- Imagine finding the house of your dreams in the place you always wanted to live for a budget that doesn't break the bank. Sound impossible? What if you could track the house you want to the section of your choice and maybe save money along the way? - That's my lounge. - (SQUEALS) Love it. (HORN HONKS) - You got your arse on the seat? We're rolling. - It's a journey that can be fraught with anxiety,... (TYRES SCREECH) What was that? '...pressure,...' There's only inches in it. - Oh my god. - '...and stress.' - Yeah, I got some very unhappy people up here. - Is all the trucking, trauma and tension really worth it? This time on Moving Houses ` Marli and David are demolishing the Kiwi family bach for a brand new home, but they're locked-down on the other side of the world... - I can't control everything. It is a different situation. - ...so they're relying on family to see this project through. - I didn't think this was going to feel so bad. - The house is facing a wild journey ` the open road, then onto the ocean highway. - RADIO: ...on now. - It's like watching a horror movie. - So what could possibly go wrong? - Maybe I should take my blood pressure. - So, come along for the ride. This is Moving Houses. Now, most of the houses on this series have had a previous life, but it doesn't always have to be that way. You can buy a house off the plans, have it built, and then have it trucked pretty much anywhere in the country. Houses are not so much recycled as they are relocated. And Marli, well, she's fallen in love with a house right here in Cambridge. This yard is dedicated to building brand new relocatable homes. Marli's isn't even built yet, but this style of show home is what inspired her to commit to the kind of house that can be put on the back of a truck. Right now, Marli and husband David are living through a COVID surge in Calgary, Canada. Today ` well, they're giving me a video glimpse into their life in lockdown. Looks much like ours. Loads of home-cooked meals, indoor exercise,... - I've done way more yoga than I would have done. - ...and too much screen time. But newly retired Kiwi Marli's feeling the pull of home. - I have so many memories of growing up in New Zealand, and I just love the country. - They've travelled between Canada and New Zealand since they met as young doctors almost 30 years ago. And there's one particular part of New Zealand Marli misses the most ` Waiheke Island, where they bought a property 16 years back. - It's sort of the best of both worlds. You have access to the biggest city in New Zealand, but can live in a village on the beach. - Where else in the world can you, in that small a patch of land, have a total of 30 vineyards? Waiheke is quite an extraordinary place. - Now, in spite of being in lockdown in Calgary on the other side of the world, they're getting a new home built. - It is a little bit of a worry to be managing a project of this size from so far away. It will be built in Cambridge, and then it will need to come up to Auckland on a moving truck, then be shipped by barge or boat across from Auckland to Waiheke Island. - With the build only four weeks in and Marli and David 12,000km away, I've offered to help keep an eye on the progress of their home. I'm here at Elevate Homes, so husband and wife team Kristin and Lee can talk me through the design plans. - And this is our work in progress. - This is it. - This is it. Marli and David's house. - Kristin, talk me through. What am I looking at right now? - Right. Well, it's a two bedroom home. So, your sort of main living area in the middle of the building and the bedrooms are either end. - Here we are in Cambridge, and yet the final product is going to end up nowhere near here. - People find it amazing when they come to site and see the size of the building, and they're amazed that they can go in one load. I mean, a big part of our job is discussing and consulting with the transport guys. - So are there any limitations with where this house is going? - Waiheke's very tricky ` really windy, trees that can't be removed. Certain limitations, yeah. Our job is the build and the quality of the build. For instance, it was really beautiful views in Waiheke Island facing out to the water we needed to face there, so we wanted some nice, big glass panels looking out to it. They've also got some outdoor living out the back. So, Marli and David talked about adding another big slider to open out to the expanse they have out there. Just change to suit how the clients want to live. - Right. - And, you know, where the views are and where the sun is. - At 114 square metres, with the bedrooms at each end, I'm intrigued to know how they've customised the space inside. - Here it is. - All starting to make sense. Right. So, master bedroom down here. And they've split the house up a bit, haven't they? - Central core is really important and quite a nice, spacious area. The kitchen opens onto the lounge. Off either end is the master bedroom and the guest bedrooms. And then en suite directly behind the master bedroom, also on the guest bedroom. And we have separate laundry here and a scullery, so that's really nice to have. - Kristin, this is actually quite far removed from the first plans that were given to Marli. - Mm, they are. It starts as a standard` our standard plan, which is actually