All language subtitles for Country.House.Hunters.New.Zealand.S02E03.720p.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

Today is going to be
an absolute treat

as we go house hunting with Toni,

an air traffic controller
who's looking to downsize

from the farm she's currently
living on with her husband, Jeff.

They've got a long list of
requirements, including at least

10 acres of land, an established
garden, a practical shed

for all the farming equipment
and hopefully a cottage

for her parents to call their own.

It's gonna be a day uncovering
some hidden gems

in this magnificent
Canterbury region.

Come along with me as I help Toni
hunt for the perfect house

in the Canterbury region.

She's on the lookout for something
that her husband, Jeff,

and their children will all love.

Now, Toni and Jeff are currently
on a farm, so I'll be taking them

through three properties that all
have plenty of paddocks

for all their animals.

I'll show Toni through three
incredible properties,

each with its own unique style,
and I might even get to see

the sights in this unbelievable area.

- I work in the city.

I'm an air traffic controller,
and my husband, Jeff, is a farmer,

but he's a retired helicopter pilot.

It's actually our first home
together.

We only got married a year ago,

but we've known each other a really
long time ― for 30-odd years.

We're really excited
to have the family all together

and to find this first home for us.

We are looking for a downsize
from the farm and land area.

We still have animals,
so we need ideally 10 acres

as a minimum we're looking for.

We've got six children between us,
so we need a bit of space.

Ideally, we don't want to break
the $2 million mark.

We think we can get what we really
would like around that figure.

- The Canterbury region is found
along the central eastern area

of Te Waipounamu,
the South Island, and is home

to some breathtaking scenery.

The lush landscapes and picturesque
lakes are a paradise

for nature lovers and for those
who are simply looking

for a country escape.

The proximity to Christchurch
is just another win for Toni,

who won't have to sacrifice
the conveniences of a major city

for a country lifestyle.

It's finally time to meet up
with Toni and show her

the first house
that I've lined up for today.

- Kia ora. Nice to meet you.
- How are you?

Yeah, nice to finally
meet you as well.

I am noticing something is missing.

- Jeff.
- So tell me the story.

Where's Jeff?
- He's at home.

We've had an issue
with the electric fence.

Someone kindly put it behind
a waratah on the weekend.

- OK.
- So he's a little bit angry

and he's fixing that.
― So Jeff's got some work
to do today.

- He's got a bit of work to do.
- But that's OK,

cos we've got work
to do today as well.

So, tell me a little bit
about you and Jeff.

How long have you two been together?

- We've only been married a year.

- Yeah.
- So we're looking for
our first home together.

He's a country boy,
so we're quite specific

on finding something with
a bit of space for the animals,

- for all the accumulated items...
- Yeah.

- ...he has hidden around the farm,

but something commutable for work.

- Right.
- I work in the city,
so that compromise.

- And you're an air
traffic controller...
- Yes.

- ...so you're used to dealing
with a lot of information

coming at you all at once,
making quick decisions, right?

- Yes.
- Hm.

- And you'll see that.
- Yes.

So today you'll be using
those skills in the house hunt.

You're downsizing to something
at least 10 acres.

- Minimum.
- Yep.

- Absolute minimum.
- Right.

- We have horses;
we'll have a couple of cattle,

a few sheep, pet goat, five dogs.

- And this isn't even including any
of the six kids that you have

between you, is it?

- We're a blended family.
- Yeah.

- So we've got six adult children;
we've got two grandchildren.

We're a menagerie, really.

- Absolutely.
- Hmm.

- This place has a lot
to like about it.

We are on 10 acres.

You've got eight paddocks.
Already, some established sheds.

It's a five-bedroom home,
so it's a big family home, this one.

But what I really like about this
one as well as it does have

the separate dwelling ―
it's got a cottage on site as well,

so if you're talking about your
parents coming to live with you two,

they'd have their own
completely separate space out there

that's all stand-alone, ready to go.
- That is very appealing.

- Pretty keen to show you around
the inside.

- Yes.
- Shall we head on in?

- Absolutely.
- Let's go.

OK, here we are.

So, the home was designed
to really wrap around this

nice central courtyard,
nice private courtyard in the middle.

The kitchen's really the focus
of the home, right in the middle.

You've got living areas
off to either side,

formal dining that we
walk through as well.

And the nice living room here
with the wood burner.

- Yeah. That's great.

That'd keep it nice and toasty warm.
I like the kitchen is open.

Jeff and I both cook.

- Oh, great. Yeah.
- He's a keen cook,

and so we could actually
both work in that kitchen.

- How do you think
he'd feel about the space?

- Yeah, I think he would be
more than happy with it.

