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.

Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air.

www.able.co.nz Able 2024

Today, our couple is Hannah and Kev, and they are gonna bring a whole lot of fun

to our house hunt here in Whanganui.

Now, Hannah is originally from New Zealand,

but she's spent a lot of time living over in Australia, where she met her husband, Kev,

and they've decided to return to her homeland of Aotearoa.

Kev, he's got a background in construction,

so he'd be quite happy to take on a project that could be a little hands-on,

whereas Hannah would prefer something move-in ready.

So how's that dynamic gonna play out today? Time will tell.

I'm off to Whanganui to help Kev and Hannah find the perfect country property.

Now, on the hunt, I have to account for Hannah's father,

their 2-year-old daughter, Rosie, and a dog called Gary.

So, they're gonna need a house that has plenty of space.

Big backyard. All I'm seeing is Gary whizzin' around.

- Oh, yeah, he would love it out here. So would Rosie, chasing him. - Yeah.

- It's a great backyard for zoomies, I reckon.

'Come with us to see the sights of Whanganui and two or three amazing houses.

'Hopefully, we can find something that everybody agrees on.'

Being an ex-builder, you've― you know, you've done some work in construction.

You're keen to kind of maybe put your stamp on a house. - Yeah.

- Yeah, I'm just looking at Hannah as you say that. - Mm.

- Are you on the same page there? - Not particularly.

No.

- 'I'm Hannah. This my husband, Kev.'

We moved over from Australia, Perth, last year.

We have made the decision to change our lifestyle, and we've moved to beautiful Whanganui.

We have a 2-year-old daughter, Rosie, so we are just trying to get settled here in Wanganui,

and we're looking for a home to buy and settle. - Yeah.

Been a bit of a sea change for us.

In Perth, I was working in mining and flying in, flying out all the time,

so it's been a nice change of being home every night, settling down with the family

and especially here in Whanganui. It's a great, small little country feel.

And now it's time for us to, you know, make that big leap and to buy a house, really.

Start the adventure.

We'd come to Whanganui a couple of times to see Hannah's family and visit,

and we just thought it was a funky little town, really.

- Or city. - Or city, sorry.

You had the mountains here. You had the beach. And suited us, really, and our little family.

- We would just love something with a bit of character, a bit more space than what we have currently.

- Something a bit open-plan as well. - Yeah.

- For us, we're looking around that, you know, 700 to 750 mark.

- I'm not sure how it's gonna go. I'm quite indecisive, but I have very strong opinions.

- I don't mind seeing the reno side of things, where Hannah will rather see the...

- I can't see it. I have no perception of what something could be, so...

- So, yeah, be prepared. This could be...

- it could― Could be firework, who knows? - We don't know.

- Whanganui is located about a two-and-a-half-hour drive north of Wellington,

and it's known for its vibrant creative scene.

The town boasts a variety of galleries, theatres and museums,

not to mention the fantastic street art.

With such a creative and unique community,

I'm certain Kev and Hannah will find themselves right at home here in Whanganui.

All right, let's get to business and check out the first of three houses I've lined up.

This option has both space and character, so let's see what they think.

- Gidday, mate, how are ya? - Hannah and Kev. Kia ora. - Hey, Matt. How are you?

- Nice to meet you, mate. How's things? - Really nice to meet you guys.

Sorry I couldn't have turned on the weather for you better today for a house hunt.

- Yeah, it's not the greatest, but, hey. - That's OK.

Welcome to sunny Whanganui.

- So, you guys have actually moved over from Perth, is that right?

- Yep. October last year was when we first came here, so yeah, coming up to a year now.

So, it's been a whirlwind, and now we're looking for a house.

- Tell me what you've got at the moment with your rental and what you would like to change about that.

I think... I hear that the pantry is quite important.

- Oh, yes. I would love a pantry. - Yeah, OK.

- I would love a pantry. I haven't had one in our house.

If perhaps there's something that has a bit more space that my dad can come and live with usas well.

- Yeah, something with a bit of space,

maybe an extra bedroom or a sleepout or something that can accommodate him.

- Definitely a sleepout so he can have his own space.

- Separate living. OK. Close... - Close, but not too close. - Separate but close, yeah.

- ...but separate.

Well, starting with the first house that I've found for you today, it's a beautiful two-bedroomhome.

The house was built in the early '90s.

There's been some really nice renovations made to it.

And in terms of separate living, just what you need.

