- 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 truck the house you want 'to the section of your choice and maybe save money along the way?' - That's my lounge. - Whoo! Love it. - Have 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, Leonie. - Oh my gosh. - '...and stress.' - Yeah, I've got some very unhappy people up here. - Is all the trucking, trauma, and tension really worth it? Here comes your roof. This time, a young couple's dream of working from home takes on biblical proportions. - It wasn't necessarily a church that we were looking for, but we wanted an historic building. It actually will be cut in half just underneath the roof life. - No knife going down the middle? But will they be counting their blessings that they've made it this far? - Hold it. You're touching the rock. - There is very little room to move. So tight. We're talking 30 mils, 40 mils. - Can you swim? - (CHUCKLES) So come along for the ride. This is... (UPBEAT GUITAR MUSIC) Queenstown is one of New Zealand's most beautiful and mountainous regions, and it's here that Brett and Hollis met and made their home. - I was bartending here in Queenstown, and Brett was the guitarist in the band. - (CHUCKLES) - They live on a large block of land on the outskirts of town with their son, Locky. - This area's just fantastic. You're five minutes from Arrowtown. You're 10 minutes from Queenstown. You're in the middle of the country, but you're still so close to everything. It's just... It's great. - Brett runs a town-planning company. Hollis works for a winery, and they own bars in Christchurch. They want to create an office nearby for Brett and his staff so that they can spend more time working from home. - Oh, we've been through about five or six iterations of designs, in terms of new builds and tried to go for something a little bit different, but quite fitting in with that kind of alpine feel, pitched roof. We just couldn't really find anything, could we? We never, never were 100% happy with where we're heading, design-wise. - So they've decided to relocate a building that meets their brief to their 2ha riverside property, and it's clear they don't want just any office. Why a church? Was that something on your wishlist? - (LAUGHS) It wasn't necessarily a church that we were looking for, but we wanted a historic building. A lot of rural communities are getting rid of their churches, so there are actually more churches available than there are other types of structures in the same architectural realm. We did look at some villas as well, but what we decided, ultimately, was that with the church, it has the bigger, longer space that can be broken up into individual offices. - And a church is sort of more aligned with the feel of what you were after? - Yeah, Brett and I really love the historic feel, something that's a little more kind of rough around the edges. - I can see some posts laid out here. Is this where it's going? The main part of the church will be the offices here, with all of them facing outward towards Coronet Peak. - Wow. And yet, you know, close to your home,... - Mm-hm. - ...but far enough away to be separated, especially by this lovely little stream. - Yeah, (CHUCKLES) we have a water separation as well as a big line of hedges. - It's just going to be incredible. - And then that flat bit there in the middle will be where the parking lot is. And then the church will be there, and you'll enter just through that side there. - There can't be too many offices in the world that look out to a ski field like that. - LAUGHS: Yeah. It's not going to do very well for work ethic during winter. - I just can't help but feel it will... it will be like one of those places that's meant to be here, or to some people will feel like it's been there forever. Brett and Hollis found the church they wanted 172km down the road in Waikaka. This I've got to see. Waikaka Presbyterian Church had seen lots in its 110 years, but it's probably never seen the sharp end of a house-mover's saw. And it's also never been around the shores of Lake Wakatipu. It's quite an adventure for an old wooden building. Helping Brett and Hollis realise their vision is going to take grunt, ingenuity and probably quite a bit of blind faith. So here it is ` Waikaka, with a population of 1500 people and one too many churches. I'm meeting Hollis here to get a glimpse of their new purchase. - So here we are. - Oh wow. - Wow. - And the size of it as well. - CHUCKLES: Yeah. - I mean, you've got your own bell tower. It's the size that hits me initially, the big arch all the way up to the spire. - Pointing right up to Coronet Peak. - Right, and it goes all the way down. - (BOTH LAUGH) It's a large building. The church is just under 300m2 and will be no easy feat for the movers. Is it gonna move in, what, four parts? - Just two, actually. - Two parts? - CHUCKLES: Surprisingly, yes. - How? - So it actually will be cut in half, height-wise, just underneath