- Shall we take a look through
to the separate living area
through here?

- Absolutely.

- OK, another nice separate
little living area here.

Again with access out
onto the courtyard.

It's got a nice big
bay window there as well.

But what that gives you, I suppose,
is the opportunity to have

lots of different areas
for lots of different reasons.

Maybe Jeff wants to be down this end
of the house reading a book

while you're at the other end of
the house, entertaining some friends?

You could be separate,
but together in the same house.

- We've only been
married a year, Matt.

- So you want to be together
the whole time, right?

- Which is actually what this room
is really nice for.

It's not too big.
- I could see this house being

such a perfect little
spot for a gathering.
- It is an entertaining house.

Definitely.
- Yeah.

So that's the main home, but I'm keen
to check out the cottage,

which is where obviously your parents
might be staying at some point.

So should we have a look?
- Hm.

- So, granny flat, cottage,
whatever you want to call it ―

it's a fully self-contained
little unit ready to move in.

- Big living area, kitchen.

It looks like there's
plenty of room in it.

It looks actually relatively modern.
- Yeah.

- This is a great wee spot.

Even if the parents don't move in,
you could Airbnb it.

- Absolutely, yeah. A little extra
income on the side wouldn't hurt.

- Yeah.

- Take your time,
have a look around.

When you're done,
come and find me.

- Major.
- Cool, see you soon.

- Gidday.
- Hi.

- Nice pool room, this. I can
imagine some pretty good parties

out here in the pool room.
Seen the bar in the corner?

Now, that's what Jeff would like.

Property itself ―
10 acres, eight paddocks.

In terms of the
farming aspect of the property,

how would those paddocks
work for Jeff, do you think?

- They've obviously had horses.
- Yeah.

- It's fenced for horses.
It's not so good for sheep.

- Ah, OK.
- But that's OK

because, being a farmer,
Jeff can fence.

- Knock up a couple of fences?
- Absolutely.

So that's not a major problem.

- Let's talk about
the price of this home.

What do you think
it sits at at the moment?

- I am guessing...

it might be around the 1.8?

- Yeah, a little bit more.

So, it is right...
- Bit more?

- ...stretching the budget
to its limit at the moment.

- So you're just under two?
- Exactly. Yeah.

- The price of the property...

I can understand, having
the proximity to the motorway

and to all the shops. Love it.

It's actually a very liveable home.

It feels warm and
feels like a family home.

- With plenty of room for the whole
family and all of their farm animals,

this first house could be
a winner for Toni and her family.

And if you thought this
property was impressive,

just wait until you see the other
two houses we've yet to explore.

Today, I'm on a house hunt helping
Toni find the perfect country house

for her family
in the Canterbury region.

The first option
was spread across 10 acres

and seemed to tick off
everything on the wish list.

But I wonder what Toni
will think of this next house,

because they're only
getting bigger and better.

OK, house number two.

Pretty spectacular
entrance, isn't it?

That tree-lined driveway
straight up to this

beautiful
Mediterranean-style portico.

How do you like the look of
this house?

- It's big.
- It's big.

- It's definitely big.
- It's big, but it looks fabulous.

Yeah, I like it.
- So we are on a 10-acre block.

From the front, it's impressive.
It's grand.

- Hm, very.
- Wait till you get
to the back, though.

The views at this house
are unbelievable.

Let's get inside, eh?
- Great.

- It's a nice welcome
into the house, isn't it?

That big light-filled atrium
and then down into this living room.

Potentially room for an office,
just off this living room?

We've got two bedrooms downstairs,
three bedrooms upstairs.

So, looking at how you'd want to
configure the home,

I'm thinking potentially that wing
of the house could be a great place
for your parents.

How would that work
for you, d'you think?

- Perfect. Yeah.
- Yeah?

- Two parts of the house
would be ideal.

- Yeah. Nice and warm in this room
with the gas fireplace, isn't it?
- It's very warm. I likeit.

Lots of windows, lots of light.
And the rooms aren't too big.

- Yeah.
- It feels really
nice and inviting.

- Yeah, that's right.
For a big house...

- Yeah.
- ...they've done a good job

of having it feel homely
in here, haven't they?

Shall we head through
to the kitchen/dining?

- Yeah. Definitely.
- Cool.

So this really is the focal point
of the whole house ―

the kitchen/dining, lounge area.

But look at the view
that it leads out to

straight down the line of that formal
garden, out to the Southern Alps.

The kitchen itself ―
great modern kitchen.

Big stone bench top,
all the mod cons.

Plenty of room to work in there
for you and Jeff, d'you reckon?

- Yeah, I think it works.
Yeah, I like it.

Yeah, you might have
a problem here, though.