There is a double-glazed sleepout as well. - Mm.

- So it's warm, it's already set up for someone to sleep in. - Perfect.

- It's being used as an artist's studio at the moment.

- Perfect. - Plus, unlike out here, it's really warm.

Let's get inside, eh? - Excellent. - Yeah, sounds good.

- Oh, yeah, that's better. Warm and toasty in here. - Yeah, it's nice.

- Now, they've actually put a radiator in every room when they did the renovations,

so, in terms of warmth... - Nice.

- Yeah, really nice. - Yeah, it's amazing.

- But looking around, a lot of indoor plants.

That'll tell you that there's a lot of light that normally comes in on a good day.

- That's pretty good, cos Hannah usually kills most of her plants inside, so...

- Yeah. - Thanks for that.

I do love a houseplant. I just struggle to take care of them.

- Well, you get a good sense of what it might look like in here with a lot of houseplants.

- Yep. - Yep.

- Should we take a look at the kitchen?

- Let's do it. - Awesome, let's go.

- Right. Really nice modern, new kitchen, and it's been really, really well-designed.

A lot of thought has gone into this space. - Yeah, definitely.

- Couple of features I think you're gonna like.

- Mm? Pantry? - You haven't had a pantry for a while.

- Nope. - Would love a pantry.

- How about two pantries? Yeah. - Two!?

- There's one really nice pull-out drawer, which is really convenient. - Jeepers.

Yep. - Mate, that's your dream.

- There you go. And another one as well. - It is.

- Small dreams, but they come true. - Nice bench surface.

Lots of bench space in this kitchen and lots of storage, as we mentioned. - Perfect.

- There's another living area upstairs. I'll leave you to it for a little bit.

Head upstairs, and I'll be out in that studio when you're done.

- Sounds like a plan. Thanks, mate. - See you soon. - See you then.

- It's pretty nice in here, isn't it? - Mm, it is. It is nice.

So, I wonder what we'd use this for? - You could probably have those two bedrooms for guests and Rosie,

and then she could make this into her playroom, I think.

If not, then we could just make it a couples retreat for us, so...

- Yeah, that would be nice as well. - It's got a bath, which we don't have.

It's got a garage, which we don't have, and a pantry, so...

- And a sleepout. - And a sleepout.

So... I think I'm just gonna have to do a little bit more overtime at work.

- OK. So, nice little space this one, the sleepout.

Obviously, the current owner is an artist and is using it as a studio.

Some beautiful artwork around here. - Yep. Yeah, she's done nice. - Yeah, it's lovely.

- But for your use, your dad, do you reckon he'd be comfortable out here? - Yeah, that wouldwork.

- It would definitely work. Would probably have to be a bit bigger, but it could work.

- Definitely. Obviously a multi-use area. So, yeah, I like it. - OK. Yeah.

- And again, radiator's in here, so it's warm. - Yeah, it's so warm.

- It's double-glazed as well. - Very well thought out. - Yeah, perfect.

- What's your guess? What's your gut feeling about what it's worth?

- Oh, I reckon you're gonna have to be around that 750 to 800 mark.

- Yeah, I reckon about the same page. Seven ― low to mid seven's.

- OK, well, they are saying that around about the 690 mark

might get you this house. - Ooh, really? - Really?

- So, a little bit less than what you were thinking. - Right. Yeah, definitely.

- The price did surprise me. - I thought it would've been around that 700 mark, but...

- No, and it's a beautiful home. It's definitely worth that.

- It's a lot of house for the right amount of money.

- It would be really easy to move into this house.

- Yeah, I think so. Plenty of room to grow into it. I think it's nice.

- Well, that's just the first option, though.

Keep that in mind, and let's hit the road to house number two. - Perfect. Sounds good.

- Well, that was an impressive first option.

It had everything they were after, plus the amazing accommodation for Hannah's dad to stay.

Stay with us, because you won't wanna miss the two other options that I have in store.

- Today, I'm helping Kev and Hannah hunt for the perfect family home in Whanganui.

We've just had a look through a beautiful, character-filled home

that even had the option for some added accommodation.

But to change things up a little, I think this next option truly encapsulates country living.

All righty, second option I have lined up for you today, and obviously, out in the country.

But, only 10 minutes from the city,

so all the benefits of rural living... - Perfect.

- ...but with the city right on your doorstep.

You get to take, you know, all the benefits of looking at the sheep next door without having to shave them.

