All language subtitles for Country.House.Hunters.New.Zealand.S02E23.720p.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.

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Copyright Able 2024

Today we're house hunting
with Hannah and Josh in the
beautiful Hutt Valley.

Now, there are a couple of different
ones on this house hunt today ―

a backyard that's basically forest;

Welcome to this beautiful native bush
that could be all yours.

It's incredible, isn't it?
- Amazing.
- Yeah, it's beautiful.

- ...then a backyard
with its very own creek.

- I think the dogs would have an
adventure in there, wouldn't they?

- They'd be living
in there for sure.
- Yeah.

- Plus I get out of my comfort zone
for some wet and wild rafting.

Hopefully we can find
Hannah and Josh their perfect
home in the Hutt Valley.

- We've been together for a few
years now, but we've been married
for a year.

We just celebrated our first
wedding anniversary.

- Yeah.
- We're a blended family.

We've got four children ― three
on Josh's side and one on mine.

- And three fur babies.
- Two dogs and a cat.

We looked at Hutt Valley because
it's got a nice community feel,
we think,

and it's just close to everything.

Good access to the trails
up in Belmont Park.

- We've heard lots of things
about groups in the Hutt Valley

that have got things that adults
and kids can get involved in,
like skating nights,

and just stuff that we can
do together as a family is what
we're really looking for.

- Hannah and Josh are up for doing a
little bit of handiwork if need be.

And they're after something with
a functional outdoor space for the
kids and their fur babies.

With a budget of 1 million,
I'm hoping I can find this couple
their perfect family home.

The Hutt Valley is only a 30-minute
drive from Wellington.

But as you'll see
throughout the house hunt,

this idyllic region offers
no shortage of natural beauty.

And with plenty of outdoor activities
for the family to enjoy,

it's no wonder that Hannah and Josh
have honed in on this little piece
of the North Island.

Now, this first house on our journey
gets us off to a strong start.

It has a healthy dose of character

and the established vegetation gives
it some privacy from the street.

So let's get this house hunt started.

So, are we ready to do a bit
of house hunting today?

How are we feeling?
- Really looking forward to it.
Excited.

- So, tell me a little bit about
why we are in the Hutt Valley today.

Why this area in particular?

- Well, we've got kids that
go to school in the Hutt Valley,

so we're looking to get a bit closer
to that and all their after-school
activities and thingslike that.

- Yeah. We live in a
suburb nearer the city.

And we really like being near bush,
and there's a lot more reserves and
stuff out here.

So having something,
like, on our doorstep

that we could walk out into
with our dogs and stuff would
be really awesome.

- Amazing. But nottoorural.

You're hoping to be close enough to
the city, but with that rural field?

- Yeah, that's right.
- A balance of both
would be amazing.

- Well, I think this area
totally lives up to that.

I think this is gonna
be great for you two.

So, one-year wedding anniversary
celebrated recently. Congratulations.
- Thank you.

- Tell me a little bit
about how you two met.

- We met the modern way, didn't we?
- Yeah.
- Online, we met.

We were both busy
with our kids and stuff.

So we're a blended family.
I've got one child as well.

So, yeah, we met online, and, um...

Yeah, it was about four
years or so ago now.

And we've been married a year.

- What was his opening line
on the app? Do you remember?

- I remember it being something
about being a big ball of cheese.

And I thought, 'I like cheese.
We'll go that way.' Yeah.

- So, upsizing ―
that's the word, isn't it?

We want a bit more space from the
current house that you're in.

- Yeah. We're in a
three-bedroom house,

and we've got four children,
two dogs and the two of us.

- Yeah. It's quite small
three-bedroom. Yeah.

Small section.
- Every other week,
it's pretty cosy.

- Well, knowing what you guys need,
I reckon I've found three fantastic
options for you today.

So shall we start the hunt
with house number one?

- That'd be great.
- Yes, let's do it.
- Let me tell you about this house.

It's a 1970s character home ― sort
of an A-frame style architecture,
which I really like.