the roofline. - Wait, so hang on. So that whole width? - That width. - There's nothing going down the` No knife going down the middle? - No knife (LAUGHS) going down the middle. - I mean, that... That's gotta be 10m, right? So just the roof coming off, and you're going to transport the whole church in one go. - That's what we're doing. - That's what you're told you can do. - Yeah, exactly. (LAUGHS) - OK. Given the challenges of the relocation, it's going to cost Brett and Hollis $180,000 to move it. Wow, it just keep going on and on. - CHUCKLES: Yeah. - (LAUGHS) - It's pretty big. - It's pretty big. But, you know, knowing what it's going to be, it's the perfect space. - Definitely. - Yeah. - You can see how it makes for a good space for segmenting down into offices. - Yeah, it's, I mean, symmetrical all the way down. It's perfect. At around 26m long and 11m wide, it's going to be big enough to accommodate Brett's staff. I love these diagonal tongue-and-groove panels. - Yeah, the original wood-panel walls is one of the big parts of this building for us. The second Brett and I walked in the first time, we just looked and... It's like, 'Wow.' - This is in remarkably good condition. - You know, they've obviously changed things along the way, and one is bringing down this ceiling here. So we're hoping to take that false ceiling out and really expose that so we have the nice high-vaulted ceilings as well as the floors. As you can see, they're carpeted now. But we really just want to get back to the bare materials and kind of have that play of heritage and modern, so really sleek, modern lines, but with the heritage features. - And so what` Is this, like, a type of false floor that we're standing on now? - Yes, it is. And we're not entirely sure what we're going to find underneath. (CHUCKLES) - OK. It's part of the mystery and part of the excitement. - Yes. - The main body of the church will house Brett's town-planning company, and the large vestry will be a separate office for Hollis. All this on one truck. And so are you nervous about this travelling all that way and staying in one piece? Very much so. (CHUCKLES) - The Waikaka community may have been forced to demolish the church if Brett and Hollis hadn't turned up to save it. You know, you're recycling this beautiful 100-year-plus-old building. - Exactly, saving this heritage and saving more stuff from being in a landfill. So, yeah, it feels good. - Yeah, oh, it's going to feel great, especially when you guys have got that all stripped back, and, you know, what a wonderful office space to come into. It is significantly larger than I was expecting, but I'm also concerned, being such a lovely old church, that it is in fact going to survive the journey and make it in one piece. Or should that be two pieces? And here's the reason why. The narrow road known as the Devil's Staircase on the edge of Lake Wakatipu lies ahead. The move of the church is expected to take two days. The roof will go first and the body of the church second. On the first part of the journey, we'll travel along mostly open country roads. But after 100km, we arrive at the Devil's Staircase, a treacherous road that lies between Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables Mountain range. From there, we'll head to Hollis and Brett's section near Arrowtown. Relocating a building through these narrow roads in possibly harsh conditions won't be easy. But that's not putting off Warren from King's Removals. He'll be the man responsible for moving the church, and he's got house-moving in his blood. - My brother and I have been brought up in it. Didn't want to do anything else. Dad bought it in 1959. There's pictures of them towing buildings with a horse and cart. - His son will be joining him on the journey to move the church. - Yeah, I'm pretty set in this business. It's what I like doing, and I can't see myself anywhere else. - We meet some lovely people, and then, you know, a lot of them become good friends. - With two months to go, Warren and the moving team are in Waikaka preparing Brett and Hollis' church for relocation. - I haven't done a church before, so this is a new one for me, and I haven't lifted a roof off a building, so that'll be interesting. Learning how everything's going together, but I'm getting the hang of it. - Already, the church is under attack from above... and below. The base needs to be separated from the concrete, and heavy artillery is required. Then there's the roof. The removal of the false ceiling is underway, and the bracing begins. - We've gotta put some beams through, just underneath where the trusses are, brace it to the floor and then put some temporary walls in. Owner Brett has enlisted his friend Greg to project-manage the relocation, and already he's discovering there are numerous challenges ahead. It's a very large structure to move, and the way it's being moved, by cutting the roof off, is then essentially just leaving these