This one sits on about 1500m2 of land.

It's built in the '80s. It's had some work done to it.

But, speaking of work, you being an ex-builder, you're keen to kind of maybe put your stamp on ahouse.

- Yeah, it'd be nice to change a few things,

and obviously we do it every day at work, so... - Yeah.

You do it for a living. - ...why not do it at home?

- Yeah, I'm just looking at Hannah as you say that. - Mm.

- Are you on the same page there? - Not particularly.

- I would love to move into a house and just live in it. - Yeah.

- It's all part of the journey, not the destination, so, you'll be involved.

- OK. - Mm, yeah, righto. - We'll give her a hammer.

- No.

- There's so much character in this house. I'm looking forward to showing you around. So, let's get inside.

- Awesome. - Happy days.

- OK, so we just came through a separate― sort of a sitting area, separate lounge.

Got that wood fire cranking at the moment. - Nice.

- Really warm on a day like today. - Yeah, it's beautiful.

- But obviously, as you walk in, you notice lots of timber in this house. - Lots of timber.

- It's got a real warm sort of a feel to it.

The kitchen... country-style kitchen. Possibly could do with an upgrade at some point. What do you reckon?

- Yeah, I think so. A little bit of a reno in here wouldn't hurt, but... - It's perfectly liveable.

- Yeah, as is. - It's got the country vibe. Love it. It's actually quite cute.

- Yeah, and those nice big French doors opening out from the dining area out on to that balcony.

Again, the view, north-facing. - Yeah.

- Imagine that sun. Just totally― - I know, it's beautiful and homely. It's got such a nice feel.

- Three bedrooms, no sleepout at this one.

A lot of the other features might make up for what it's lacking in terms of a sleepout.

- For sure. Yeah. - Now, the lounge is just this way.

Let's have a look. - Perfect.

- Yeah. Really big family room, this one.

High ceilings as well, which is always nice for space. - Yep.

- French doors again opening out on to that balcony, looking out to that view of the river.

Do you reckon this is enough room for a 2-year-old

with a whole bunch of toys to have some fun? - Oh, look, I think it'll do.

It would be so much better having a bit more space,

and looks like there's lots of room to put her bits and bobs.

- At the moment, she's got more toys than space so... - Yeah.

- ...this way, she'd have more space than toys.

I think this is a great layout for us.

It all kind of flows through nicely. - It does flow.

- Maybe a bit of a freshen up with the wallpaper, but, you know, I can live with it.

- Time for you to have a look around the rest of the house.

Make sure you check out one of the two bathrooms.

- You'll know which one I'm talking about when you see it. - OK.

- As someone who renovates bathrooms for a living, I think you'll find it quite interesting.

- All right, we'll have a look. - Yeah, and I'll see you soon outside.

- Thanks, mate. - Awesome, see you then. - Cool.

- Oh, wow. It's got a shub.

- I see what Matt was saying. This is pretty interesting.

- Yeah, wow. But Rosie would love it. It's like a little mini spa pool for her.

- Nothing a little reno can't fix, but... - Absolutely liveable for now.

Room potentially for something for Dad. - Yeah.

- I just wonder what the price will be. - Yeah, that's the thing.

- Hey, guys. - Hello! - Hey, mate.

- Looking back at the house from here, it's got a kind of a cabin vibe, doesn't it,

with all the timber? - Yeah, it does.

- And obviously that view's... pretty cool. - Oh, it's incredible.

It would be so cool in summer, if you can imagine on a beautiful sunny day.

- You got your own perfect little country retreat. - Yeah.

- That's it. Yeah, and... - It's really nice.

- ...big enough to feel like you've got a farm, but obviously small enough to maintain,so...

- None of the work. - Perfect, yeah.

- Yeah. - I really, really like it.

- OK, so let's talk turkey. What do you reckon it's worth?

- Seven to mid-sevens. - Mm-hm.

- I'm gonna say maybe 620 to maybe 670. - Really?

Oh, wow.

- Hannah's on the money with this one.

Yeah. Hannah, tick. - Knew it. Thank you.

- Around about the 750. Offers starting from there. - Yep. OK.

- So, yeah, maybe stretching the budget a little bit on this one.

- In terms of the budget, a little bit high, but it could work with Dad being on board.

- You know, this house has been loved and lived in, so it's been... - Yeah, just feels so warm and cosy.