It's quite quirky. Are you
ready to take a look around?

- Yeah, let's go.
- Let's start.
- Awesome.

- So, welcome in.

'70s is probably the word for it.

It's in '70s style,
but it has been modernised.

Underfloor insulation.

It's got solar panels on the roof.
It's even got an EV charger.

So you're all good to go if
you get the EV ― future focused.

How does it feel to you two?

- A bit quirky, but yeah,
I quite like it.

- Yeah, I think when
I first walked in, it felt
really welcoming and warm,

and you can just tell that
there's been a lot of love
put into the house.

- There's little interesting pieces
all through this home, but I really
like the feel of it.

And I know you're gonna
love the view from the lounge.

So shall we head through
and have a look?

- Awesome. Yes, please.
- Come on in.

Have a look at that view
of Wellington Harbour.

What do you reckon?
- That's amazing.

That's beautiful, isn't it?
- It's to die for, really, isn't it?

- So much sun is gonna stream
through those windows all day long
into this beautifully cosy lounge.

It just feels so warm already.

You've got the nice wooden ceiling,
the heat pump, obviously,
keeping you warm,

plus double glazing
all around the house.

- It's interesting.
We've got the same sort of beam
in our current house.

- OK.
- Yeah, I quite like that, actually.

Yeah, I like the spots
of character everywhere.

That really reminds me of,
like, an English pub, having
beams on the ceiling like that.

So I think that's a bit
of nostalgic comfort for me.

- Can you see the family living in
a home like this at the moment?

- Yeah.
- Yeah, definitely.

Yeah. It's cosy but still quite
open, so, yeah, it's really nice.

And that view is amazing.
- It is a million-dollar
view right there, isn't it?

Hey, well I'll send you off
upstairs to have a good look
around the rest of the house.

Meanwhile, there's a lot
of bush out there, so I'm
gonna go bush for a while,

and you can find me out
there when you're done.

- Will do.
- Awesome.
- Cool. See you soon.

- Wow.
- Oh, look at that.

It's almost as good as downstairs.

- And, look, you can still see
the ocean out of the window there.
- Yeah.

All right, shall we go and
find out the price from Matt?
- Yeah, let's do it.

- Haere mai. Welcome to this
beautiful native bush that could
be all yours.

- Wow.
- It's incredible, isn't it?
- It's amazing.

- It's beautiful.

It's something I would have
loved to have grown up into.

I just don't know if it's
a bit too much work for us.
- Yeah.

- So, we do need to talk about price.
- Yep.

- Knowing your budget, what do you
think this place would come in at?

- I think it will be at
the higher end of our budget.

- About a million, I think.
- Yeah, probably about a million.

- The good news is, I think we could
get this property for the low nines.

- Oh, wow. OK.

I was surprised, actually,
that it is within our budget,
so that gives me some hope.

I think that's something
that we could work with.
- Yeah.

- But it'll be interesting to see
what the other houses are like that
Matt's got to showus.

- Up ahead, there are
two more house tours,

one through this 1890s stunner
that comes with a waddle of pets,

then we go closer to town
to see this modern option,
which still has some quirky touches.

And the purple bathroom?
- I like it.
- I'm all right with the purple.

- Great. Excellent.
No need to repaint.
- Easy fix. Yeah.

- I'm house hunting in the Hutt
Valley region with Josh and Hannah,
who are looking to upsize.

We've seen one home so far,
which had a lot of features
that really impressed.

But I'm keen to show them
through this second property,

which even comes with
its very own creek.

A bit of a special one, this one,
for house number two.

Look at this incredible almost
sort of an English manor style home
I've brought you to,

with the big ― I think
those are conifer trees.

I don't know a lot about trees
myself, but we'll go with conifers.
- Sounds good.

- This was actually built
in the 1890s, this house.

But it originally was on
Oriental Parade in Wellington.

So yeah, it's been
relocated in the early 2000s.
- Wow.

