(UPBEAT MUSIC) Auckland ` Tamaki Makaurau ` the City of Sails, the Place Desired by Many. And you can see why ` the beaches,... Not bad! ...the shopping, the restaurants, the people. But there's the other stuff ` (DRAMATIC MUSIC) the traffic,... Come on! ...the house prices,... Whoa! (SIREN WAILS) ...the noise, the people! Aucklanders are packing up and moving out every day. And this show is about that. I did it, and I never looked back. Come with us as we follow escapees swapping the pavement for the paddocks. For richer, for poorer; for better or worse, we are moving out. We're just winging it, really. We've probably made a big mistake. We're not keeping a door open in Auckland, and there's no fallback option. Copyright Able 2017 (UPBEAT MUSIC) Clendon Park, Manurewa, South Auckland. This neighbourhood has seen a lot of change in just a couple of decades ` from farmland to full on suburbia. Ian and Eric have turned their humble home into a community hub, where people meet, eat, laugh and love. We've been together about actually 23 and a half years now, and we met at the Hero Parade in 1994. (FESTIVE MUSIC) Without me knowing, Eric had a bit of background knowledge of who I was, so he had known me for about six months prior. common, so I sort of engineered an introduction-type thing. So he stalked me for six months. (LIVELY SAMBA MUSIC) We've been in this house about 15 years, 15 and a half years. It's our first home. So it's the first home we've bought together. So that's something quite special about that. So it's really a family home for us. And for my wider whanau, this is the papa kainga in Auckland. Eric works only 10 minutes, to the airport. (FLOWING PIANO MUSIC) I work for MPI and absolutely love my job. I work 10 minutes, to Middlemore Hospital, with Counties Manukau Health, as a service manager for Maori health. We love Auckland. (ROLLING, LILTING PIANO MUSIC) We love Manurewa. We've lived in Manurewa about 22 years, so we've got a longer history with Manurewa itself. These two have become something of a unstoppable force. They're all about giving it back. We've been involved in a lot of things in the community over the years; involved in our local MP and her electorate committee. Last year I actually ran for the local board here in Manurewa ` first time ` gave it a go. I'm a driver for Meals on Wheels here in Manurewa and Takanini. I chair the National Maori Advisory Group for the New Zealand AIDS Foundation. Last three Christmases now we've helped cook for community Christmases. We've cooked for up to 700 people at a time. We used our own kitchen to cook all the food. Last but certainly by no means the less, the local school ` Clendon Park Primary School ` I've been part of the board for 15 years, where I've chaired the school board. You should talk to Sue, the principal, actually. She'll tell you all about it. (CHUCKLES) Ian and Eric have been very much involved in our school. They're absolutely amazing people. In fact, Ian has been the board chairperson of this school for the last 14 years. The cliche 'pillars of the community' truly, truly belong with Ian and Eric because of the tremendous things that they do in our community. We've got a couple of hours' leave, so... I don't know if it starts till after 4. Ian and Eric have fostered many, many children. Most of them are whanau. And some of those children have come to our school, of course, and that was the way we first got to know Ian and Eric ` because they brought one of their moko to enrol with us. Ko te aroha atu, aroha mai te huarahi e whai anei e raua. Na whai ano, nga tauwhirotanga i tau ki runga i a Ian raua ko Eric. Four years ago, back here, this taonga that you can see in the back, was presented to us by our children that we've raised. They had personally gone out and actually selected this piece of wood in the bush. 10 or more contributed, and one was the main carver ` who was doing some carving courses at that time ` and they told their story. So this story tells of their relationship and their lives with us. (THOUGHTFUL MUSIC) This whare really has some deep significant value for both of us. We said it's our first home together, and we've raised a lot of our children ` actually over 20 children have lived significant part of their lives here at home ` and as we've made some changes, it's even been more personal for us. Engari, ina te tokomaha o nga mokopuna kua tau awhitia e raua i roto i nga tau, kua tae te wa kia hunuku raua mo raua ano. Unlike a lot of people who leave Auckland, we don't have a lot of the negative reasons. We don't have long commutes; we love our neighbours and our friends. We can drive down