four walls. So then there's a lot of bracing required to make sure that it's sound to and will survive the move. - Once the false ceiling is out and the body of the church is strengthened, the roof will come off. But already there's concerns about how the gothic window might survive the move. - Cos it's been built in sections. And this here, it can come apart. Like, it's all joined through there. It won't to be a five-minute job. - Nah. - It's gotta join there, there. Like, it can be separated. It would have to come apart. Otherwise, it's going to be stacked up. We'd have to sty up the top load, because that's going to be sitting down in front of the goose neck, and that could be hanging down 6 or 7 under it. - It's just as you say ` getting a glazer in here to get... all the glass out. - What we don't want to be doing is damaging the actual window, cos to try and get that replicated again or remade is probably going to be very difficult. We've got to basically pull out 10 panes of glass, pull the facings. We're hoping that we can get the top of the window as close to the top of the wall height. It's a bit unknown until we take the glass out, really. - Will dismantling the church for its journey mean some of its greatest features are destroyed? But it's got quite a way to go ` 172km from altar to altar. So it's going to be quite a big ask. MasterFoods has had a makeover. (POP!) (MUSIC PLAYS) (DRUM ROLL, POP!) (MUSIC PLAYS) (POP!) What great flavour looks like - MasterFoods. This is the Devil's Staircase. In places here, the road is so narrow, it will have just 300 mil's clearance to get the church down this road. That's about the length of a school ruler. And when we talk about the variability of the weather ` yesterday going for 27 degrees to just 4 today. I mean, look, there's snow on the hills again. It's now five weeks to the move, and after hours of work, the church's original ceiling is making an appearance. - It's looking great, but we've only got 10 percent of it off so far, so we'll see what happens when the rest of it comes down. - That's great news. The rimu Greg was hoping for looks intact. - We won't even have to paint it; it looks that good. - Greg's documenting every step for Hollis and Brett. But he's not the only one interested in the church's progress. - Goodness me, look! - I can say, what a transformation. (DING!) - Locals Joan and husband Jim were married in this church way back in 1956. - It'll be good that it's going to be preserved. I have made a photo album of our church, so, yes, we've got good memories of it. - Back in the '70s, Jim helped to install the false ceiling that the team are removing. And as the timber hits the floor, one of the workmen makes a stunning find. - Never thought I'd be the one to open it up again after 47 years. - It's a time capsule. - It says here 'do not open it up'. Well, that's what I'll be doing, I suppose. Everyone that was there that day is here. These are the ones to reveal. It's quite the list there. - It even includes a newspaper from that historic day. - This is Southland Times. Tuesday, June 11th 1974. It was a good exercise for the community to put that ceiling up. - It's a box full of memories for Joan and Jim as their beloved church is stripped back to its original bones. But back in Queenstown, I'm keen to know how Brett and Hollis' plans are going for the church's arrival. It looks so simple, all just drawn out here. - Yeah, it's a bit... (CHUCKLES) There's probably... A fair few hours have gone into this, to be fair. - All right, guys, talk me through these plans. We really start with a blank canvas, cos it was all horse paddocks when we first bought the property, and we're trying to get the parking area back from the church, so when you actually come to the property, there'd be a nice, I guess, pausing area before you actually walk into the church and see the feature tree, the big cabbage tree out front. But it's really trying to bring in some of those themes with the old picket fence. - Right. - We won't go to conventional. We'll still try and get a few wee twists in there with the fencing and how we do the look. Trying to get a bit of that ornate English feel ` probably the best way to describe it. - The landscaping is going to look stunning. It all makes sense on paper. It's quite easy to see here, but I guess the reality is something else entirely. And what I really like about this is that, at the end of all of this, I can walk around with this piece of paper and see how it's true to your vision... (ALL CHUCKLE) - That's right. - ...it has become, because, you know, I don't recall seeing one of those on the property. - No, no, it's a work in progress. - Yeah. Greg's also turned up to review plans for the site. Greg, can I ask if you` I mean, have you tackled anything like this before? - No, I haven't moved too many churches. - But still just an immensely rewarding thing to oversee and bring together. - I think