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Country House Hunters: New Zealand - Season 4 Episode 10 - Thames
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Short filmTranscript
00:01I'm on a hunt to help find everyday Kiwis their perfect country house.
00:08Things are a little different out here in the country.
00:10You still have the hustle and bustle.
00:15Your neighbours can sometimes be a bit noisy.
00:18Time moves a little slower.
00:20But you don't get this in the city.
00:35Today we're house hunting here in Thames, a town famous for its gold mining history.
00:40Nowadays it's often the first stop for tourists flocking to the Coromandel Peninsula.
00:44And for Chris, his wife and Dina, and their two kids, Thames is their new home.
00:49Having moved here for Chris's dream job.
00:51So my job today is to find them their dream home.
00:54Let's see if we can do it.
00:59G'day Chris.
01:00G'day.
01:01Lovely to meet you finally. How are you doing?
01:02Good man, good.
01:03So you and me, we're going to be hunting for gold in Thames aren't you?
01:06Yeah man, yeah. I like that idea.
01:08Yeah, so tell me a little bit about the move.
01:10So I know that you've been living in Morransville, but for the last few months you're living in Thames.
01:14And it was a job that brought you here, right?
01:15It was. It was my work.
01:17I took a new role.
01:19Yeah.
01:20Going on 12 months now.
01:21Yeah.
01:22And part of that role, part of the contract was to move to Thames.
01:25Excellent.
01:26And get involved in the community.
01:30To be honest with you, I never thought I'd be leaving Morransville.
01:33I grew up here.
01:34I love Morransville.
01:35It was very central.
01:36But to get this offer was fantastic.
01:38And we've been renting here in Thames for the last 12 months.
01:42And we love it.
01:43Moving here for the family, it was, yeah, they were very keen for it.
01:48We live on the coast.
01:49It's fantastic.
01:50You know, kids can go fishing, kayaking.
01:52Some of the things I'm involved in is the school board.
01:57I'm involved in the Thames Business Association on the board with that.
02:02And also the Thames Community Patrol.
02:05Space, I think, is important.
02:11We do get Undina's parents, my wife's parents, coming from Germany.
02:16They're actually planning a trip over later this year.
02:18So to have them come and stay is important.
02:27Thames is an hour and a half southeast of Auckland and was a booming mining town in the 1800s.
02:32These days, Thames has plenty of cafes and galleries to explore
02:36and offers easy access to the beach or the beautiful surrounding mountains.
02:40Thames is the perfect spot for Chris and the family to call home.
02:47So tell me about your family.
02:48I know you're married with a couple of kids.
02:50Wife, Undina.
02:51Sorry, couldn't be here today.
02:52Yeah.
02:53And two boys, Finn and Lars, 13 and 9.
02:55Great.
02:56So, Undina.
02:57Fantastic name.
02:58Where's that from?
02:59Germany.
03:00Okay.
03:01In Ireland.
03:02Okay.
03:03I was on my OE.
03:04She was as well.
03:05Yeah.
03:06So, yeah.
03:07Classic tale.
03:08Yeah, man.
03:09Kiwi over on his OE.
03:10Yeah.
03:11Drinking his way around Ireland, I assume.
03:12Yes.
03:13Yeah.
03:14Yeah.
03:15Very much so.
03:16And, yeah, brought her back to New Zealand.
03:17Excellent.
03:18So you're selling cars in Thames, yeah?
03:19I am, yes.
03:20Yeah, brilliant.
03:21How's that been going for you so far?
03:22Yeah, that's awesome.
03:23Loving it.
03:24All right.
03:25So as a salesman, you'll know when I'm trying to sell your rubbish, won't you?
03:26You'll know that, you know, you'll see straight through me.
03:28Yeah, I hope so, yeah.
03:29Right, so we're going to get you out of this rental and into a home.
03:31Yes.
03:32And let me tell you about the first option that I've got for you today.
03:34Because, I mean, as you can see from the street, this place, it's picture perfect,
03:38isn't it?
03:39Oh, yeah.
03:40It's a 50s bungalow, weatherboard home.
03:41Solid, beautiful house.
03:42Three bedrooms, which is what you're looking for.
03:44It is, yeah.
03:45It has to be three bedrooms.
03:46Has to be three bedrooms.
03:47Yeah.
03:48You're working with around?
03:49I would say up to 900.
03:51Yeah.
03:52Yeah.
03:53I might be able to spend a bit more, my wife not being here, so.