three bedroom now. Marli was quite keen` just she didn't need that third bedroom, really. - It's a good way to stop too many guests coming to visit you. - You're right. Get rid of that third bedroom. (LAUGHS) - We're a funny lot, us humans, aren't we? You know, we want people around us, but not too around us. - Yeah, yeah. We want to have the option. - (CHUCKLES) - You just` You have to know that you've got your little safe space to duck away into. And I think that's the joy of a new build, isn't it? Deciding where things will go to suit your lifestyle. - Yeah, I agree. - It's not just the number of bedrooms Marli and David have had customised. The plans show a bunch of other cool features too. - Got this beautiful ceiling, and just have that amazing sense of spaciousness. And two massive stacker doors that open all the way across the building. - So here we are in the master bedroom. - Mm-hm. - So, the lovely big door there opening out to the sea views through here, and the en suite Marli and David have gone for a door opening out onto the deck so they can get in and out easily from their spa pool. - You know what blows me away is for a house of this size how many entry and exit points it has around everywhere. - We just try to design the building specifically for the site. So, you know, there's views out there towards the water. Let's put a nice big door there. There is a lovely landscaped area with a spa pool out the back here. Let's put a door there to get to it. - But apparently it's the spare bedroom that has the coolest feature. - We've got this nifty little tiltaway bed against that wall there. Pull it down when your guests come. When you've got no guests, you stick it up against the wall and it becomes sort of a cabinetry, hidden away kind of a wall. Very James Bond. - It's easy to get excited, but James Bond must come at a price. How much is this house going to cost? - What's on this building gets to site, it's probably going to be a $450,000 project. Only real variable is that onsite stuff, you know. We know what the transport cost is going to be because we get quoted, but, you know, piling on the site and earthworks and whatnot. So once that's all sorted, the costs are fixed. - It's one thing to see a half-built house in a yard here in Cambridge and imagine its potential as a fantastic waterfront home. What I can't imagine is being 12,000km away and worrying about getting a house from Cambridge to Waiheke Island. And all the other houses that we've been involved with have been existing properties that have moved. The first thing that strikes you coming in here is how straight everything is, for a start, and also the fact that this house is built to move, and not the other way around. I'm excited to see where this home is going to end up. And, boy, it's somewhere special. It's a waterfront property in Oneroa where Marli and David's 60-year-old bach still sits. Marli's sister, Jan ` she's agreed to show me around. We can't ignore that view. - I know. - And, Jan, this is a view you're familiar with because you live just up the road. - I do. I literally` As the crow flies, about 200 metres. - Your sister's going to be joining you right here. - Absolutely. And that's been the dream for so long. We've been very close as sisters. We travel a lot together and spend a lot of time with each other. - And so the house behind us is sort of, you know, at the end of its life. - Yeah. It's sad. She's had holidays here. She's just loved it. She's had a chance to be able to see that incredible view, and... - Yep. - ...live in it and realise that this is exactly what has been on her dream board all these years. - Yeah. - Really always wanted to live being able to look out at the ocean. - So, do you know where the house is going to go? - I think it's going to be sited virtually where this one is. They're only going to have to remove that first palm, and be able to keep all of the rest of the native trees and the other palms in are there as well. - Jan, I imagine almost no one knows Marli as well as you do. How do you think she's coping being so far away from this? - Her heart is breaking. Breaking to be here. So, what I do for Marli is I bring her to the island. So I've got my phone out and I'm Zooming her, and I'm showing her what's happening at the house or I'm showing her the godwits arriving out at sea. I send her photos often of different things that are happening around here, so I think it's` it's the heart connection. - Jan's arranged for us to catch up with Marli and David online today before the bach falls victim to the wrecking ball. Hi, Marli. Hey, nice to meet you, David. - BOTH: Hi. - Marli, we've been lucky enough to have been wandering around your wonderful site and having a look at where this dream is going. It's incredible. - It's sort of bittersweet because we've had the little house going on eight years now, and it's just been a gem, but it just wasn't going to be robust enough for it (CHUCKLES) to last very much longer without having to replace the roof and everything else. But it's been a real little sweetheart. - So while this home is clearly on its way out, I'm keen to know why they didn't just build. - David was the practical one around why we chose a transportable rather than an architect design, build-onsite home. It was the most economical and also