so. Yeah. - Yeah. - My background is in apartment complexes, so I'm used to building apartment complexes. This is sort of an unusual project for me. - Is it easy working with Hollis and Brett? Because Hollis is right down into the small detail. Brett is big-picture stuff, and then you're sort of sitting somewhere there in the middle. - It works really well. Brett's obviously all over the planning, the consenting side of it. And then Hollis has an incredible eye for detail and design. So between the two of them, it's a really great team. - Yeah, right. Brett and Hollis were hoping that the church would be on site soon so they could renovate over autumn and put it to use in the winter, but that's not looking likely now. There's quite a bit of work that happens once the church is here. - Getting it ready to leave site and then putting it back together when it gets here is sort of a few weeks to a month. And then that's when some of the real work will start as well. There's still going to be another good couple of months of work after that to actually get it ready. - Just standing here with you, looking at these plans and having seen it, it's going to be something when it's here, particularly, you know, taking in that view with those office spaces all looking out. Yeah, I'm ready for the church to arrive. But a lot of work and a tortuous journey stands between now and that reality. Back at Waikaka and with three weeks to go to the move, Warren's team are bracing the church. This is critical work because when the roof comes off, this is all that holds the church together. With most of the team up in the heavens, Henry, Warren's right-hand man, is having a hell of a time under the floor. - Used to be a fireplace in here. Sometimes they pour concrete over the bearers. - And this has to go, or the church will be making its journey in three parts, not two. - You can actually see that the concrete is poured over the top of the bearer running through here. If we tried to lift this building without blowing this off, we'd basically tear the floor out, we'd tear the floor off the walls. - There's surprises around every corner each time work begins. - We would never have been able to lift it out. Very hard to jackhammer in that, but I'm just on the last piece now. And, yeah, and it's good to go after that. - Let's run through Hollis and Brett's challenges. They've got the weather to contend with, and the building itself requires industrial-strength bracing to stop the walls from collapsing. Then, of course, the whole lot has to make it around the Devil's Staircase. This church relocation and restoration, well, it really is of biblical proportions. But today, the busy couple are in their Christchurch bar and have good reason to celebrate. - We've got all our consents issued, and everything's all been signed off in that regard. So we've got about another two weeks left with the church, in terms of where it is on site to the moment it come through to Queenstown. So hopefully that will pan out and stick to the timeframe. - And time is something Brett and Hollis are often short of. When not overseeing their Christchurch businesses, they're always keen to get back to Queenstown to ensure progress is on schedule. - We've got all the earthworks completed, which has been a bit of a monumental task. Now we're on to landscaping. So we're probably going to be in a situation where I think we'll probably end up planting most of the plants now in spring 2021, just so we can get everything done right. - Brett and Hollis had hoped to be way ahead with their landscaping, but with Queenstown's snowy winter approaching, they'll have to wait. - Whether we go for more mature trees and try and get that building pretty established. Accounts has been great to work with, the contractors on the church project ` everything seems to be going well, accordingly. - So far. (BOTH CHUCKLE) - But there's still plenty of work to do at the church. It's time for the team to tackle one of the church's best features, the gothic window. - Basically, this window's been built in two parts, so basically we'll probably have to take a bit of glass out, remove this bar here, and then when we lift it, the thought is that all this will come out with the top piece. - Well, that's the plan, anyway. The window is also part of the structure, so its removal will mean that the wall needs extra bracing. The first part of the window is coming out easily enough. - The window had been built in two pieces, but, you know, with all the dowelling and gluing, it was quite strong. So when you separate it ` and we've separated along that top plate ` the front wall was a bit floppy. - The weight of the window takes two men to hold it. - Well-built. - They've got it safely to the ground, and they've decided to leave the rest of the window panes intact for the journey. Warren's planned for the roof to be first to leave tomorrow. - So we're going to crane the top