03:54Yeah, great.
03:55Oh, well.
03:56Fruit tree out the front.
03:57You've got a lemon tree on the front yard.
03:59Is it up here?
04:00Yeah.
04:01Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of lemons.
04:02Well, as a car salesman, I suppose, you can't sell people lemons, can you?
04:05No.
04:06You never would, would you?
04:07No.
04:08Brilliant.
04:09And neither would I.
04:10Let's get inside.
04:11Take a look around.
04:21Welcome in, Chris.
04:22Hey.
04:23Yeah, so 50s home.
04:25The previous owners were a retiree couple and they have really looked after the place,
04:29but as you can see, it could probably do with a little makeover in some places.
04:33Is that something that you'd be into doing?
04:35A little bit of work on the house?
04:36Yeah.
04:37Yeah.
04:38Yeah.
04:39But that's all because it's got such fantastic bones.
04:41How do you like the kitchen?
04:43Yeah.
04:44The green.
04:45Your reaction says a lot just then.
04:48Yeah.
04:49Okay.
04:50So, freshening up.
04:51I think so, yeah.
04:52Definitely.
04:53Kitchen does need to renovate and a little bit of paint.
04:56But other than that, I think it's a good, strong, good bones.
04:59It's been a long day.
05:00You walk through that door.
05:01Does this feel like you're coming home, walking into this space?
05:03Yes, it does.
05:04It does feel like home.
05:05It's got a good feel about it.
05:06Yeah.
05:07And that terrace and that view.
05:09Yeah.
05:10I like that.
05:21So I think this would probably be the main bedroom for you in Undina.
05:24Decent sized cupboards.
05:25Yeah, good size.
05:26Yep.
05:27Yep.
05:28Double as well.
05:29Yep.
05:30And even from here as well, if you can crouch down and look at that view of the water here.
05:35I want to show you outside though, because there's a workshop underneath the house.
05:38There's that extra studio and just a great classic Kiwi backyard.
05:41There you go.
05:42So come on out and take a look.
05:43The outdoor area really sells this home.
06:01It's such a beautiful spot.
06:02The view again to the Firth of Thames from this terrace.
06:05Barbecue.
06:06Barbecue right there.
06:07Yeah, you've already got it sorted.
06:08Outdoor furniture.
06:09How do you like the hills hoist?
06:10I reckon that is your quintessential Kiwi backyard right there.
06:14It is, yes.
06:15I love that washing line.
06:16And some other great things about this backyard, including the workshop underneath this where
06:20we are on the terrace.
06:21So would you be tinkering away in that workshop?
06:24Yeah, have a little bit of a tink of it.
06:25Yeah, it's great to have.
06:26Yeah?
06:27Awesome.
06:28Yeah.
06:29Some veggie beds already in place.
06:30You grow your own veggies?
06:31Wife loves it.
06:32I think it should be all over that.
06:33Okay.
06:34Now when you first arrived, you said it looks like an ideal home.
06:37Pick a fence, weather board.
06:39What's an ideal home worth to you, do you reckon?
06:41This?
06:42There's a little bit of work to do on it.
06:44I'm picking 750.
06:47In the mid sevens?
06:48Yeah.
06:49Okay, so I can tell you that they are looking for an offer around...
07:08What's an ideal home worth to you?
07:10I'm picking 750.
07:12In the mid sevens?
07:13Yeah.
07:14Okay, so I can tell you that they are looking for an offer around...
07:20Just that.
07:21750.
07:22That'll probably get you this house.
07:23The price, it's in our budget, definitely.
07:25Quite surprised for this area.
07:27It also leaves us a little bit of room to renovate the house as well.
07:31Big question is, how much work do you want to do to it?
07:35Yeah.
07:36And can I find you something that's even better?
07:38Let's find out.
07:39Alright.
07:40Let's head to house number two.
07:41So even though house number one does need a little bit of updating, I reckon it's a
07:45really good contender for Chris and his family as they settle into life in Thames.
07:50Our second contender also has plenty on offer.
07:53So let's bring Chris through to see what he thinks of this one.
07:56Chris, welcome to the second house of the day.
08:00Big feature of this house, as you would have noticed, is that steep driveway to get up here.
08:05The only downside that I can see would be the land, the usability of the land.
08:11I'm recovering from an ankle injury.
08:13So yeah, a little bit hard for me to walk up and down that steep drive.
08:19About an acre of land, you can see it goes back up into the hill here.