- And when they relocated it,
obviously everything was modernised ―

the plumbing, the electrics,
it's all brand new.
- OK.

- To the point where they've
even put in another EV charger.

This house has an EV charger
and a Tesla battery on the side
for those solar panels.

- OK.
- So a real blend of
the old and the new here.

- I like it, eh?
- Yeah, I really like it.

- Like we said, we like
a bit of character in a house,
so it's really cool.

All the windows
and all stained glass.

It's all really beautiful
and provides a bit of history.

- Different living areas
in this house.

This is the main living area.
I love these high ceilings.

And again, the stained glass windows,
those beautiful big sash windows
letting all that light in.

- Yeah, it's really interesting,
and it's quite beautiful ― like,
all the detail.

There's, like, English roses
going around the top there.

- Do you feel right at home in this?
- Yeah, it's got a bit of that vibe.

I can definitely... It's definitely
got some memories of houses that
I've seen before.

But yeah, I love the floor,
and the sash windows are beautiful.

Yeah, it's really nice.
- The character is just amazing.

- There's definitely character in
the kitchen, so let's head through
and have a look at that.

So, no shortage of wood
in this kitchen.

You've got the big large
wooden workbench.

Wooden cabinetry as well.

But again, an interesting
sort of take on this place.

The style is unique.

- It's very nice, but it's
quite dark at the moment.

So I think maybe a little bit of
paint might brighten it up a bit.

- Make it feel a bit brighter
in here if it was lighter painted.

- Well, there's plenty more to see,
so I'll head you off to the main
bedroom.

Take a look around,
and I'll be down by the creek.

When you're done, come find me.
- OK.
- See you soon.

- This is pretty grand,
isn't it, this room?
- Yeah.

Just coming up those
stairs was beautiful.

- Yeah. I noticed when we were
coming up, there was a lot of
detail in the wood again.

And they've got a clawfoot bath
in the bathroom. It's beautiful.

- A little balcony over there.
- Oh, yeah.

Oh, wow.

- I can really see myself
sitting out here in the morning
having a coffee.

- Oh yeah, definitely.
There's loads of room to have
a table and chairs or something.

I love how you can see
the hills from here.

Yeah, this is really nice.
What's Matt up to down there?

- I've just been trying to
spot some eels in that creek.

I reckon your kids might like
a bit of eeling down there.

What do you think?
- Definitely. I think the dogs
would have an adventure in there.

- They'd be living in there for sure.
- Yeah.

It is beautiful to have
that on your property

and to have the ducks and eels
and stuff close by.

- What are your thoughts
on house number two so far?

- Yeah, it's quite green and
imposing, isn't it, even just
standing here and looking up?

- It's so different.
It's almost regal, isn't it?

- Yeah. It's definitely got
more of a grand vibe to it.

I love all of the character,
for sure.

Like, even though house number one
was full of character, it's
just a different type.

- Yeah.
- Well, budget-wise, what do you
think this place is coming in at?

- Um, I reckon it might be about
high nines ― somewhere around there.

- Yeah, I'd say just on the area,
and, you know, it's on a flat
section and stuff,

I'd probably go a
bit more, actually.

I'd say high nines...
- Approaching a million,
- Maybe just over a mil. Yeah.

- High eights.
- Oh, wow.
- Really?

- 895 is the ballpark figure
that we're looking at for this
beautiful home.

- Really surprised at that.
This is a really nice area, as well.

- It's a lot of house
for that money, isn't it?
- It really is, yeah.

- Two down, one to go. Shall
we head to property number three?

- Let's do it.
- Let's do it.

Before we get to our
final house tour,

I say goodbye to my dry clothes
and hello to a rafting adventure,

which truly is a
one-of-a-kind experience.

- Now, I know what
you're all thinking.

'That Matt Gibb guy ―
what a sell-out.'

'That Matt Gibb's lost his edge.'

Well, let me show you that this old
dog still knows how to keep it real.

Hamish, how are you, mate?
- Good, mate. How are you?
- Very good.