off, put it on one trailer, and then we'll spend the rest of the day covering the roof. And then the following day, hopefully we'll get one load to Arrowtown, come back and get the next load. - Sounds simple enough to me, but there are limitations on when this load can be on the road. So can Warren get the church there on time? By making faster fibre internet speeds available for over 1.6 million Kiwis. The Big Fibre Boost ` from Chorus. (TENSE MUSIC) It's moving day at Waikaka, and it's an early start for all of us. You know, it feels entirely appropriate to start this church move in this heavy morning fog. And the church itself, it's going to start its journey by being broken into several parts, loaded on to these trucks and then moved all the way through quite a precarious drive to Queenstown. And it all starts shortly with that roof coming off. But first up, the bell tower needs to be prepped for the move. The cranes are in place, and the saw is out. (SAW WHIRRS) These guys make it look easy. So, what is the plan today? Well, we're just setting up with the cranes now, so... hopefully in about half an hour, we'll be plucking the roof off. - Right. - If we get another pilot, we're leaving here to go to Arrowtown. Right, so the roof could go today or maybe not. - Or maybe not, yeah. - Yeah, so, what do you think our main issues are going to be over the next couple of days? - Traffic round the staircase. - Yeah. - You know, being 11m wide, we haven't got much room to play with. - No. - In a lot of places, we're only going to have 50 mil. So it gets tight. - The move is planned to take two days, and already there are signs deadlines might be slipping. I can't believe the transformation that this church has already undergone. I can see right up into the rafters now. But you can see why this bracing is so important, because once the roof comes off, there's nothing really holding the walls up. And to have it travel that whole journey, 170 K's, it really needs to be nice and snug and secure. These custom-cut iron beams will keep the roof solid while the 110-year-old Waikaka Presbyterian Church is split into two pieces. Right, so these are just the last-minute sort of things you need to do before you can get the building on the go. - Yeah, just final preparations now. So hopefully not long till we can get out of here. - Right. So, I think the roof is about to come off. - It is. - OK, boys, keep rolling. I'm just keen to keep floating it out a wee bit, Chris. Righto, we'll keep rolling up for five. - But its journey just to make it to the truck has everyone on edge. - Keep it rolling, boys. - Righto, mate, right down. - Check all those blocks. - Is that all go now? - Yeah, good at the front. - So this is where you just wanna get it as even as possible across the trailer? - Yeah, pretty much. - 75 mil! - I overheard the crane drivers say 8.5 tons, this roof's come in at. - Hold it, hold it, hold it! - About 2 inches away from touchdown. - Still gotta come down, back, left-hand side. (CLICK!) (CLICK! CREAKING) - The trailer will be tilted at extreme angles to get the roof around the Devil's Staircase, so it's important that it's securely attached. So because it took a little bit longer to get that off, it means that now we're not going to make it through to Queenstown in the allocated time when you're allowed to be on the road. So we have to wait till 7 o'clock tonight. Then the roof will go through to Lumsden. But in the meantime, there's plenty to do. You can see the guys flat out on what's left of the church behind me, and they're going to drape tarps over the side to create a weatherproof effect, because these clouds, well, they keep getting darker and darker. (RINGING TONE) - Hello. - Manager Greg is here, keeping Hollis up to date by phone. - At the moment, they're putting framing up on the church to then put covers over to keep it watertight, to protect it for the next couple of days. - OK. - And then you can see they've got that digger there, breaking up the last bit of the concrete around the church so they can get the truck in underneath tomorrow and jack it up. And then the plan is that late tomorrow, the church will be on its way. - Great. - Now our 170km journey begins. Right. Here we go. What are we looking at? 7.30. Finally on the road. So the plan now is to get through to Lumsden, and then tomorrow morning, it will be up and taken to... to Queenstown. (TRUCK RUMBLES) (SUBDUED MUSIC) We're not on the road long before we meet our main obstacle tonight ` this 5m-wide single-lane bridge. It's a good thing these moves are insurable. Otherwise, I'm not sure anyone would take this on. - RT: The back wheels of your trailer, you need to steer the trailer over it, Warren. - Yeah, copy that. - Warren leaves the cab to steer the trailer wheels while we crawl across. So as you can see, we've really slowed down here. We're on a narrow one-lane bridge. And the roof is actually draped across both