The kids might not want to leave.

That might be an issue.
- I might not want to leave.
Yeah.

That's the ground floor
pretty much covered.

Shall we head upstairs?

- Yes.
- Cool. Let's go.

- Wow.
- Toni, imagine this
being your bedroom ―

waking up to that beautiful view.

It's a great en suite
in this bedroom as well.

Everything you need,
this place has it.

Can you imagine this
being your room?
- It's perfect.

Who wouldn't?

- Couple of chairs,
glass of wine out there.

Cup of tea in bed.
Couldn't ask for a better view.

- All right, well, I'm going to let
you wander around and have a good

look around the house by yourself.
I'll be outside when you need me.

Come and find me. See you soon.
- OK.

- It's a stylish home, isn't it?
- Very.

- There's a lot to like
about this one.

Thinking about what you need
in a lifestyle block,

how does this sit for you so far?

- It's 10 acres, double hay barn,
enclosed sheds, tack room.

Fencing is all set up for horses,
plus some sheep fencing

around the property, so that helps.
- Yeah.

- They've thought about it.
It's well designed.

This property, it's different,
but it's a possibility,

and being a little bit further out,
it's a bit more country.

- Yeah, definitely.
- So I think Jeff might
like it a bit more.

Got the outdoor fireplace
as well. Pizza oven.

- It's fantastic
entertaining space.

- What do you think
this one's worth?

- Oh, I'm guessing...
- yeah, 1.9?

- I've got good news for you ―
just slightly below that.

- Oh, wow.
- So currently sitting
at around 1.75.

- Oh, wow. OK.

The fact that they've kept true
to the Mediterranean feel works.

You're getting a lot for your money.

It has that country feel to it
and the views.

It's got the fantastic Alps.

- Well, I did tell you that the
houses are getting bigger and better,

and house number two
is a truly luxurious choice

for Toni and her family.

Coming up, we'll see
the grandeur continue

at the last option I've got in store.

But before I do, I'm catching up with
Michael from Ballooning Canterbury,

where we'll get lost in the clouds
as we take in the jaw-dropping views.

Now, I'd heard some really good
things about the hot air ballooning

in this part of the country.

And so while I'm in the area,
I met up with Michael

from Ballooning Canterbury to see
just what all of the hype is about.

Well, I can't think of a better way
to start your day other than

getting up in the air with
Ballooning Canterbury.

What an experience.

- Not bad, is it?
- Yeah, and it's the perfect
place to do it, right?

- It is. Canterbury Plains is one of
the best places in New Zealand

to go hot air ballooning.

- Tell me about how you
got into the sport.

It is a sport, really, isn't it?

- A bit of an addiction, really.
So, I love aviation.

My aviation started
with flying sail planes.

Gliders. I was looking
for another challenge.
- OK.

- So I had a go at hot air
ballooning and did OK at that.

And, uh...
- You say 'did OK'.

You were a national champion,
weren't you?

- Well, yeah. Represented
New Zealand in both

ballooning and gliding,
so, yeah, did all right.

- What's a typical
flight like, Michael?

- OK, so, we pick the best launch
site for the conditions for the day.

We drive to the launch site,
we set up,

and we like to get our passengers
actively involved

with the setting up.

We get launched, take off. Sun rises
just after we get launched.

So we see the sun rise out of
the Pacific Ocean, shine across

the Canterbury Plains,
reflect off the snowy covered peaks

in the winter and virtually watch
the Canterbury Plains wake up.

- Absolutely breathtaking experience.

I haven't had any kind of an
experience like that before.

You think you've flown, but you
haven't flown until you've been in

a hot air balloon, have you?
- I think it's all in slow motion.

You've got time to look around
and appreciate what you're seeing,

you know? And a balloon flight
with us isn't just a flight

in a hot air balloon.
It's an experience.

It's a story. It's telling you
about the land, about the history,

about the culture, and how the―
how the land and the farms have

developed over the last 200 years
that we've been here.

And that's why we're one
of the most leading ballooning

company in New Zealand.

- Time to come back down to earth,
because there's still one more

property to show Toni through.

Let's see what she thinks
of this final option.

OK, Toni. Our third
option for the day.
- Wow.

- Yeah, 'wow' is the word.
Uh, when I look at this,

there's a three-letter word
starting with B that comes to mind.

It is big.

- Very impressive.

- It's an American-style home,
this one. It's a three-bedroom home

in the main house. You've also
got a one-bedroom guest house.

Plus, there's a pool house as well.

And you might have noticed the shed
as we drove up the driveway as well.

- It's got great presence. But just―
Guess I have to have a look.

- You're overwhelmed
by the size of it?