efficient way to try and do something like this from a distance. - And also on the island, which is really expensive to build on. - And complicated because from start to finish, this is going to be about an eight month project. - Certainly easy to see that it was definitely going to be ` yeah ` quite a bit of work. - It's also really exciting how quickly and how hassle free the whole thing has been so far. - Yes, especially considering where we are. - Yeah. - We're thousands of miles away and still very possible to really make good selections, et cetera. - Knowing that you sort of pushed and pulled the plans a little bit, is there any aspect that you're just really excited to see in real life? - My bathroom. - LAUGHS: Yeah. - (CHUCKLES) - You have to understand, sitting in the bath is one of her greatest pleasures in life. - Do you have any apprehension about the home being on the back of a barge and coming across the water? - It still is just really hard to get my head around, and I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. I think it will be hugely exciting. - Look, it's such a shame that you're not here with us. - This will be the first New Zealand summer that I haven't been back from Canada in 30 years. - Well, and you've got something even more exciting to look forward to when you finally get here. - Yeah. Nah, I can't wait. - I can see why Marli fell in love with this site, and moving a house here is going to be a real adventure. But it might be a journey Marli is happy to miss with an overnight trip by road and the ocean ahead. - I realised that it's more than just me. It's about our communities; it's about our families, my elderly grandmother at home as well, and being able to ensure that she's safe - With five weeks till Marli and David's pre-built home is due on Waiheke Island, the old bach is coming down. (ROCK MUSIC) Marli's sister, Jan, is here to witness it all. - I didn't think this was going to feel so bad. It is a shame. But, you know, they did try to keep it. - Jan's got Marli on the line from Canada to share in the moment. - It's a lot of memories from the last seven years. - Oh, for sure. Yeah, well, we spent a lot of time in there, Marli, haven't we? I feel really sad because you just` It's kind of that destruction. I hated just seeing this big claw go in there and rip it up. It's pretty` pretty emotional. Wow. - Builder Pete, who's responsible for managing the site work for Marli, has arrived to check on the demolition progress. - It's hard to believe how quickly we can end up with just the pile of rubble on the ground. - Yeah. After this, the work starts. - Yes. - Over the next couple of weeks, we expect to set the tank in ` the new water tank in the back, and then we'll set up new profiles, get it surveyed, make sure we're in the right spot, and then we'll do the piling. Hopefully we don't find anything underneath that we shouldn't find. - Once all of this is done, it's going to be a really quick process to go from an empty site to having her house all ready to live in. She will arrive back to a brand new house, and that's something she's never, ever had ` a brand new house before. And it's been her dream, something that she's worked for all her life. What an amazing welcome home it will be. - Now, the exciting thing about building a new house is that, well, you're not inheriting anyone else's taste. You get to make all those decisions yourself. But I can't imagine going through that process when the house that's being built is nearly 12,000km away and you have to do it all online. - Just looking at these lights, and I'm thinking I like them better than the ones that we actually... - DAVID: Chose before. - ...chose before. I just think they might be a little more in proportion to the house, so I can ask if it's not too late to change our mind. - But with family support, Marli and David can endeavour to make sure their remote choices are the right ones. Now with only three weeks till the move, I'm meeting Marli's brother, Geoff, to sign off the work done so far. And so, Geoff, you fit into the picture by being the brother, but also the go-to guy for all of the technical. It's quite a bit on your shoulders, really, isn't there? - There is, yes. The girls make good use of that. First step in the new house, eh? - Yeah. First thoughts? - I like it. Very spacious. I think it's looking very nice. - Marli's joining us from Canada. Hopefully she and Geoff are on the same page. Hey, Marli. How are you? - I'm good, thank you. - The builders have made a beautiful job of the house. Very impressed. - (CHUCKLES) - Anyways, anything you want to see? - Yes. - Right. - So, I wanted to see the kitchen. - What do you think, Marli? - Oh, yeah. Good. - We'll go in to the master bedroom area. - The blue turned out just like I wanted. - Oh, good. - Oh, and my bathroom. Yes! I wanted to see where the windows were. Nice. - We'll head up the other end of the house. Beautiful big doors in your lounge area. - So, this is where your little bit of ingenuity is going with the big tiltaway bed. - Yes, that's right. And then beside` under the windows, there'll be, like, two sets of drawers with window seats. - Little shower. - Is this the second bathroom? - Yes. - Let's see the wash house, as we used to call it. - OK. - Getting a much better idea of the size