08:22Stunning view.
08:24And this is what this house is all about.
08:26Once you get inside, you're going to see that they've taken that view.
08:28Yeah.
08:29And really built the house around it.
08:31Yeah.
08:32So downstairs, lots of storage space, huge garage, massive garage and shedding.
08:36There's also a separate living space downstairs as well.
08:38Again, we're thin.
08:3913.
08:40Yeah.
08:41It's getting older, getting into those teenage years.
08:43Yeah, a completely different to our first home.
08:45Yeah, yeah, exactly.
08:46It's a bit more of a grand kind of a home, this one, overlooking that further Thames view.
08:51Should we kick the tyres on it, mate?
08:53Definitely.
08:54Let's go have a look.
08:55Alright.
09:02It's pretty cool, isn't it?
09:03That view.
09:04Stunning.
09:05And they really have taken it in beautifully with the design of the house.
09:08All featuring the Firth of Thames.
09:11Everywhere you look, it's just a stunning view.
09:15Great open plan living, kitchen, dining and lounge space.
09:19One really nice feature is those stack of doors.
09:21So they stack right back and it's like they don't exist.
09:24The house just opens straight out onto that deck.
09:26So the setup of the home.
09:27Two bedrooms down this end.
09:29So a smaller bedroom.
09:30And you've got the main bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite as well.
09:34Obviously living all down here.
09:36Plus new carpet.
09:37I mean, obviously five years old, so everything's in good nick.
09:40And a nice feature splash back.
09:42The Tui watching you as you cook.
09:44Yeah.
09:45Would you keep that?
09:46That splash back?
09:47I like it, yeah.
09:48I do.
09:49I like it.
09:50Let's check out the bedroom and see if that works as well.
09:52Alright.
09:53Come on down.
09:59Walk-in wardrobe.
10:00En suite.
10:01And here would be yours and Undina's room.
10:05So bedroom setup-wise, obviously main bedroom here.
10:08The smaller bedroom upstairs.
10:10So I'm thinking your nine-year-old Lars.
10:12Yes.
10:13Would go well in there.
10:14Yep.
10:15Definitely.
10:16Thin downstairs and that self-contained.
10:17Yeah.
10:18And that's right.
10:19It's all self-contained.
10:20Downstairs, the workshop area.
10:21Fantastic.
10:22Rarely is.
10:23And the self-contained room downstairs as well.
10:26I like the option to be able to have that as maybe a rental.
10:29Love that balcony out from your bedroom every morning.
10:32Being able to step out onto that and check out the conditions.
10:34And you do the community patrol, right?
10:36That's right.
10:37You don't even have to get out in the car.
10:38You can just stand on your balcony.
10:39With binoculars.
10:41Oi!
10:42Oi!
10:43Stop it!
10:47Why don't we go outside because that deck is what this place is all about.
10:50So let's go and have a look at it.
10:52Alright.
11:04Chris, how about a barbecue out here, eh?
11:07Stunning.
11:08It's so good.
11:09It really is.
11:10Just love how we're right in the bush.
11:12Such a really cool property.
11:14But again, the Firtha Thames, that view, doesn't get much better than that.
11:17No, it doesn't.
11:18I just love the layout of the house.
11:20I really do.
11:21And it's moving.
11:22We don't have to do anything to it.
11:23The only thing is that driveway.
11:25Would that be a thing that would put you off getting up and down without a car?
11:28Hey, it's a steep driveway.
11:29Definitely.
11:30It is a steep driveway.
11:31It is.
11:32Something to think about.
11:33It is.
11:34Lots of house here.
11:35Three bedrooms again, but lots of room.
11:37It's on about an acre.
11:38How do you think this one compares to the first property in terms of price?
11:41What's it worth, do you think?
11:42I'm picking it's going to be a mil.
11:43About a mil.
11:44The listed price for this one is just under a mil.
11:48$9.90.
11:49So a lot of house, a lot of land, and a lot of view.
11:53The price is amazing.
11:55It's moving really.
11:56We don't have to spend a cent on the house really.
11:58The views, the house, a different kettle of fish altogether.
12:02Yeah, amazing.
12:08Two down, one to go.
12:09And our final option for today is a completely different take on country living.
12:14Then later I get my hands dirty crafting my very own pottery
12:17and take a ride on one of the most scenic train journeys on offer.
12:26I'm with Chris, who's on the search for the perfect family home here in Thames.