I hear you're the man to come and see
if you're in Upper Hutt for a little
action adventure. Is that right?

- Oh, yeah. We've got plenty
to offer here, man.

- And what do people get out of an
experience like this, do you reckon?

- So much, man.
You know, we really try and
connect people to the elements,

teach them a little bit about
hydrology and how to raft,

also confidence building,
jumping off rocks and whatnot,
you know, pushing the limits.

Just heaps of fun
for everybody, really.

- Do you find that people
really surprise themselves

with what they can do,
or what they thought they could do?

- Yeah. Yeah, definitely.

Going down our grade three
wilderness river section,
it's a journey.

It's 10.5km of rapids,
62 rapids in the river.

You know, it's a real
accomplishment,

and you can see that people
get that sense after doing
a big mission like that,

and they're pretty surprised
that we do it every day.

- It must be awesome for you,
though, getting to see that
reaction from people.

- Oh, that's why I do it, man.

It's the main reason
why I'm a raft guide,

is to be able to share this
passion that I have for rafting
with other people.

- And having an experience like that
so close to a major city, as well.

- Oh, tell me about it, you know.

40 minutes' drive from the CBD,
you can go and do these amazing
adventures

and then shoot off to
Brewtown afterwards

for a few beers and a feed with
the boys and have a good time.

- Sounds like a good day, mate.
You've definitely whet my appetite.

I reckon it's time to get
out there and head to the river.

- Let's go get wet, eh?
- Let's do it.
- Yeah.

Well, that's about all the adrenaline
I can handle for one trip.

So let's return to the job
on hand and see if we can get
Hannah and Josh into a home.

So, our third and
final option of the day.

This one is a really
cute 1900s villa.

And so you've got that classic
villa feel, but with some modern
improvements to it.

It's been renovated quite a lot
over the last 10 to 15 years.

And it's in a great location,
so we are really close to the town
and really close to the foreshore.

So amazing location,
great for kids, zoning for schools.

- Mm-hm.
- I think this could be a
great option for you.

- Yeah, looks good.
- Yeah, definitely.

- What do you think of
the house from the front?
- I love the character.

It fits in with all the
other houses around the area,

and it looks like it's
been done really nicely.

- It's got a nice family feel
that I thought could suit you guys.
- Yeah, definitely.

- Shall we take a look around?
- That'd be great.
- OK.

- So, you just saw the main living
area as we walked through.

I can just imagine you guys having
one of your movie nights in there.

Nice cosy family area.
- Definitely.

- But this ― I love this
big, spacious, modern kitchen.

It's an up-to-date kitchen,
all the mod cons,

and double glazing
throughout the house, as well
as central gas heating as well.

So it's modern, it's new,
it's warm and it's quiet.

- Yeah. Well, you've always wanted
a kitchen island, and so there
you go ― there's one.

- Yeah, definitely, I think that
you've made it if you've got an
island in your kitchen.

Definitely. Yeah, I can really
see us in a place like this.

- Plenty to see in this house, so
I'll leave you have a look at the
main bedrooms,

as well as the bathroom ―
make sure you have a look at that
on your way through.

If you like purple,
you're gonna love it.

If you don't,
you can get a roller out.

I'll be outside when you're done.
I'll see you then.

- Great.
- Cheers.

- This is bright, isn't it?
- Yeah. Really bright.
Nice high ceilings again, though.

- Yeah. It's got some good
storage space in there.

- It's quite small
for a main bedroom.
- Yeah.

- But then you have got
all of this storage and stuff,
which is quite good.

So I don't think you'd need much
more than your bed out, probably.

- What do you think about
the rest of the house?
Not quite big enough?

- The location is great,
but I think for our family
it might just be a bit too small.

- Yeah.
- Um,... yeah.

- Kia ora korua.
- Kia ora.

- Some lovely outdoor areas
at this house.

Obviously you saw the front garden.
It's kind of a beach vibe, almost.
- It's awesome.

- There's a vegetable patch
out the back there.