of the rooms this way. (CHEERFUL MUSIC) - And then the last little section ` we go into your... - Yes, scullery. - And a little wine rack for David. Right, that's it. - It looks great cos it looks spacious. It's only 114 square metres. - I think you've done a fine job. - Yeah. Thanks very much. (CHUCKLES) - Looks really nice. - It'll be done in three weeks' time, so it'll be ready to be shipped off to Waiheke. The transport guys are all ready to go. There's a bit of work that needs to be done onsite, but once that's all locked down, it is, literally, the boys come here, they lift it up in the air, it gets put on the trailer, and 10 o'clock at night it rolls out. - I'm delighted for Marli and David that their new home is coming together as planned. Given the vast distance between construction team and client, it all seems remarkably smooth. You know, despite the distance that Marli is away from this whole process, in some respects, it's almost bringing the siblings closer together, having them so closely involved in the project because of that ` with their brother, Geoff, and Jan out on the building site. So I really do hope that when Marli finally gets here, her reality that she's seeing now through a computer screen matches up to what she sees in real life. The journey for the new house starts at the Elevate site in Cambridge. Through the night it will travel 140km to Half Moon Bay in Auckland, where it'll park up for a day until it's loaded onto a car ferry and taken 20km across the ocean highway to Waiheke, with a tricky 5km trip across the island to finish. The man in charge of getting Marli and David's house up the highway and over the ocean is Troy Etting of EasyMoves. - About 18 years ago, I started these moves ` just myself. (CHUCKLES) I was a one man house-moving crew. We run three transporters. We run two house-moving crews. Doesn't matter how long you do it for, you still get a bit of a buzz from moving them A to B. And every one's a little bit different. It's always challenging. - Troy's not surprised Marli and David have opted to relocate a house rather than build. - I think there's about a four or five year waiting list for builders on the island. - Planning the move with son Connor, it's the Waiheke leg of the trip that needs the most thought. - We can get it earlier sailing. The earliest they'll give us is 2.30. We're under huge pressure time-wise. And if you get it wrong and you're still on the road at 6 in the morning, obviously a whole lot of locals up to get to their ferries, so... Yeah, you don't want to go there. And, yeah, obviously got your normal factors in Waiheke with trees and low power wires. There's certain roads we couldn't even take our truck and trailer. Empty. - There's no shortage of challenges ahead for the EasyMove crew... - Quite a small island, but those tight roads definitely make it challenging, so should be onsite by 5.30, 6 o'clock. - But could high tides and wild weather leave them all at sea? - Marli and David were hoping to be back in New Zealand from Canada in time to see their brand new transportable home moved to their section on Waiheke Island. Unfortunately, like for so many of us, COVID has thrown Marli a real curveball. he's not able to be back in New Zealand just yet. Thankfully, though, her family is stepping up. Yes, once again, she's got her whanau standing by to get things done. Marli is putting on a brave face, but the news must be devastating. It actually makes me feel a real weight of responsibility, helping to get the house to site. And, of course, I'm just along for the drive. The people who are really going to have to step up are her siblings, the house builders, and most importantly, the house movers who have to get it up the North Island, across on the ferry, and then that last difficult part of the journey ` to site on the island. All the fixtures and fittings have been installed in the new home, and it's ready for final sign-off. - Come on in. - Once again, brother Geoff's volunteered to take Marli around to see the end result. - What do you think? - Wow! Can you believe how much has happened since last time you had a look at it? - It's come a long way, yes. - Cabinetry's in. You've got all your lovely pantry space in there. - That's perfect. Just how I wanted the shelves. Yeah, that's good. - And you've got your lovely soft close drawers. You've got your dishwasher in now. - The dishwasher looks smart. And with the black tap, that looks great. -You've got your spotlights in now, Marli. - That looks good. - Come on through to your bedroom two. So there you have your little bed. - That's perfect. And with it up there, then it's my yoga studio. - That's why you've got the mirrored wardrobes there. Come into the en suite. - Spare bedroom en suite. - You got your lovely LED surround mirror. Touch on and off. Very fancy, very nice. - Ooh, fancy! - Your laundry! - We've got those special corner cupboards. Wow, that turned out really great. - Come on through here, Marli, to the other side of the house, which houses your master bedroom and en suite. Got your big sliding doors, so you've got that space, again, up the top. - It's perfect. Yes. - Come into Marli and David's beautiful en suite. - This is my favourite room. - That's your lovely LED mirror. Great for makeup. - I like the way the tiles turned