12:36We've toured two homes so far, with each offering something unique.
12:40But now for our third and final option.
12:42Will Chris go for something that's a bit of a wild card?
12:45Chris, I've saved an interesting one for our last option of the day.
12:50You're a man with vision, right?
12:51Oh yeah.
12:52You can see something and see what it could be.
12:54Yes.
12:55With a bit of hard work.
12:56Yeah.
12:57And you're not afraid of hard work, are you?
12:58No.
12:59Good.
13:00Because this one's an interesting choice.
13:01So this is an amazing house.
13:02It was relocated here in 1997.
13:04It's a beautiful old 20s kauri villa.
13:07So it's got great bones.
13:08Beautiful kauri wood everywhere.
13:10It just needs a little bit of a lick of paint and someone to come and buy it.
13:13A little bit of love.
13:14Exactly.
13:15Let's start with the property that we're on right now.
13:16It's about just over a hectare.
13:18Fruit trees everywhere.
13:19So lots of land.
13:20Have you ever considered getting some animals?
13:23Maybe some...
13:24Some goats.
13:25Goats, yeah.
13:26Yeah, you're sending a few goats I think on this property.
13:28You could chuck a pony somewhere as well.
13:30Yeah.
13:31Some chickens.
13:32Sustainability ticks that box.
13:33You've got solar panels supplementing the electricity.
13:36So that's going to be good for you.
13:37All it needs is a bit of a spruce up.
13:39So keep that in mind as we walk through.
13:42Alright.
13:43Come on in.
13:57We find ourselves in the kitchen, which needs a bit of work.
14:01Yeah.
14:02A lot of work.
14:03But again, you can see, if you just strip it right back and think of what you could do
14:07to this space, I reckon this could be a beautiful home.
14:10It certainly needs a lot of love, both exterior and interior.
14:15You'd need to strip the whole house.
14:17You'd need to start from the get-go again, I would say.
14:20We will keep walking around the place and we will keep the vision flowing as we do.
14:24Alright.
14:25Head out this way.
14:26Alright.
14:27Here we are.
14:28Alright.
14:29Yeah.
14:30So this would probably be your bedroom with Indina.
14:33So one advantage to this place is there's four bedrooms rather than three that we've seen so far.
14:50So you've got the one, two, three, a little sunroom, which could be a bedroom.
14:54Actually, it's kind of five bedrooms if you look at it, because the treehouse could be the fifth year.
14:58Interesting treehouse.
14:59The treehouse being put together without using nails by the looks of it.
15:05A bit of string, rope, certainly needs a bit of work, the treehouse.
15:11I do like that arched window though.
15:12Yeah, I do.
15:13You know, again, little touches of character that you can really highlight if you're doing a reno on this place.
15:17And keep those touches, bring it into the modern era.
15:19It's a nice, solid family home.
15:22Just needs that extra special love and care on it.
15:25Hey, let's go check out the view from that deck out the front.
15:30That's where the house really shines.
15:31Come on.
15:32Okay.
15:46Looking at it from the rest of the family's point of view, how would they like this place?
15:50I know Indina would probably love the fruit trees that this property has.
15:53Yeah.
15:54You know, I've passed a few feijo trees and lemons and orange.
15:57And get the boys on the machetes clearing out a bit of that scrap.
16:00Oh yeah.
16:02Let's start thinking about what this place is worth.
16:05Bearing in mind it's over, you know, 10 hectares, a lot of land.
16:08Yeah.
16:09A little bit of work needed to be done on the house.
16:10But what do you think this place would sit at on the market right now?
16:12At a guess, I would have to say 800.
16:15So I know that they're hoping for offers around the 850 mark.
16:21The price isn't bad.
16:23You'd be hoping to find a bit of gold in the hills to cover the renovation costs, I believe.
16:28With a bit of work needed to be done, but a lot of potential.
16:35Let's keep that in mind.
16:36And obviously you're going to need to chat to Indina and take her around these houses as well.
16:40But once you've done that, let's get back together again.
16:42Yeah.
16:43Hopefully one of these places might just be a new home in Thames.
16:51Before meeting up with Chris and Indina for an update on the house hunt, I stopped in at Driving Creek to try my hand or hands at something new.
17:01You have to stay as still and stable and firm as possible.
17:05Yeah, perfect.
17:06Hold steady, gentle release.
17:08Nice.
17:12You gave it as a good teacher.
17:13Excellent teacher.