the street and multiple cars will be waving. People will be waving, 'Hey, Ian. Hey, Eric. How you doing?' Kei taumata ke atu tenei tokorua. He aha te take e huri nei raua ki te hunuku? Personally, I had a bit of a health scare this year. That's the real motivator. The real driving force behind this ` I had a bit of a health scare that could've put my life at risk. And so as a result of that, just had to rethink about what's important, and if I were to get unwell, Eric would need to look after me. And who would support him? My whanau up north would be more likely those who would support him. And where would I want to be if I'm very unwell? And that's home. So that's the real driver. It's not about not liking Auckland; it's about realising, 'Where would I want to be when I'm most vulnerable?' And so why wait till I'm sick? Go home while I'm well. (COUNTRY MUSIC) And home for Ian is the Far North town of Kaitaia, where he grew up. Four hours form Auckland, it's a world away from the stress of city life. He mama noa iho ma nga tane tuawhenua ki te rangitamiro ano ki tenei kainga. Kaitaia's got a population of about 5500, but where it's based, it's near Ahipara, where the Ninety Mile Beach is; there's Houhora; it's in the centre of getting to some incredible beaches. It's great growing area for... Oh, yeah. Agriculture. ...fruits and agriculture, horticulture. People are friendly. You'll know everybody within a year or two. Yeah. He trained it out of me after a few years being in Auckland, but I'll be able to go down to the shops in my gumboots. (CHUCKLES) You can do that there. (CHUCKLES) Anei te tino mahi maro ` kia hokona atu e Ian raua ko Eric to raua whare ` in a market that has gone suddenly, inexplicably and, unfortunately, a little bit quiet. (POIGNANT MUSIC) This is the very moment... Audrey understood that more than 20,000 Kiwis were paying the actual wholesale price of their power, but she was still paying whatever fixed price her power company felt like. * (FUN, UPBEAT GUITAR MUSIC) Unlike most Auckland escapees, Manurewa locals Ian and Eric aren't running away from traffic, high house prices or the cost of living; they're just walking off into the sunset. So we're not overly affected by traffic and congestion. On our current salaries, we're comfortable. But it does worry me whether or not we can still afford it when we retire here. Kua whakatauria e raua kia neke atu ki te turangawaewae o Ian tonu ` ko Kaitaia. I tupu mai ia ki konei, a, kei te noho ki konei ano hoki inaianei. I'd always known I would return home, from when I left. That had always been part of my plan. And actually, when we first met each other, I said, 'Look, if we've got a future, 'moving north and living up north will be our future. 'And if you can't do that, then we're not gonna have a life together.' So I was quite upfront right at the beginning. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So our plan is basically we've put the house on the market. We've had already a couple of open homes, and more to come, and then we go to auction. And ideally we'll have a good price for this home so that we can purchase the home we want back up north in Kaitaia, where I'm from. We've been looking online at properties in that area, some sort of more rural, and some in the town, or on the edge of the town. I'd make a bet this is a bargain. I've always just gone up to visit, or if there's a tangi on or a wedding or something like that, but I haven't stayed up there long-term, so I'm really looking forward to it. And a swimming pool. Ehara i te mea ka pahaoa te whare puka noa; ko ta raua e rapu nei he whare miharo, he whare ataahua tonu. Really, it's sort of the classic home or character homes ` villas, bungalows. Those are the type of homes that attract me. Definitely for me, I'm mad keen on gardening, so I want something with nice, big section. I'd love to be able to put a big, like, huge pond on with... have some turtles, frogs, all that kind of thing. (UPBEAT MUSIC) And how this sort of really came about ` and it was quite spontaneous ` we bought a car for my eldest sister. Her car died, so we bought her a new car. And I took it back... Eight weeks ago? Yeah. Took it back to Kaitaia for her ` this new car for her ` and while I was up there, I did a little real estate search and found a whole bunch of properties that I liked up there that I was quite surprised. Big section, all the chattels. And so that's actually what kicked it off. Eric's gonna love this. 