All language subtitles for Country.House.Hunters.New.Zealand.S02E25.720p.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.

Captions were made with
the support of NZ On Air.

www.able.co.nz
Copyright Able 2024

Gary and Amanda have been Beach Hop
enthusiasts for well over
two decades,

and that's a huge part of the reason
that they're making the move
to Whangamata.

It's one of the most popular
beach holiday spots in Aotearoa,

and they know they're gonna have
heaps of family and friends
wanting to come visit.

That means they're looking for
a place big enough for everyone
to crash,

and a pool would be
the icing on the cake.

Let's go house-hunt.

Today's house hunt is
with Gary and Amanda,

two frequent visitors of Whangamata
now looking to call it home.

- With all the modern aluminium
joinery, and I guess it's all
double-glazed ― looks like it ―

very low maintenance, which is good.
I don't like maintenance.

- And with 12 grandkids between them,
they're looking for a new place
with plenty of space.

I think this could be a house
that would work really well for you

and your extended family as well
when they come to visit.

- Yep.
- Exactly.

- So come along as I show this couple
three incredible properties that
I found just for them.

- Hi, I'm Gary.
This is my wife, Amanda.

We've had a small holiday place
here for six years.

It's a one-bedroom unit
in the old Whangamata motel.

- We don't like having to pack up
and go home on a Sunday,

so we really want
to move here permanently.

The main drawcard for Whangamata
is definitely the beautiful beach.

- We love the sun, we love
the beach, we love swimming.

And my new dog that I have,
my hunting dog,

she's loving the beach when
she comes over to where we
are currently.

We have decided to come a bit
earlier than what the plan was.

I'd always said when I turn 65,
we wouldn't be living where we
were on the lifestyle block.

But earlier this year, a very
close friend of ours passed away
right before his 65th birthday,

and I said to Amanda, I said,
'That plan of moving here when
I'm 65? New plan.'

I said, 'We're gone before
Christmas.' So we sold up
our place just recently,

and, yeah, we're looking
to buy here now.

We've been coming to Beach Hop
for 20-odd years, and we have a car.

Our daughters started coming
three years ago and have loved
it and embraced it so much.

We haven't been able to have
them staying at our place because
we only had a one-bedroom unit.

So we're looking for something
where when family says,

'Can we come to the beach?', we go,
'Welcome, come, bring everybody.'

Our budget, we do have a maximum,
and it's kind of up around that 1.1.
It's as far as we can go.

- Touted as one of New Zealand's
most popular destinations
for a summer escape,

Whangamata is beautifully unique.

With its blend of pristine sandy
beaches and stunning native forests,

it's no wonder our couple have
decided to make this town
their new home.

The first property I've brought
our couple to is a fairly new build,

and its stunning appearance is only
rivalled by its breathtaking
location.

Kia ora, Amanda.
- Hi.
- How are you going?

And Gary.
- Hi, Matt. Nice to meet you.

- So great to meet you two.
I've gotta say thank you so much
for choosing to move to Whangamata.

It means I get to spend some time
in this beautiful place.
- You're welcome.

- So what was it about
Whangamata that you guys love?

- Well, I started coming here
probably in the mid-'70s,

mates and I cruising around in
our VWs and surfboards on the roof.

- No surf here,
we'd shoot down to Waihi.

If there was no surf on this coast,
we'd shoot over to Raglan.
- Amazing.

Now, you've known each
other 30 years.
- Yes.

- Married for 10 years?
- Yes.

- Gary, what took you so long, mate?
What's going on?

Oh, you gotta be sure to be sure.

You don't wanna make any mistakes.

- Let's talk about the house
that I bought you to first.

It's a beautiful house,
only built a couple of years ago.

Good flow in here, three bedrooms.
Obviously, the location is fantastic,

views of the estuary. I mean,
look where we are. It's stunning.

It was gonna be a forever home
for the couple that built it,
but things changed.

A couple more kids came along,
and they decided they needed
some more room.

Let's stop talking about it,
let's start looking at it.
Let's get inside.

- OK. Let's go.
- Cool.

All right. Here we are.

- Never lived in a modern house
like this before or something
as new as this.

- I mean, it could work out really
well for you two ― but it's got
a really nice flow.

We came in through here,
through this extra living space,

but it flows nicely through
to this spacious living area,

modern kitchen, everything you could
possibly need in a brand-new kitchen.

It's not a huge house, this one,
not a massive space, so does that
worry you at all?

Would you need more room,
do you think, for the family
when they come to visit?

- As long as it had
three bedrooms...
- Mm-hm

- ...it's enough for a family
to come and stay with you.

- All right, let's head
down to that lounge area.

You can see already that view
is absolutely beautiful.

The main story of the lounge is
how much it just flows to that deck.

Those big bifold doors open right
up, and even though it's not a huge
space, it feels bigger, Ithink.