out. - And your lovely bath. I love that spout coming off the side. - Think you'll be able to relax in that? - I can sit and look out at the water. - Do you think I should sign the dotted line for you, on your behalf? - You sure can. - Excellent. - Good news. - I'm happy with the inspection. The house looks very smart, and I'm looking forward to spending some nice leisure time up there. It's been interesting with Marli stuck in Canada and myself over here with my sister, Jan, but it's worked out very smoothly. - Now Marli has given her tick of approval, the focus shifts to protecting the brand new house for its trip to Waiheke. And there are plenty of obstacles to prep for. - We wrapped the roof completely. On the edges of the guttering, it's to stop trees, obviously, when they're going past in the truck. If they haven't cleared it properly, there is a chance that it could hit a branch and we could rip` all the spouting could come off. - While the outside gets its protective covering, inside, Kristin is giving Marli's carefully chosen fixtures and fittings a similar treatment. The house still has to look brand spanking new when it arrives at the other end. - We just have to look at everything quite objectively and think, 'how's it going to move?' And 'how's it going to swing?' Pendant lights, for example. Your shower stuff ` you need to make sure it's all really secure, but not so secure that you can't get into it at the other end. (LAUGHS) - Anything likely to move is bubble wrapped, taped shut or wedged in place, ready for bumpy roads or rough seas. It's moving day. The house is protected, wrapped in plywood, ready for its journey. Elevate have made the last minute decision to stabilise the centre of Marli and David's home before the trip north. - Because we've got these four big stack of doors on the outside, which are really heavy, the centre of the building is quite open, so there's room to flex. So, um, just making it as strong and braced as possible. - Better safe than sorry. Marli and David's home is precious cargo. Once it's stabilised, it's jacked up, and the almost 50m-long truck and trailer rolls in. At 11 pm, we're set up, and EasyMoves are ready to roll. The forecast isn't great. - No. - What do you think some of the pinch points might be? - We've got a bit of a tight schedule tomorrow, just with the sailing and to get there, you know, before 6:00, before everybody tries to get to the ferry to go to work. - No, you don't want to be caught up in that. - No. - We've got around six hours to get the house 140km north to Half Moon Bay. The next night, we'll tackle the Hauraki Gulf to get the house to Waiheke. I've got Marli on the phone to watch the action. They are literally lifting your new home up on the trailer, all ready for the start of our journey. Here she goes. Look. - Oh my gosh. - There's the spare bedroom down there. There's your lounge. There's your bedroom down in the end. It looks like they're going to move pretty quickly. - Safe travels. Look after my house. - Take good care of it. As we start our journey towards Auckland, all I can think about is how Marli and David's brand new house is going to look after a bone jarring drive on the back of a truck. On top of the jolting and shaking, there are any number of possible ways their home might come a cropper. To keep the cargo and us safe, we've got pilot vehicles in front and behind to warn of traffic hazards. (RADIO CHATTERS INDISTINCTLY) The beauty of having pilots go ahead is that you can navigate big intersections like that on the wrong side to allow yourself extra room to get out and around. We're soon on the Waikato Expressway, a 93km stretch of open road between here and the edges of Auckland. We're free of the usual problems like power lines and parked cars, but once we hit high traffic in Auckland, we'll have to get off and take the back roads to Half Moon Bay. Rain's really started up. 'And the visibility gets noticeably worse.' - If we haven't got the visibility, we've got to pull over ` worst case scenario. - 'Which doesn't bode well for our 5:00am deadline to get to Half Moon Bay.' Our drive time is limited to night. About 6 or 6:30, the cut-off? - Pretty much 6 o'clock. We'd like to be off the road by 5:00 o'clock in Auckland. - Yep. - Traffic's just starting to get, you know, pretty busy. - Yeah. Then word comes in from one of our pilots... - RADIO: (UNCLEAR) Have to pull over. - Something's come loose. - OK. Something has come loose on the load. 'Worst case, it's a piece of Marli and David's home. - Dunnage fell out. - 'Dunnage is trucker speak for packaging. It's there to protect the house during transport.' - All good? - Yep. - 'It's nothing serious. But with a curfew that forces us off the road in about three hours, 'it's time that we can't afford.' Just small things can add up quite quickly and have this big ripple effect downstream. We have to be off the road here by 5 o'clock at the latest in Auckland, otherwise, traffic starts to build and you end up just coming to a complete standstill. It's now 2:00 in the morning. We're at the start of the Bombay Hills. We've still got a long way to go. - 'We're hoping for a break, but the weather's not on our side. 'If we caused an incident north of here, we'd risk shutting down rush hour motorway traffic. 