'Hey, we can afford that place. Wow! Hey, look, that's got extra land, 'as well as an extra bedroom or two.' All those things. A beautiful place. When it happened, it happened fast. (FUNKY MUSIC) He huarahi roa kia tae mai ki konei. Engari, kei konei au i Kaitaia. You can definitely pick up on a change of pace when you head out these ways. It's more chilled out. Kei te tutaki au ki a Eric raua ko Ian ki te titiro ki etahi whare me nga utu o Kaitaia. And we're starting at the real estate agents. (FUNKY ACOUSTIC MUSIC) (HUSHED CONVERSATION) Kia ora. Kia ora, Tamati. Hey. How are you? You are? Eric. Eric and? Kia ora. Ian. Ian. Pleased to meet you both. And... Tamati. Ainsley. Pleased to meet ya. Ahem. So, house shopping. Oh yeah. The big move? It is. It's really exciting stuff. Shall we go and have a look at some properties? Feel free to help yourselves, guys. They're all on the wall there. Cool. (HAPPY, LIGHT MUSIC) So this is a snapshot of what's available around here at the moment. Let's talk about price, because I see everything here represented ` from the 100,000s to the 200,000s to the 300s and 400s. So it's a bargain, in comparison, right? It is, yeah. Compared to Auckland prices, we're pretty confident that what we land on here will be freehold by the time we sell our home. We're confident. Yeah. We're really looking forward to that, you know. No more paying interest to the banks and stuff like that. That's actually one of the biggest drawcards ` come home, find a home we love and be mortgage-free. Couldn't ask for more. So of these, which might you consider. I think what captures me first is probably this one, cos it's got a bit of a view there by the sea. That'd be the first on my list to go to. And probably this, cos I like the style. There's a weatherboard here. And this one up here, cos that looks a really interesting whare. Almost like a marae-type. Almost like a marae, yeah, yeah. Yeah, almost like a marae. And it's got a big section. So those would be the three I'd look at first. All right. All right, OK. Well, I'm keen to understand your connection to Kaitaia. So is there somewhere that you can take me? Well, actually, I was born here. So I was born in Kaitaia Hospital, and my papa kainga is still 7km south. Can we go for a visit? Oh, yeah. Yeah. (COUNTRY MUSIC) Well, ko tenei te kainga whanau, ne? This is your family house. Tell me the story. Ae. Ko ta matou papa kainga tenei. So for me, this is the only papa kainga, the only whare I've ever known. And 1968, that was the year our father died ` 1968. So Mum was only 35. There was 10 of us born. Some were` Yeah, 10 of us born, and nine of us who` cos our eldest brother had died as an infant. But nine of us under 12. So a nine-bedroom house, then. Oh! I wish! (LAUGHS) How many bedrooms? About four bedrooms. Four bedrooms. All right. So a bit of doubling up in there? Yeah. For the time it was the flash home. It was the flashest home here when it was built. And for our mother, it was the first home to have proper plumbing; I think, possibly, electricity as well. She'd not had flushed toilets before. Can I ask? (CLEARS THROAT) One thing I have seen is the long drop in amongst the harakeke over there. What's the story with that one? Well, I mean` Cos as you notice, we've got a tank. So having a long drop is really important, particularly during summer, so that our water wasn't wasted in flushing toilets. And so a lot of people came back here to stay when the marae was full, and we had a marquee at the back. And so Mum got this toilet put up so that there was an extra toilet to use, mainly to save the water. Right. Yeah. It's a little overgrown right now, but that's OK. It is! You're going to be back soon, maybe, so maybe you could sort that out. Eric, I know that you've been here plenty of times too. What does the ahua of this place feel like for you? It's such a special place, because I can sort of see all the memories. And I just sort of picture them all, you know. All these tiny kids running around the property, getting into trouble and their mum yelling at them to come in for dinner and all that kind of thing. Well, I wish you all the best. I can see your connection to this place is really strong, for both of you as well, so I wish you all the luck in the world with your house down in Auckland but also in making that adjustment to this piece of paradise. Absolutely. Kia ora. Thank you. All right, I'm gonna head back, and good luck. Thank you very much. All right. See you later. (UPBEAT ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC) E poroporoaki ana a Ian raua ko Eric ki to raua oranga roa i Manurewa, Tamaki Makaurau. Hei kona, Manurewa. Kia ora, Kaitaia, me o katoa. One thing we'll really miss about Auckland will be the weekend markets. (LIGHT, BRIGHT GUITAR MUSIC) We just love sort of