sides of it. So it's walking pace only. The wheels are just inches from the barriers on either side of the bridge. - RT: Yes, you're looking all right. - And we're through. - Not far to go now. - No, nearly there. It's been a long day. Health and safety regulations mean that we have to park up for the night and complete the move tomorrow. So just like that, we've arrived at our first stop. Just getting that first lump of driving out of the way. A few hours' sleep, and tomorrow morning, in daylight, which should be fun and novel, we get to do the big drive through to Queenstown. Devil's Staircase, here we come. (CHEERY MUSIC) (BEEP!) After a good night's sleep, the team are up early and keen to get back on the road. So here we go. You can hear the boys on comms. Clearing the road ahead. We're out and away. New day, new destination. (ROCK MUSIC) The empty Southland roads are a house-mover's dream. But hanging over our heads is the rock face at the edge of Lake Wakatipu. Next up, Devil's Staircase. (TENSE MUSIC) And this is where everything slows down ` the Devil's Staircase. (SCRAPING) - RT: Hold it. You're touching the rock. - Warren wasn't kidding when he said there was only 50 mil's clearance. - Might have to wait there till he's around the corner, Warren. - One wrong move, and we'll be delivering the roof to Hollis and Brett in the back of one of the utes. There is nothing in this. And this is the narrow part of the building. - The back wheel of your trailer, you need to steer the trailer over, Warren. - Yeah, you got about 50 mil. - Warren turns one of the independent axles hard over to drag the whole load sideways to try and make it through. This is unbelievably close to the rock face. - How much of it on that bloody barrier there? - Oh, a metre or so. And that was tight. So tight. - You can see where it's gonna get tight, don't you? - Is that the narrowest part of the trip? - Well, one of them. When you get up the rock face up here, it's not so nice. - Right. Every time I look at out my window, we seem to be closer to the lake. How are we going to get the church body, which is nearly 3m wider, through is beyond me. - Can you swim? - (CHUCKLES) We've held the traffic up, but Warren has a solution for that too. A little tilt, and under the cars go. (ROCK MUSIC) Finally, we're through, leaving the most treacherous part of the journey behind us. (UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC) The first delivery is just metres away from its destination. Brett and Hollis are here to welcome the roof to its new home. Oh, there's the happy couple, watching on. (INDISTINCT RT CHATTER) We've arrived. The first part of the move is almost complete. We've just gotta get it on to the property now. Guys, how are you? - Good, mate, good. - (CHUCKLES) This is surreal. - Yeah, here comes your roof. - Yeah, there's a lot of it. - What do you think? Hollis, I don't think I've seen you so quiet. - (LAUGHS) Yeah. - It's probably bigger than we thought. - I mean, it's all very real at this point, isn't it? - Pretty real. (CHUCKLES) I'm just in awe. - (SIGHS) So, I mean, what are you thinking when you're looking at this? I mean, are you excited about the prospect of a held-up building, or is it slightly daunting? - Daunting, daunting. I think it's good to see the underside a bit closer, actually, cos it looks like it might be something we work with. - But those beams stripped back, exposed and just having such a high stud in an office space is going to be cool. - It's going to be amazing, actually. Be nice to see the old window reinstalled as well. - Well, I'm going to leave you here and head all the way back to Waikaka then bring back the body of your brand-new building. - Then you've got the fun job. - The fun job to come. - Yeah, good luck with it. Don't drop it. (BOTH CHUCKLE) (SUBDUED MUSIC) - I'm back at Waikaka to join the move of the church to Queenstown. Is today the day? - Today's the day. - And what's the plan? - We'll load her up, and then we're going to do a bit of trimming. (BOTH CHUCKLE) - Which is Warren's way of saying we're going to take a very wide load down a very narrow couple of streets. - Yeah, that's right. - The first job of the day is to get the church in the air. - We're gonna lift her up and break that concrete out so we can get our trailer under there. - With all the cutting and drilling that's been going on, we're all desperate to see if the floor has been separated from the foundations. What can happen with these old churches is that sometimes the floors aren't actually attached, and so when they lift them up, oh, the floor drops out. So they're just making last-minute adjustments, and then it's all going to happen. (TENSE MUSIC) You know, this Moving Houses is just a constant series of problem-solving. Another unforeseen issue being the sloping floor. - Can you come back another 50 mil? - Now it doesn't line up with the trailer, and so the boys are having to