'So at Ramarama, our permitted route takes us off SH1 and on to the slower back roads of South Auckland.' - Well, that weather's well and truly arrived. - Yeah. - 'As we reach Papakura, word comes in that the southern motorway has been closed 'and traffic diverted down Great South Road towards us. 'With a house this wide, we take up both sides of the road in places, 'so the pilots need to be extra vigilant.' - With the motorway closed, it diverts the traffic off and it` - And it comes on to our road? - Yeah. Oh, wow. There's heaps of cars. (INDISTINCT RT CHATTER) - 'There's nothing worse than heavy traffic on a tight deadline. - RT: One out of the way. - 'These diversions are a real headache, 'but nothing compared to what we might face tomorrow night if the bad weather whips the waves up.' - RT: And one campervan parked up on the right before the bridge. - 'And if it's not traffic, it's roadworks. 'Every light we hit seems red. 'At 4am, we're still a good 20 Ks from Half Moon Bay. There are no guarantees we're gonna make it. 'Then word comes in from the pilot up ahead.' - RT: Hatchback. All clear after that one. - 'The Auckland traffic has thinned out.' - RT: All good. - We're away. (UPLIFTING ROCK MUSIC) (ENGINE WHIRRS) - 'We pull into Half Moon Bay bang on 5am. 'We're catching the car ferry late tonight after a bit of a sleep today, 'but the crew are dealing with an issue that might mean we won't be hitting the high seas any time soon.' - The issue is the height on the sides of the barge doors are higher than they can currently lift the house. So what they're gonna do ` lift it right up, bring the steel jacks in, put them in place, lower it down, then pack the deck of the trailer and then lower the house on to it so that the house will be nice and high just for the sole purpose of being able to get on the barge. - 'By 5.30am, the house is ready for the journey across the water when we get back tonight.' - Well, regular users of this car park are gonna be in for quite a surprise in just a couple of hours, when they discover that there is, in fact, a house sitting here. Hopefully for just one day, though. Tonight we're back and we're gonna do it all again, but the weather forecast is for conditions to deteriorate even further. So we're in for a wild, wet night. - 'And maybe a rough crossing.' - 'After sleeping through the day, at 10.30pm, we're back harbourside. 'Marli and David's house is being prepped for its 20km ocean crossing. 'To me, this seems like the riskiest part of the trip ` 'a house, on top of a truck, on top of a boat, in the middle of the night. 'It sounds like a nautical mishap in the making.' - (SIGHS) Right on cue, the rain has started. And you can already see the first obstacle of the evening behind me. Now, this is the reason that we spent time jacking up the house last night, and it was to get over this ` the bow the ferry. We've already had the handrails removed to bring the height down a bit, but we're gonna have to jack the house right up and over before we can even begin. - 'With the extra bracing, 'hydraulic pistons on the trailer lift Marli and David's home a precarious 4m up in the air.' 'And I'm no scientist, but the laws of physics and balance don't seem to be in EasyMoves' favour.' - Ooh. - 'As Troy carefully backs the home in, I'm worried maximum lift makes this load really top-heavy.' - It's one of those moments where you don't know if the owners should be here or not to see their precious pride and joy so delicately being balanced on to a ferry. It's just a game of centimetres at this stage. - 'The ferry usually carries smaller vehicles to the island, so it's not built for this kind of load. 'But the house makes it safely aboard. 'Now it just has to survive the crossing. (MYSTERIOUS HIP-HOP MUSIC) 'Despite the wind and rain, the sea is comparatively calm, and Troy's already thinking ahead.' - Pressure's on to get to site before we hold all the commuters up in Waiheke. - Well, that's a very good point. I mean, it's nearly 3 in the morning. - Yeah. - You know, you'll get that, sort of, morning rush starting from about 5. It doesn't allow much time once we get there. - No. So, we haven't got far to go, so we should be all right, as long as we don't have any issues. - Right. Have you driven the route? - Yeah, yeah. - Yeah, yeah. - So, we were on the island last week and went through everything. - OK. - And yeah, we got a couple of pinch points, and yeah. - 'It's almost 4am by the time we reach Kennedy Bay Wharf. 'It was an unusual crossing, but not one where we ever felt in danger of going down with a ship. 'And that will reassure Jan, 'who's waiting with Marli on the phone to welcome her new home on to the island.' - MARLI ON PHONE: (CHUCKLES) Look at that. - (CHUCKLES) I know. Here it comes. Look how many wheels! It's like a big 747. - Jan, hi. Hey. How are you going? - Hi. Good, Clark. Good to see you. - You too. - (CHUCKLES) Oh, gosh. Isn't that believable? - (CHUCKLES) - Oh, gosh. - There it goes. And were you just talking to Marli? - (CHUCKLES) Clark's here too, yeah. - Hey, Marli. How you going? - MARLI ON PHONE: Oh, it's amazing. I just can't believe it. - We've got, actually, a very short window now because, basically, we need to be off the road in an hour or so, so the guys are gonna be racing to get up to your site with the new home. - 'Local traffic will soon start arriving for the ferry. 