All language subtitles for Country.House.Hunters.New.Zealand.S02E27.720p.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
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.

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Copyright Able 2024