- Yeah, I think 'overwhelmed'
is a good word.

- You're going to love what
you see when we get inside.

Let's go.

So, this is just one of
the living areas in this home.

Everything is to such a high quality.

The finish is stunning.

I think this place the definition
of luxury living, really.

- It's just fantastic.
- Yeah.

- Coming through the big double
doors and looking at that fire

is just amazing.
- Yeah.

Shall we take a look
at the kitchen?

- I'd love to.
- Come on.

So, only downside to this house that
it does have such a small kitchen.

Are you going to be able to work
in a small, enclosed space like this?

- It's big enough.
It's big enough, Matt.

- Yeah? You could
just about work in there?

- I think plenty of us
could work in there.

- Yeah. If your parents were
to come living with you,

there's a separate lounge
just down this end of the house ―

that can be completely
closed off as well.

- That looks fabulous.
And that fire...

- It's a winner.
Should we head upstairs?

Let's have a look.
- Great.

- Lovely bedroom, this one.

Fireplace at the foot of your bed...

- ...and of course, en suite,
walk-in-wardrobe,

heated tiles in the bathroom.

- It's a great spot.

- Hey, look, I'll let you have
another look around the house.

- You will find me, won't you?
- Yeah, absolutely.

It's a big house,
so try not to get lost.

I'll be outside by the pool house.

So, Toni, I've been thinking ―
if I win lotto and I can beat you

to buying this house, I'm going to be
spending all of my time

right here
in the pool/barbecue house.

Look at that. You've got the outdoor
fireplace, built-in barbecues.

It's sheltered.
It's so well designed.

Does it feel like something that
could be an option for you, too?

- Definitely. It has
everything that you could want.

It's incredible.
- We do need to talk about the price.

No. Oh, I hate to think.

What are you thinking
it might be worth?

- I'm thinking close to three?

I've got good news for you, then.

It's definitely going to be
a lot closer to two than three.

- My first thought ― 'Wow.'

It is 'wow'. It's really impressive.

I am a bit surprised that you can
get all of this ready to move into

for that amount of money.
It's really impressive, really.

- I'm not sure how
Toni's going to pick between

these three extraordinary properties.

They all target her wish list
really nicely, and each option

has its own style, so I
can't wait to hear her decision.

After giving Toni some
thinking time, I'm returning back

to the Canterbury region
to catch up again to see

which way she decided to go.

- Hello.
- Toni, how are ya?

- Nice to see you.
- Lovely to see you again.

How have you been?
- Good.

- So, you called me to say
that there's been some
kind of decision made.

You've obviously
had a chat to Jeff.

- Yes, had a great day.
Thank you very much for showing me

those three really different
properties.

- Yeah. So that first one ―
I remember it had the cottage
on the property;

you were thinking about
your parents coming to stay...
- Lovely cottage.

- ...or living with you.

The pool... There's a lot
going on in that first house.

- The cottage was fantastic,
and the location being close

to the arterial main route.

- Yeah, for sure.
- Really, really liked that.

- OK.

Then that second one we looked at
was that big sweeping

driveway up to that
Mediterranean-style― Yeah.
- The Mediterranean house.

That had a presence going up
between those olive trees,

the gravel drive. It just felt
really nice going up to it.

And the view.
- Beautiful view.

- You could actually have
the separate wings of the house...

- Yeah, yeah.
- ...for the parents
and our children.

Even though I initially
didn't think it was gonna work,

I thought actually it could work.

- So, the third one we looked at...
- The 'wow'.

- Gee, man, that was huge,
wasn't it? The American-style home.

Incredible views, incredible
property in general.

Just so much going on.

- It was so warm, and just... I just
didn't want to leave that place.

It was fantastic.

We've had a chat.

Jeff is adamant two storey,
with us getting older.

We are hoping to stay in this
property for quite a while.

- Right, OK.
- So we're just mindful,

even though it's not
a problem at the moment,

that we will look for single storey.

So that left property number one.
- House number one.

- It needs a little bit of work.
- Yeah.

- Which I don't mind doing.

You can change house,
but you can't change its location.

- Fantastic. So potentially,
the next time we hear from you

you might have put
an offer in on house number one?

- Yeah, property number one.

- It was a great day,
so thank you so much.

- Thank you.
- Really enjoyed
house hunting with you.

Cheers, Toni,
and let me know what happens.

- Thanks very much, Matt.
- Cheers, Toni.

I've since heard back
from our couple that

although Toni fell in love
with house number one,

Jeff wasn't quite so convinced
and they're still looking

for a keeper that appeals
to both of them.

So I'm wishing you all the best
as you continue your house hunt

in the amazing Canterbury region.

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Copyright Able 2023