- I like the view out through there.

It reminds me of a place I
hunted down South Westland
a few years back,

looked out over a bit of an estuary
and the trees, stags roaring
out there.

- It's a really beautiful location,
beautiful view.

That's the main bedroom right there,
so I'll let you guys have
a look in there,

and we'll catch you up in a minute.
- OK. Thank you.
- Thank you.

- This is a good-sized room.

Imagine waking up here in
the morning with a view like that.

What do you think
about the other bedrooms?

- The bedrooms are good sizes
for children, and especially having

that other little room,
either as a playroom or an office,

and the bathroom's
a very good-sized bathroom.
- A bit too flash for this fella.

What sort of money do you
think they'd have on this?

- Um...
- It'd be over a million.

- Definitely over a million.
- Everything's over a million
in Whangamata.

- Maybe 1.1?
- It's gotta be somewhere
around that, 1.1, 1 and a bit.

- I mean, look at that.
How good's this view?

You reckon there's
any stags over there, Gary?

- I'll tell you what ―

there's deer everywhere.
- You reckon?
- Everywhere.

And it would not surprise me
if there was a deer or two
over in there.

- So how do you flush them out?
What's the technique?

- Wait for the roar and wait
for them to start talking.
OK.

- When they start talking,
you start talking back.

- Yeah? Can I get a bit
of a demo of this roar?

- I'll give you a little try.
- It won't be very good.

This is basically a roar.

Wow!

I'm blown away.
Gary, that's a talent.
- Yeah.

- You are a man with a talent.

Well, let's talk about the price.

Have you got an idea of what you
think it would be on the market for?

- Everything in Whangamata
is over a million.

- Yeah, I'd say 1.1, eh.
- Yeah, I'd say, yeah,
about that. Yep.

- I'd say you're on the money.

Just under budget,
so we're on the right track.

Well, that's just the first house
of three today.

So, two more options.
Should we hit the road?
- Yep.

- Come on then.
- Let's go.

- Coming up ― a house with
ties to a New Zealand legend.

And later, I learn more
about Whangamata's Beach Hop.

- I'm in Whangamata seeking
the perfect upgrade for Gary and
Amanda from their quaint beachhut.

The first property was a spectacle,
but brace yourself,

because this second house
holds quite the merit of its own.

All righty. House number two,

really interesting option, this one.
There's a lot to like about
this property.

- Until you actually get down there,
you start walking down the drive
and you think, 'Where are we going?

'What's down here?'
And then it kind of opens out.

- You would have noticed
a little cabin that we walked past,

used as an outdoor office
at the moment.

The house itself was built
in the late '80s.

A local architect actually built
it for his parents, one of whom,
his father,

ex-All Black Bob Scott. Do you
remember Bob Scott, the fullback?

- He could kick goals from halfway
in his bare feet, I believe.

- That's the one ― absolute legend.

Good garage, as you've already
noticed, to store all your gear.

Amanda, I know you were
quite hoping for a pool.
- I was.

- You've probably
already spotted that.
- Yes, I have spotted the pool.

- Absolutely gorgeous outdoor area,
this one, and a big section as well.

It goes right down to the road,
so there's a lower backyard

that we'll go and have
a look at later on.

Well, I reckon we should get inside
and have a look around this one.

- OK.
- Great.
- Let's do it.

All right. So, yeah, here we are,

bit larger than the first place
we looked at.

It does have a kind of a beach house
sort of style, doesn't it?
- It does.

- Yeah. We― Our furnishings are
a little bit different taste
to this...

- Yep.
- ...but I could see some of
our furniture would make it our own.

- So, the Beach Hop, tell me a little
bit more about the Beach Hop,

because you're really
involved in it, aren't you?

- We've been entrants
for about 13 years.

We bought our first car
at the Beach Hop in 2009.

It's just a huge event that brings
in so much money for the community,

for the surf club, the fire brigade,
all the charities.

- And your daughters
are involved as well, yeah?

- Yeah, probably
for the last three years.

They do the dress-up very well.

Last year they did Sandy,
Olivia Newton-John off...

The theme was Grease.
- Oh yeah.

- Hey, well, this is just the lounge.
Lots more to see, so let's move on.

- OK.
- OK.

- So again, considering the house
is built in '88, it's got a nice,
modern kitchen.

They've done a great job
bringing it up to a 2023 standard.

What do you think of the shape
and the design of this kitchen,
Amanda?

- It's very unusual, but I do
like the big long bench here

and breakfast bar on the end.
- Mm-hm.

- I like the flow out on to
the deck. You're nice and close.

If people are out on the deck,
you're still in touch with them.
- Yeah, exactly.

I reckon it's time for me to head
outside, leave you guys alone.

Have a good look around the place
and come and find me.

- OK.
- See you in a bit. Righty ho.
- Thanks, Matt.