17:14Not such a great student, but there's something there.
17:15No.
17:16Okay, so look, not my finest work, but there's plenty more to experience here, so I got myself
17:32a ticket to the most scenic ride in the Coromandel.
17:35The most spectacular view I've ever seen.
17:49This is Driving Creek Railway.
17:50This is Driving Creek Railway up here in the Coromandel, about an hour north of Thames.
17:55We've been here since 1973, built by Barry Brickle.
17:59We now run a railway experience, a zipline tour, and some daily pottery classes.
18:06Barry Brickle was a unique personality, wasn't he?
18:09Very unique.
18:10Very, very committed to the engineering, to the railways.
18:13Totally committed to his conservation dream, and also committed to his pottery and the clay arts.
18:18He had a go at some...
18:19I had so much fun.
18:20It's so funny.
18:21I didn't realise pottery was going to be so much fun.
18:22I had some work.
18:23I genuinely think it awakened something in me.
18:25Yeah.
18:26I could become a potter.
18:27I think that was something that Barry was very aware of, is being in touch with the earth.
18:33The Coromandel itself, a lot of tourists come here every year.
18:36We have around about 300,000 people staying here at peak season.
18:39It's incredible, yeah.
18:40Yeah.
18:41Our tiny little town of 12,000 people swells in size.
18:44A lot of Kiwis still come up here and enjoy their traditional Kiwi summer holiday.
18:48Yeah.
18:49But also becoming more and more attractive for our international visitors.
18:51Sure.
18:52They come up here and spend a few nights just kicking back, relaxing, enjoying Coromandel-style living.
19:01What's the best way to get down?
19:02I think the best way to get down is to get you on that zipline, eh?
19:05Alright, go on then.
19:06Let's do it.
19:07Let's do it.
19:23Now that Chris and Ondina have had a chance to look through the homes we toured together,
19:27I'm heading back into town to see if they've come to a decision.
19:31G'day again Chris, how are you?
19:32Good mate, good.
19:33Finally, I get to meet Ondina.
19:34Hey, nice to meet you.
19:35Nice to meet you.
19:36Nice to meet you.
19:37How are you going?
19:38Yeah, good.
19:39So Chris obviously told you all about the houses we looked at.
19:41Did you get a chance to look at a couple of them as well?
19:42Yes, we have as well.
19:43Excellent, because I've been dying to find out if one of those three houses that we looked
19:48at ends up being your dream house.
19:50So the first place we looked at, I remember we met there first and it was like the classic
19:54Kiwi picket fence bungalow.
19:56It was lovely, wasn't it?
19:57Yeah, it was.
19:58Yeah, picket fence and, you know, the clothesline out of the back.
20:01Yeah, yeah.
20:02And Ondina, you've had a chance to see that one as well.
20:03Yeah, yeah.
20:04No, very nice.
20:05What did you think of house number one?
20:06Yeah, no, I loved it.
20:07And little gardening beds are already there so, you know, you can put up a nice garden.
20:15Exactly.
20:16Then the second home we went to, oh that steep driveway, driving up to a really spectacular
20:22view though.
20:23House two had an amazing view, didn't it?
20:25Oh, awesome view.
20:26Great spot.
20:27There was a spa out on that deck as well.
20:28Did you see that, Ondina?
20:29Nice idea.
20:30Yeah.
20:31And again, that one was basically moving really, nothing to be done on that one.
20:36Then the third property we went to, a little bit of a fixer-upperer, a project home, project
20:42property.
20:43Where do we start?
20:44Yeah, hey, love the chandelier.
20:45Yeah.
20:46And the deck was great.
20:51Which one out of the three suits you two the best, do you think?
20:54I'll let you reveal that.
20:55Oh, me?
20:56Yeah.
20:57Okay.
20:58Well, we really, really loved house number one.
21:01Number one, yeah.
21:02The picket fence, the picture-perfect Kiwi home.
21:05Is there much you'd want to change about that property?
21:08Kitchen, definitely.
21:09That green kitchen.
21:10Yeah.
21:11We've hopefully found you the dream home in Thames.
21:16Look, congratulations.
21:17No, that's all fun.
21:18Lovely to meet you.
21:19Great to meet you too, Ondina.
21:21Hopefully, you've found some gold in Thames.
21:25Chris and Ondina made an offer on the first house, and I am so glad to report they were
21:30able to snag it.
21:31Well done.
21:32You and the family all the best as you settle in to beautiful Thames.
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