making a day of it. We'd get up early, go out to Brown's Bay or Avondale, ferret out some bargains and pick up some nice food and produce, all that kind of thing. Afterwards, go to a cafe and have a coffee and a slice of cake. And I think, in addition to that, Auckland is 24-7. And it's quite easy to get used to that. That whatever you want, whenever you want it, you can actually get to it. And we know that moving north, that's not going to be the case. So that's gonna be a bit of a change for us. Ko te painga ke ` ko nga oneone; he ngawari o te utu o nga whare; a, ka whai tikanga hoki te ingoa o Kaitaia, ne? No reira, kei te makete whare to Ian raua ko Eric whare, e tarewa ana inaianei. Kua tukuna ke raua i tetahi tono mo te whare i Kaitaia, na whai ano kei te puta mai te awangawanga. We were probably not gonna get the type of price we would've originally wanted if we'd sold last year. Yeah. I mean, I suppose hindsight is 20/20. But who knows? I mean, we might get someone to fall in love with the place straight away. Yeah. A, kei te tata a Ian raua ko Eric ki te korokoro o Te Parata. Kaore ano kia hokona atu to raua whare i Manurewa, a, kaore ano kia aminetia te tono mo te whare hou i Kaitaia. Katahi te mahi maro ko tenei. (TENSE HEARTBEAT) Yeah. Cool. Thanks very much. Heh. We've just gone unconditional. Wahey! (LAUGHS) The challenge for us now is that we've got a long settlement date before we can move into the home in Kaitaia that we've bought, and we're really hoping to get that to match up with selling our place here. Otherwise we'll have to pull a huge amount of our stuff into paid storage, and even have to find a cattery for our cats, which could be quite expensive, as there's four of them. (ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC) The day's come, and I have to confess I'm feeling it. We've been here 15 years in this home; 22 years in Manurewa itself; we've got lots of good relationships here, lots of people that we love. (TUTS) Even though we're looking forward to going home, it's a bit hard to let go. (DANCE MUSIC CONTINUES) (EXPECTANT MUSIC) So we're back in Kaitaia. And the last time I talked to the guys, they weren't too confident, because their house wasn't really selling in Auckland. But I've been in touch, and I hear there's some good news. So I'm looking forward to seeing them again. (EXPECTANT MUSIC CONTINUES) Kia ora. BOTH: Kia ora! Hey, Tamati. (CHUCKLES) Wow. Looks great! The villa! The villa. You found the villa. Absolutely. Look, it's the type of home I've always wanted ` high ceilings, native floorboards. Awesome view, just looking out to` just the paddocks and native bush in the distance. This is quite different to what you had in Manurewa, right? We still loved it, though. Yeah. We still love that. Of course you did. And you still love the red. And I see little touches of red still around the kitchen, you know? Keeping that signature going. It's the beginning. Yeah. (ALL LAUGH) What about the cats? Where are the cats? Oh, they'll be out exploring. I mean it's their first time as country cats. Should we go and have a look outside? Yep. Awesome. All right. Let's go. (EASY-GOING MUSIC) So, the view. The view's pretty magnificent, right? It is. It's awesome. And the pool is also pretty impressive. What are you thinking it's gonna look like over summer? I think it's gonna be full of kids because already one of our girls, one of our mokos here has booked it in for her 18th birthday. And the odd guest as well. Oh, and the odd guest. (BOTH LAUGH HEARTILY) And, well, speaking of guests, you've also got a cabin on site as well. Yes. Absolutely. It's a sleep-out, granny flat, whatever you wanna call it. Got its own kitchen. Yep. A built-in kitchen. Has somebody already bagsed that? A couple, to be honest. A few people have bagsed it. I know! That's gonna be the hard part. Like, 'No, you're only visiting.' I love my gardening. there's an area that sort of collects a bit of water. It's a little bit lower down, and I'm actually gonna bring a drain digger in, scoop it out and put it into a big pond, with water lilies and maybe a fountain, frogs and turtles and heaps of goldfish. So, Eric, have you been down to the shops in your gumboots yet? That's the big question. Yes, I have, and it was awesome. (LAUGHS) Good on you, mate. Ian and Eric have decided that this is their little piece of paradise, right here in the Winterless North. These guys have decided that the place they wanna kick off their boots is right here in Kaitaia. (BIRDSONG) (LIVELY MUSIC) Captions by Glenna Casalme www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017 He mea tautoko na Te Mangai Paho.