- Yeah. Real nice and somewhere, you know, we could definitely settle down and enjoy ourselves.

- A completely different feel to the first house,

but I think this country escape could be the perfect change of scenery for Kev and Hannah.

Don't go anywhere, because we still need to see the last option.

It's over a hundred years old and is packed full of character.

Plus, I take a quick break at the Whanganui Regional Museum to soak up some of the local culture.

- In the midst of all the house hunting,

I decided to pop in to the Whanganui Regional Museum and see some of the exhibitions.

I caught up with Lisa to learn more.

Kia ora, Lisa. - Kia ora.

- So, tell me a little bit about this beautiful museum that I find myself in today.

- This is the Whanganui Regional Museum, and for a provincial museum, we have an outstandingcollection.

- I mean, just looking around, there's some absolutely beautiful pieces in here ― some taonga.

- Yeah, absolutely. And not just, you know, from cultural taonga.

We have taonga from natural history as well, like these two whales up here.

- And this marae is stunning, isn't it? Tell me a little bit about it. - Yes. Oh, it's beautiful.

So, this is the second part of the museum that was opened in 1969.

We call it the Maori Court, but it's actually called Te Atihaunui-a-Paparangi,

and that's the name of the iwi that we have here,

but it showcases some of our very best taonga. - Amazing.

Every time I'm in Whanganui, I love it. So much art, so much culture.

The people are so friendly. - They're super friendly.

And in 2021,

Whanganui became a UNESCO City of Design.

- OK. - And that almost encompasses everything in terms of design,

right from our very old vintage buildings,

to our new design exhibition here at the museum upstairs.

- What do you love about living in Whanganui?

- Well, you know, the great thing is, is that I've lived in big cities before,

and when you're home in Whanganui, it takes 10 minutes to get anywhere.

Really easy to move around, and the city's so beautiful.

Lots of parks and all those kinds of things.

- It's a city, but it's a laid-back lifestyle here, isn't it? - Yeah.

- And a lot of artists in this town. The street art is beautiful.

- It's fantastic, and it's another reason why people are coming more and more often ―

just to see all of our fabulous street art.

- It's time to get back to the house hunt and show our couple the final option that I've lined upfor them.

Now, this one is, again, a little different,

as this house is over 100 years old and offers plenty of character.

Let's see if this is what Kev and Hannah are looking for.

All right.

So, I mean, instantly... street appeal, really. That's what this one says to me.

It's just such a beautiful entranceway to an old character bungalow.

Over a hundred years old, this home.

- Great location to the city. - Yeah.

- Rosie's daycare is just around the corner...

- Oh, really? OK. - ...so that's a bonus for us, I suppose. Walking distance.

- I like gardens as well. There's rose bushes everywhere.

- I know. Mum's favourite. Yeah. - Mm. Yeah, we've noticed that. - Oh, your mum's favourite, roses?

- Yep. Hence the name Rosie for our daughter.

- Oh, there we go. It's almost like it's meant to be. - Yeah.

- Yeah, so I better not kill them or cut them down, I suppose.

No.

You're gonna have to use your imagination a little bit more with this one, cos it is unfurnished,

but, let's take a look around, eh? - Yep. Let's do it. - Let's go.

- Lovely big lounge room, this one. We've got the wood burner in the lounge.

As you go through to the dining area, there's a gas fireplace in there.

Those have been recently serviced, so they're fully up to spec.

- Nice. - The rest of the house,

lovely sunroom out the back looking on to the backyard.

In terms of the lounge space that we're in right now, how's it feel?

- Nice and big. - Yeah. - It's massive. You know―

- The wallpaper is interesting, but, you know, I could live with it for a while.

- It's just wallpaper, so it can always come off. - It's just wallpaper, yeah.

- And I hear that you managed to live for about six months

with just one little couch and a TV on a cardboard box.

- Yep, and a TV on a cardboard box while we were waiting for our furniture to arrive.

- So that's― you two are right at home here.

- Well, that's right. - It's all good!

- Why don't you guys take a good look around, have a tour of the place?

Come and find me when you're done. We can talk about how much it might be worth.

- Nice. Thanks, mate. - Awesome. - Cool. See you in a bit.

- Well, this is nice. A nice little room.

- Yeah, I reckon you probably get plenty of sun in here in the arvo.

It's a bit of a blank canvas, so we can do what we want later on.

- That flow from the kitchen to the rest of the house isn't great, but things to work on, I suppose.