- Somebody likes black and white.

So, what sort of money
do you reckon this is worth?

All I can do is judge it on the
last one, if that last one was 1.1.

- Oh, you think more
than the last one?

- Oh, I would say,
gotta be somewhere 1.2, 1.3.

- I think the backyard of this place
really makes such a difference.

Not only have you got
that incredible pool area,

but you've also got this little grove
down here, a little orchard, almost.

What do you think?
- It's lovely.

- Having visited Whangamata for such
a long time, you'll know this area
pretty well.

This road, a little bit of
road noise there,

but you were saying to me just
before, that's actually a bit
of a bonus for you, isn't it?

- During Beach Hop, one of the main
events is Onemana, which is about
10 K's down the road,

and the thousands of Beach Hop cars
drive past here in a convoy...
- Right.

- ...and my cousin David owns
a house just below the road here,

and they all come over,
sit on their deck chairs,
line the sides of the road.

- So you don't even have to leave
home to take part in the parade.

So, big question ―
what do you think it's worth?

- Judging by the last house,

although that last house was a new
build, and you said that was 1.1...
- Mm-hm.

- ...this has to be
a couple hundy more than that.

- You're right. It looks
like it should be worth that.

I'm gonna tell you
it's almost 1 million, not quite.

Inquiries over $995,000
at the moment.

- Serious?
- Wow.
- Yeah.

- As far as the price went,
we were very surprised.

I thought there's another couple of
hundred thousand more value in this

with the pool and size of
the house and everything else.
- And having a garage

and the little cabin office,
it's very reasonably priced.

- I've got one more option for you,
so let's jump in the car, eh?

Coming up ― one of Whangamata's
locals graces us with his knowledge
of the Beach Hop.

And later, an interesting
final option for our couple.

- My time in this town has been
lovely, but I'm dying to know
more about the Beach Hop,

so I've enlisted the help of one
of Whangamata's locals to bring
me up to speed.

Craig, is it a prerequisite
to just love hotrods if you
wanna live in Whangamata?

- Not a prerequisite,
but it certainly does help.

- And the Hop, it's gotta be, I mean,
the biggest event in town every
single year, right?

- It's one of
the biggest car festivals
in the Southern Hemisphere.

It started out, there was
a guy who was in Hastings...

and he saw these cars pulling up
outside the Hastings Hall,

and people were getting out all
dressed in rock and roll gear,
and he asked them,

'What's going on?', you know,
and they said, 'Oh, it's our hop.'

And so he came back here
to Whangamata and said,

'How about we try and kick
something like this off?'

That was really the start of it.
The first year we nobbled Noddy.

Nobody knew Noddy, really.
He had just moved to town,

but he was a car guy,
so he got some of his mates.

- We were expecting 10 or 12 cars
and we got about 40 the first time.
- Yeah.

How many are you expecting
in this one?

You never really know,
because it sorta gets to the point

where you think,
'It can't get much bigger,'

- because we're only
a little town, you know.
- Yeah.

- Yeah, it's literally thousands.

- Craig, if you had one thing
to say to people thinking about

coming to visit or moving to
Whangamata, what would it be?

- Do it.
- Yeah.

I mean, it is just
an awesome place to live.

It's mad at Christmas,
it's mad at Beach Hop.

The rest of the time,
it's a lovely little town.
The beaches are just awesome.

We got more clubs you can
shake a fist at, you know.

- Yeah, it's just― just
an awesome place to live.

- All right, let's get back to it,
and show our Beach Hop regulars
the final property

of today's country house-hunt.

Alrighty. Here we go,
third and final house for the day.

Now, this one ― location,
location, location, as they say.

We are right in the heart
of Whangamata.

I mean, you'd be walking out
of the house in your wetsuit,
catching a wave in under 60 seconds.

- The location here is unbeatable ―

that close to town,
that close to the beach.
You couldn't get much better.

- Now, this one is a freehold
townhouse, so you'd be part
of a body corporate.

So, we're looking at a three-bedroom,
two-bathroom townhouse split
over three levels.

There's a large, sort of, a suite on
the top floor, views out to the ocean
as well.

I think this could be a really
interesting one for you two.

Let's get inside
and have a look around, eh?

- OK. Let's go.
- Come on in.

All right, here we are.

So this level, second level,
is the living space.

So downstairs, you've got two
double bedrooms, a bathroom
and a separate toilet.

On this floor, you've got
your living area,

so lounge, where we are at
the moment, flowing through
to the dining and kitchen,

and decks either side
of the property as well.

So how does the split-level living
work for you with obviously

you know, a couple of bedrooms
downstairs, living area on
the middle floor

and the main bedroom upstairs?
How would that work for you two?

- Family can be down there,
and we can be up there.

- Yeah, exactly.
- Meet in the middle.

