lovely. - It gives you a lot of room to negotiate.

- Yeah, a little bit of thought of,

'One day we're going to have to eventually buy more things to fit in here,'

and, yeah, it's worth a look at. It's something to consider.

- Two down, one to go. - Thank you, Matt.

- Should we move on to our third house? - Looking forward to it.

- Come on then, come on out.

After the break, we tour our final house, which is a brand-new build.

While in Motueka, I just had to make a pit stop at Waka Abel Tasman

to chat with Lee-Anne about this truly unique cultural experience.

Great to meet you. How are you doing? - Oh, so good. - Awesome.

So tell me all about Waka Abel Tasman ― what are you all about?

- Well, we offer a cultural experience ―

and it's not just a paddle in the park. It's actually a holistic experience,

and we hold our experience in tikanga Maori, so in a traditional way,

which means that, yeah, people are safe spiritually and mentally,

emotionally, physically, yeah.

So, this area, the tribal groups here are Ngati Rarua and Te Ati Awa.

So my husband and I are from tribal groups from the North Island. - Yep.

- Our role here is to uplift the mana, the prestige, of the people from here, so that's what we do.

And then we sit under their korowai, their protection.

So we really love that and love our role here.

- And what you get to take people and experience,

it's something they can't do anywhere else in the world, isn't it? - No, that's right.

You know, people haven't got a waka in their backyard generally...

- It'd be lucky if they do, but, yeah.

- ...and so it's really unique and special... - Yeah.

- ...and we can take everybody.

- You had a pretty special group out today, didn't you?

- Oh, wow. They're one of our most special groups, Grandparents Raising Grandkids,

and they come out at least a couple of times a year with us, and they have done for the last three years.

Yeah, they are so special. We love them so much.

So we really love our community groups that come out with us, yeah.

- What do people take away from their experience if they come out with Waka Abel Tasman, do you think?

- They get an understanding of the Maori culture.

We hold our experience in a really safe way with a lot of love, and we are available to answerquestions.

So some people are a bit nervous on how they can interact with the Maori culture.

Well, we bring people in, and we roll how we normally would roll, and we explain everythingto them.

So often after the experience with us, people want to learn te reo Maori

or want to know about the indigenous cultures in their countries.

Yeah, it feels a really beautiful thing to be a part of.

- That sounds like an awesome way to experience not only the land, but the culture as well ―

all in one place... - All in one place.

- ...with awesome people like you. - Oh, kia ora.

Kia ora, Lee-Anne.

OK, now there's still one more house left for us to explore.

Now, this property is a brand-new build with lots of potential.

My only concern is that it may not be big enough for Jim and Noeline,

but since they've been used to working in tight quarters from living in their van for the past10 years,

maybe they'll be right at home here.

Third and final property of the day, and I've saved the newest house to last this time.

So nice modern home, this one, only about six or seven years old

and a nice new subdivision here in Motueka.

You got brick cladding, Colorsteel roof, three bedrooms, two bathrooms,

so it's probably the smallest of the three properties we're gonna look at today,

but I think that might be quite a good thing for you two, based on what you've been saying.

- Exactly, yeah. - Yeah.

All right. Shall we, for one last time, head inside and kick the tyres on this one?

- Sounds like a plan. - Let's get in there.

OK, so, yeah, it's a nice modern home, this one,

white walls, white kitchen, everything feels brand new. It's been really well-maintained.

Who would do most of the cooking out of you?

Oh, OK, straight away to Jim.

- We'd share it. - Oh.

- Whoever does the cooking, the other one does the dishes. - Yeah, that's the way it should be.

- And there's a dishwasher. - There you go.

So you're gonna have to use your imagination a little bit in this space. Obviously, it's unfurnished.

- Yes. - Put a chair in each corner.

- Right. Well, I'm going to leave you alone to wander through the house.

Jim, make sure you check out that garage, just make sure it's big enough for you.

I know it's the smaller of the three. So once you're done, I'm outside.

- Thank you. - Cool, see you soon. - OK.

- Ah. - Oh.

This is probably a bit smaller than what I would have liked, but...

- Can you make it work? - The other ones are much bigger.

I guess so. Yeah, I can make it work, I guess.

It's something that we'll have to take into consideration, I think.

- It's still not letting up, this rain.

- No, not at all. - No, not at all.

- It would be good for the garden if there was much of a garden here,

but one of the benefits of this place is it's easy care. - Exactly.

- Not much to do. - Definitely.

- What do you think this one's worth? - Ooh...

- Maybe early 700s. - Yeah, 730-ish. - Yeah.

- You're on the right track, yeah.

They're looking at offers from around 699. - Oh.

- But of course, depending on your negotiation skills,

you might be able to get that down a little bit as well, so it's within budget.

- Oh yes, definitely. - Yeah.

- Matt quite surprised there with the price.

We were expecting a bit more.

I think we can we can look pretty closely at that, yep.

- At working it into the budget, yes.

- So there we go. That's three houses... - It is.

- ...all in the beautiful Motueka.

I'll let you go away. - Thank you. - Have a good chat.

Once you've made your decision, let's get back together again and talk through all the options.

- Looking forward to it. - Sounds good. - Nice one.

- We've got a lot to think about. - Yeah, a lot of talking.

- Cheers, guys. Ka kite. - Thank you.

- Well, after giving Jim and Noeline some time to think about the decision,

I thought I'd pop over to their motorhome to see if they've got any news.

Here they are. - Hello. - Hello, hello.

- Kia ora, you two. - Welcome to our wet...

camp.

What is it about Motueka when I visit? It's always raining. - It doesn't matter.

- It's not normally like this, is it?

Hey, look, I thought I'd come and visit you at your motor home

cos I hear this might be getting a permanent place to park. - Looking pretty good.

- Let's just run through those houses that we looked at on our house-hunt here in Motueka.

So the first house, I remember it had that yellow and blue kitchen

that you kind of were reminded of old houses that you'd lived in before. - Yes, in the '70s,yes.

- It's a lovely family home. - Yeah, lovely, facing north,

and it had the big windows, the lovely cherry tree outside. - That's right, yeah.

- Lovely established fruit trees and a beautiful big garage. Yeah.

Your eyes lit up when you saw that, eh?

And the second home continued that sort of yellow and blue theme really, didn't it?

- Same era, yeah.

- Again, another big home, that one. - They're very similar homes. - Yeah.

- Very similar. - Yeah.

- And we loved that one as well. - We did.

With the option of accessories...

- Oh, that's right. - ...with the house.

- That's right, the chattels, potentially, yeah. - Exactly.

Then the third home we looked at was the much more modern home, six or seven years old,

probably the more compact of the options. - Yes, the smallest of the three

and enough room for a motorhome.

We've discussed it, and Jim can go with the smaller garage.

- I'm trying to guess. I think I know which way you're going.

I think you're used to living in smaller spaces... - Yes.

- ...and that might mean you might have gone with one

that might have been a little bit more compact ― am I right?

- Number three. - Number three it is.

- And you've put an offer in on house number three. - We did, yes.

We wasted no time. We thought, 'Let's do it,' yeah, yeah, and our offer was accepted.

- It's already been accepted? - Yeah, straight away. It has.

- And it went― it goes unconditional on Wednesday next week, and we move in the following Friday.

- This is fantastic. - It's all happening so fast.

- I'm so happy.

- The sun will shine when we move in. - Absolutely, I bet it will.

- It will.

- What an amazing outcome for Jim and Noeline.

They still haven't found that elusive golden nugget,

but they found themselves a brand-new home, which, I reckon, is the next best thing. Good job, guys.

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