- Hey, hey. Big backyard. All I'm seeing is Gary whizzin' around.

- Oh, yeah, he would love it out here. So would Rosie, chasing him. - Yeah.

- It's a great backyard for zoomies, I reckon. - Yeah, it is.

- And you probably already noticed more rose bushes out the back here as well.

- Yes. Lovely. - Yeah.

- Hopefully I can keep them alive. - I'm sure you can.

Do you think it'd fit your lifestyle? What do you think? - I love the character.

- Yeah, there's some great points about it. - Yeah.

- We'd have to change a few things, which I'm open to, but obviously... - Yeah.

Gotta get the... the approval. - Old mate's not too keen on the reno, so...

They've all been different and they're all fantastic. - Yeah.

We gotta talk the price before we move on any further. - Yeah.

- Yeah. - You've been pretty good at guessing it so far, Hannah.

- Yeah? - What do you reckon this one's worth?

- I reckon it's worth probably 650 to 700.

- Yeah, I reckon maybe 700-plus.

- Hannah gets it again. - Aye!

- Well, they're looking for offers over 689.

- I feel like there's not as much value

that you're getting with this house as the other two that we looked at.

- It's got the character. It's got the strength to it.

Close to work for me ― I'm just down the road. Rosie's daycare's around the corner.

If she ever wants to go to the high school around the corner, it's great as well,

so, yeah, it's, you know, real quiet street, it's― - Yeah, mate.

- That's all you need to say. - OK.

- So, three options for you. Hopefully one of them's taken your fancy.

Let's get back together again sometime soon...

- Yep. - ...see how you went.

- Sounds like a plan. - Sure. - All right.

- Thanks, Matt. Take it easy. - We'll see you then. Thanks, Matt. - Awesome, guys. Cheers.

After giving Kev and Hannah some time to think over everything we saw,

and discuss the options with Rosie, of course,

we're meeting up again in Whanganui to find out what their decision is.

Kia ora, guys. Kev, Hannah, how are you? - Hey, Matt.

Good, mate. Yourself? - Hey, Matt, good. How are you? - Nice to see you again.

And this must be Rosie. Hello, Rosie. How are you?

- Say hello, Rosie? - You had a good day today?

Oh, you're a little bit shy now. I'm pretty scary, I understand. Yeah, it always happens.

- Matt! - Matt, yeah. - Yeah.

- It was really awesome hanging out with you guys and looking at three really different houses.

Obviously, we're looking for a place for the three of you,

but potentially a place for your dad as well. - Mummy, he...

- So, looking back to the first place we looked at,

it was the two-storey home.

Lot to like about that place, wasn't there?

- Yeah. Lots of room. - Yeah, it was nice.

- Good room for Dad down the track, so, yeah. - Definitely.

- It had the studio, the garage, a lot of great points to it.

- The second place we looked at

was real country living, just 10 minutes out of town... - Yeah.

- ...but a real retreat, wasn't it? - Yeah.

That had everything. It had the character of a― of a beautiful old home.

You know, obviously it needed a couple of renovations that we could've done down the track.

Beautiful location. Had everything for us, really.

Rosie, you're doing really well. I know we're being very boring.

We're talking about houses, but we'll move on. We're nearly done.

The third place we looked at, a really nice option for you.

It was empty, so we couldn't really see what your furniture would've looked like in there.

- Yeah, it took a bit of vision to have a look around there, but the rooms were massive.

Something different. Like all the other houses, heaps of potential.

- Big question is, did any of those three houses tick enough boxes

for you to put an offer in on one of them?

- They didn't quite tick the boxes. - Not quite there today?

- Yeah. - Not quite what we're looking for,

so we're gonna keep looking at the moment.

- Yeah. - Keep searching.

When something comes along and we like it, we'll, you know, put an offer in down the track.

- Just a matter of time till the right place comes along. - That's it.

- Rosie, you are gonna be growing up in this great city called Whanganui, aren't ya?

- Mm. - Eh, Rosie? - Yep.

- See you guys. I'll see you next time I'm in town.

Cheers, eh? - Absolutely. Cheers. - Cheers, buddy.

- All the best for the house hunt.

Well, that wasn't the outcome that we'd hoped for, but it was still a great day out

showing Kev and Hannah some ideas for their house hunt in Whanganui.

I'm wishing you all the best and let's hope you find a winner soon.

Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air.

www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2024