You were into a
vegetable garden weren't you?
- Definitely. Yep.

- Plus this little
alfresco dining spot.

What do we think about this house
after having a good look around?

- Just its location is brilliant.

The gardens, as you said,
are really, really nice.

I like the kind of beach vibe
of the garden out the front.

And then out back, this has kind of
got that really nice flow,

and you can imagine
entertaining out here.

- Yeah, kids running around,
dogs running around.

- Fully fenced as well,
for those dogs.

- Yeah. I reckon you could just
move in and not have to do anything.
- That's right.

- And the purple bathroom?
- I like it.
- I'm all right with the purple.

- Great. Excellent.
No need to repaint.
- Easy fix. Yeah.

- So, we do need to
talk about the price.
- Yeah.

- What's your guess?
- Sort of around 940, 950,
something like that.

- I think a bit higher.
I think the location itself,
I think between 960, 980.

- OK. One of you is right.

- Oh, it won't be―
it's probably not me.

- I'm sorry. It's not.

He's bang on, actually ― about 950 is
what we're thinking for this house.
- Wow.

Lower than I expected, for the
location more than anything else.

It's within budget.

I think it's something that's
definitely on the table for us
to talk through.

- Have a chat to your kids as well.
They'll have something to say,
I'm sure.

And we'll get back together again
and see if you've made your mind up.

- Yeah.
- Sounds good.
- Awesome.

- So after giving Hannah and Josh
a bit of time to discuss their
options with the rest of thefamily,

it's time to check back in and
see if they're gonna make a move
on one of those houses.

Josh, Hannah, how are you?
- Good, thanks. Yourself?
- Yeah, good.

Nice to catch up with you again
on another windy day here in the
Hutt Valley.

- Yeah, it's certainly that.

- So you've had a bit of time
to kind of talk through the houses
that we looked at.

- Yeah.
- Did one house sort of
stand up above the rest?

- Yeah. It did. Yeah.

- Well, before you reveal your
decision, let's talk through those
houses again.

The first place we looked at
was nestled in that native bush,

a really beautiful home
on multiple levels.

What did you like about that one?

- I liked the character in the home
and the fact that it just felt fun.

It felt warm, but it felt fun.
And I liked all the native bush.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

- I felt like it had enough space
for us as a family, as well. Yeah.

- The second home we looked at,
built in the 1890s, relocated
from Wellington,

such an amazing different
sort of a house, wasn't it?

- I mean, it's got a lot of space.
It's really big and open.

- The outside space, having
the wee creek there and stuff,
was really nice.

Yeah, I really liked
that property as well.
- Yeah.

- And then the third one we looked
at was the cute little villa.

- Yeah.
- Nicely renovated, a different feel.
Completely from the first two.

- Yeah.
- But we liked the proximity
to town and the beach.

- The location was primo. The
location was really, really good.

It was quite immaculate inside.
- Yeah, really well done.

- Yeah, you could move in there
and not need to do anything, eh?
- Yeah.

- I guess now's the time to find out.
Which of the three houses are
you gonna put an offerin on?

- We're gonna put an offer in
on... number one.

- House number one?
- Yeah.
- Beautiful!

Yeah, I can imagine the kids growing
up in that bush, down the bottom,

exploring, going for adventures
every single day after school.

- Yep, definitely.
- Is that what tipped it
over the edge?

- Yeah.
- Couldn't get past that view, eh?

- The view and the cute, you know,
glow worms and things in the garden.

- Those little bits.
Those little details.

- Yeah. I can just imagine making
a lot of memories there with our
family.

- Oh, totally. Look, all the very
best, and I hope that it works out
for you.

I hope the offer is accepted.
So all the very best.
- Fingers crossed.

- Lovely to meet you two.
- Thanks, Matt.

- Thanks for making it a really
fun process. Cheers, guys.

Offer in and offer accepted.

Hannah and Josh, well done.

That first house really is the
perfect place to raise a family.

So all the very best for your
next chapter in the Hutt Valley.

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