'If we cross paths on these roads, there's nowhere to pull over. 'So with time of the essence, we're off ` with me riding shotgun ` 'but we barely make it out of the car park before protected native trees start closing in on us.' - RT: It's brushing on your right side now at the moment. (INDISTINCT RT CHATTER) (MYSTERIOUS ELECTRONIC MUSIC) - You can see why it's so important that Marli and David's home was wrapped up in ply, but these trees would do all sorts of damage. - 'To stop the branches scraping the roof and walls of the house, 'we have to stick as close as we can to the middle of the narrow road. 'This means individually lifting the truck's 12 wheels over the traffic island 'and inching forward as each tyre clears it.' - RT: Yeah, good like that, yeah. - 'The mechanics of this technology still amazes me, 'as the wheels dance forwards and sideways to manoeuvre the house through.' - RT: First axle's gonna come up the second half of the island. - RT: Yeah, creep forward a bit, though, yeah. Looking good. Looking good. Keep going. It's all good up top on the trees, left side. Yeah, creep forward a bit, though, yeah. Yeah, clear now. Clear around, Troy. Get it where you want it. (FRENETIC MUSIC) - 'With the trees and traffic islands cleared, we come across power lines...' - RT: Down to 300. - RT: Look good, Troy. Keep straight. You're all right, mate. - '...and parked cars.' - RT: Keep going. Yeah, that's it. Beautiful. Perfect. - 'Thanks to Troy and his team, we get under and over them. 'David and Marli's home was designed to be transported, 'and EasyMoves mapped the route so we get to the turn-off without further drama. 'But this is where it gets really tricky. 'Between trees, playground and the angle required to position the house on the site, this will be tight.' - RT: 300 on the left. 250 on the right now. Just opened up. - 'Seeing Jan here with Marli . watching online makes me pretty nervous for Troy and his crew.' - I hope they measured well between the lamppost and the swings. I'm really worried about the corner where the sandpit is. - RT: Going straight back, straight back. Think you're in behind. RT: Left-handed start. RT: Yeah, come back a bit like that. RT: You're all good, mate. - (CHUCKLES) Holy mackerel. I'm getting nervous. It's like watching a horror movie. (FRENETIC MUSIC CONTINUES) - 'We're only 20m away from their site, 'but it's not as easy as just backing in and plonking the house down.' - (SIGHS) - JAN: He's trying to get past the pohutakawa tree. - Maybe I should take my blood pressure. - 'A pohutakawa on Marli's property is the final barrier. 'Given there's still a lot of manoeuvring to be done, 'Troy decides to wait till sun-up to finish the move.' - They drop it off on the blocks, pull the trailer out and put it at a right angle, come back in right on the balance point, lift it up and then shove the whole lot back and drop it down into its final destination. - 'When daylight arrives, the crew get busy. 'Using long steel beams for support, they reposition Marli and David's home sideways across the trailer, 'ready to edge it around the pohutakawa and into position.' - So, even though here you can see how they've moved the trailer 90 degrees to allow them to bring the house around, we're at the absolute limits of space. Pohutakawa tree just poking around the side. The other tree over the other side, hard up against the house. (CHUCKLES) And the manoeuvrability all comes down to the independent nature of these tyres and the way they can turn and manipulate that trailer around to finally arrive on-site. - 'Slowly but surely, dozens of small, back-and-forth manoeuvres avoid the soft ground 'and inch the house around into place.' - RT: Change your breaks. Put your truck in, hard left, and then push it forward right. - MARLI: It's feeling pretty real now. - RT: Push it forward hard right. Chuck it into hard left. (INDISTINCT RT CHATTER) - 'It takes over an hour, but finally, the crew wriggle Marli and David's home past the trees.' - (EXCLAIMS) - RT: Shift forward right. (RELAXED ROCK MUSIC) RT: Yeah, change your breaks. - I'm just loving my house. - 'With the truck out from under the house, it can be lowered down on to its piles. 'You know, after months of planning and years of dreaming, Marli's home is home.' - (YAWNS) Well, that has been a very long night. (SNIFFS) It's been a very long move. (CHUCKLES) Although, I suppose, in the scheme of getting a new home, it's quite a condensed, short period of time. We now have a new home on-site. We just need to add owners. Although in this case, unfortunately, I think it's gonna be quite a while before they get to see it. - 'So, Jan's giving Marli a preview so she can feel a bit closer to home.' - You're in the house. - I'm in the house. Oh my gosh. - Is it beautiful? - It's absolutely gorgeous, Marli. - Oh. (CHUCKLES) I'm tearing up now. - All beautiful. I can just see you and David making some very happy memories here with all the family. - OK, sweetie. I'll talk to you later. - 'I really feel for Marli, who's had to watch the whole process from the other side of the world. 'I hope she's gonna be able to come home soon to see it, 'and when she does, that it's everything she wants it to be.' - 'It's been almost seven months since Marli and David's transportable home was moved to Waiheke Island. 