- We weren't too sure
about being three levels,

but I don't see that as being an
issue; it may be in 10 years time.

- But to have the three levels,
that's how you get your views.

If you're on a single level,
you don't get the views.

- Hey, I'm gonna go check out
that courtyard downstairs,

so feel free to wander around, have
a nosey, and I'll see you in a bit.
Cool.

- OK.
- OK. Thanks, Matt.

- Wow, this is a nice room.

- I love that view off
the small balcony there,

so I could come up here every
morning, look out the window,

and if there's no surf,
I just go straight back to bed.

- I love the downstairs,
that courtyard.
- I know, easy care.

- After 17 years of spending
two hours a week mowing lawns...
- Yes.

- ...and the worst I'd do down
there is pull out a weed
every now and then.

So price-wise, this is― I think this
is way outside of our price range.

I mean, look where it is,
look at the location.

Oh, I'd love this place,
but I think it's...

I think it's out of the ballpark.
- Yeah.

- Anyway...
- OK.
- ...we'll see.

- Kia ora.
- Hi.

- So this is your private courtyard
if you buy this place.

So the pool, that's a big bonus
for you, isn't it?

- Definite drawcard.
- Again, not seeing too many
downsides to this property

from your point of view. What do you
think the price might be, though?

- Now, there's―
- Could that be the downside?

That's the downside.

- It's gotta be more
than house number one,

and I'm thinking 1.3,
and that might be too light.

- Well, we are pushing
the budget ― just.

1.15 is the asking price
for this place.

- Yes, we were both surprised when
Matt did tell us what the price was.
- Yes.

- I think we're gonna have to have
a pretty serious talk about
these three houses.

- Well, I can definitely
see the cogs turning,

and you do have a lot to think about,
so I'll let you go away,

and if one of these places ticks
all the boxes, then let's get back
together soon...

- Yep.
- ...and we'll see how you went.

Well, I've certainly given
Gary and Amanda a tough choice.

All three of these properties were
a treat, but it's now over to them
to decide which one is thewinner.

Well, some time has passed,
and I'm back to the glorious
coastline of Whangamata

to meet up again with Gary and Amanda
and see what they ended up
settling on.

Gary and Amanda, how are you going?
- Gidday, Matt, how are you?
- Good, thank you.

- So good to see you again.
What a spot you've picked for me.

Where are we? What's this?
- This is the Whangamata
Ocean Sports Club.

They tout this as being the club
with the million-dollar view.

- Yeah, I can see
what they're talking about.

You guys have decided to go
for one of the three houses
that we looked at,

trying to figure out which one it
might be. So the first place we
looked at,

it was fairly new. It was only built
around 2020, 2021, beautiful location
on the estuary there.

So what did you like about that one?
- I liked how it was and how
easy-care it was, the house,

definitely a nice view out
to the estuary.
- Yeah, yeah.

And you were saying the view
reminded you of some hunting spots?

- I'm damn sure I heard
a stag roar across.

- I definitely heard something,
anyway. Something was roaring.
- Yeah.

- Second place we looked at,

Bob Scott's old house,
the old ex-All Black's house.
- Yes.

- It was so nicely presented.
- Beautiful property,

had everything ― swimming pool...
- Garaging and even that little
cabin for an office.

- And you surprised me
with the actual asking price.

- Yeah. It's a lot
of house for $1 million.

- Yeah.
- It was.
- Yeah.

And then the third place
we looked at ―

fantastic option for you guys in
terms of the location, right
in the heart of Whangamata.

- Location, location, location.
- Location.

The view out to the bar
and the view over the pool.
- Love that place.

And yeah, the price was, I think
we mentioned was getting up there.
- Yes, it's not...

- Yeah, yeah.
- We do have a finite reserve.

- You've got that cap there, mm-hm.
- We do have that cap,

and there's just no way
of going past that.
- Right.

But one of them has taken your fancy,
and we're gonna put an offer in,
so...

one, two or three?

- Number three.
- House number three!

The townhouse.
- The townhouse.

- As soon as you walked in,
I had a feeling about that one.

The location is a huge part of it,
but it just―
- Yeah.

- Something felt
right about that for you two.

- It wasn't as beachy, probably,
as the other two, with, you know,
it's carpeted and that,

but it's the view to the bar
and view out over to the hills

and... yeah.
- Yeah.

- It's right up to the top of
the budget, but I'm really hopeful
that this is gonna work outfor you.

And hopefully the next time I see
you, I'll be joining in at the Hop.

- If we― If we secure this place,
you'll be welcome, mate.
- If we secure it.

- A fantastic property
our couple has chosen,

and what's even better is
I've since heard that their offer on
house number three has been accepted.

Great house-hunting, you guys,
and I might even see you
at next year's Hop.

Captions were made with
the support of NZ On Air.

www.able.co.nz
Copyright Able 2024