'The good news is Marli has finally made it back to New Zealand 'and is able to see her home for the first time. 'The bad news is now Auckland's in lockdown.' - And sadly, I'm stuck here in Wellington, (CHUCKLES) so I can't be there with her. After nearly a year of waiting, that long journey home, two weeks in isolation, today is gonna be a very emotional day, not just for Marli, but of course, his sister Jan as well, who's done so much of the work in her absence. When Marli does finally get off that boat and see her home for the very first time, I am genuinely disappointed that I'm not gonna be there to share in her excitement. - 'So, while I'm stuck watching from behind a computer screen on a classic overcast Wellington day, 'Auckland's turned on a stunner to welcome Marli home. 'And after spending two weeks in a hotel room in isolation, 'setting foot on Waiheke and being welcomed by Jan will no doubt feel like paradise.' - She's really, really excited. (CHUCKLES) (GULLS SQUAWK) We both have been texting back and forward and just feeling quite surreal that it really is finally happening. Yeah, I can see her waving. (CHUCKLES) Oh, gosh. I'd better get around there. (CHUCKLES) - Oh, it's amazing. Quite overwhelmed. Got on that ferry and then I really felt like I'm home. And the amazing thing is that I think this time it'll be for good. - 'Knowing Marli has been dreaming of this moment for almost 20 years, 'I just can't wait to see her reaction when she sees her new home.' - (CHUCKLES) - Oh, wow. (UPLIFTING MUSIC) The photos didn't do it justice. It just looks so much more impressive. So happy, it's indescribable. 2005, bought the land. It's, what, 16 years later, finally. - 'The old home held plenty of memories, 'but Marli and David's new house is all about what's to come.' - This is just perfect. This is going to be my forever home now. Can't believe it. Beautiful. - Yeah. - This is just, like, so how we imagined. (PHONE RINGS) Well, hello, Clark. - Hi, Marli. How are you? - I've been so excited. It's unbelievable. - Is it everything you imagined it would be? - It just blew me away. It's just what we were hoping it would look like on the section. The work and the attention to all the details, and it's just amazing. - All right, Marli, are you able to show me around a little bit? - OK. Now, here we go. This is it from the street. - Oh, that is lovely, isn't it? - This is coming up the front deck. The decks are just as we imagined, and I love the steps. - Fantastic. So nice. - Now, I'm gonna walk through the house. I have a dining table, and that's the sum total of the furniture. (CHUCKLES) - Lots of places in the lounge for your yoga mat. - Yes, absolutely. The kitchen will have four bar stools. Then I've got some dining chairs coming for the dining table area. There will be a lounge suite. - Marli, I mean, I just` I remember when we were walking through when your house just had a floor down, and all of these areas were marked out, and it's just remarkable to see it now. - Yes, absolutely. Then, so we're going towards a master bedroom. The pohutakawa tree is just such a feature. - I remember the pohutakawa tree well, and trying to get in and around without damaging it too much. (BOTH CHUCKLE) - Yeah, but it was worth it. And then, obviously, my bathroom and then straight out to the palm trees. - Wow. that looks great. Do you have a bed to sleep on? - Yeah, so that was really fortuitous that we built the hideaway bed. I'll show you the view from the back. There's my fancy garden boxes. And do you see Jan's already planted a veggie garden for me? But everything just fits perfectly where the trees. - Great. Look at that. It's exactly as you envisaged it. - Even better. - So, Marli now, as the dust settles, has the price that you've paid` How does that compare to your budget? - Well, I think it makes us very happy we chose the transportable option. The other aspects of getting the house settled on the property ` a new tank, new septic system ` finished up, costing more than what we've budgeted for. And really, I felt safe and confident and excited about it. Even though there were some challenges, it may have even been easier... - Yeah. - ...than being on the spot. (BOTH CHUCKLE) And it was certainly worth waiting for. - 'Marli and David spent $500,000 on the build and relocation, 'not including the landscaping and new garage. And of course, you can't put a price on happiness.' - It's so nice to see you so happy. Then hopefully, when David and the rest of your family comes down, well, then, everything will be complete. - It just feels so good to be home. This is a dream come true. You know, I'd sit and doodled house plans and how I'd like to live in a house, which was mostly glass, where the ocean felt like I was right there. It's just` (CHUCKLES) It's hard to believe it's actually happened. - Marli's dream of living in a Waiheke Island home could've been so easily sunk by COVID, by lockdown, by living half a world away. But thanks to family, well, she's here and she's now living in a home that she so meticulously planned without ever having set foot in it. And with summer on the way, well, I can't wait to join her on the beach and maybe help toast the realisation of her island dream home. - Here you go. - Cheers. - Being home.