put beams across here. They're going to chock it up so that when the church comes down, it'll be able to take the weight evenly through the whole thing. But it's going to be another major delay, so I'm pleased to see Brett turn up to witness how hard everyone's working. - I chose a good time to show up. - Yes. - All the hard work's been done. - Yeah. You couldn't help yourself. - Nah, I'm just here for the finale. - Come down and have a look. What do you think, now it's all up on blocks and all the bottom's pulled away? - It's quite daunting, actually, especially considering how far they've got to take it now. - Yeah. Well, that's the thing. I mean, I saw you flinch yesterday when the roof arrived, and obviously this portion's bigger. I actually watched you re-pacing out where you made it all out. - (CHUCKLES) - Is it as you'd imagined now, or is it starting to get a bit real? - Yeah, it is. I had a good mull over last night, actually, and it's all as, proportionally, what we're expecting. But I think you just... This is such a big structure in itself and quite imposing. So, you know, especially when you see it up on the jacks, you definitely get a different appreciation. - Yeah. And, of course, Jim and Joan have secured ringside seats for the final chapter. What do you think, Joan? Here it goes. - Well, I did think, originally, I would shed a tear when it goes, but I won't. And it's just been great, and I know it would be brought back to life again. - And finally, late in the afternoon, we start edging away. So here we go. This is our moment ` the main body of the church coming off-site. It's been a heck of a process to get here, and it's taking a little bit longer than we anticipated. There's no going back now. (INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC) You can see all the neighbours out here lining the fence, sort of seeing the church off. And for them, it would've very much be part of their whole lives, and right at this moment, it's leaving. It's a wonderful feeling to be underway. (INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC CONTINUES) (DRAMATIC MUSIC) But almost straight away, we have to slow right down to lower the trailer to get under these trees and wires. - RT: You're just driving, mate. Looking good on your right-hand side. - Trees and road signs are a common hazard. But Warren's team are keeping us on track. - Still looking good. (INDISTINCT CHATTER) Just go a wee more on your right, can you, Warren? (TENSE MUSIC) That board fell off. Knocked off the end. - What board? - That board on the back of the trailer. (TENSE MUSIC) - Despite the team's earlier measurements of the width of the road, there's already a few surprises. - Good. You're on the right. Away you go. - We're on the road again. But our first real test is the crossing of the Mataura Bridge. Remember, this load is 3m wider than the roof. (INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER) - Slightly right. (TENSE MUSIC) (UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC) - I can see why good communication is so important ` things like that, when you just can't see. We're travelling around 80km/h, and Hollis and Brett will be praying there's no damage. Warren, it must feel pretty good knowing that you're, you know, recycling these homes. You're not putting them into landfill. - Not everybody can afford a new home. This is a cheaper option for them. - Yup. Never lost a load? - Too lazy. We'd have to go and pick it up again. (UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC CONTINUES) Now for the Staircase. Warren and his team managed this road well yesterday, but the body of the church provides more challenges. (INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER) - Yeah, you got about a metre at the top on your right. (DETERMINED MUSIC) (INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER) - Metre on your right. - Keep it right over, mate. - Yeah, you got about 50 mil with the guard rail. (DETERMINED MUSIC CONTINUES) - With less than a hand span separating the church from the rocks, Henry and Warren have to work closely to keep the building safe. I mean, we're talking 30 mils, 40 mils. The beams placed on the underside of the church minimises the stress on the wooden structure, but it's hard to believe that there'll be no damage at the end of this journey. Gonna have to just tweak those back wheels to get this load around. They're so long, that when you cut corners, in they come, and then that's when you risk scraping along the cliff face. Night has fallen fast, and there's still a way to go. (INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER) We've made it through the tough part of the journey, but now there are vehicles to deal with. (INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER) Drivers ignoring pilot vehicles are an occupational hazard for Warren and his team. - Only about 100 mil off the rock on your right-hand side. - OK. - Can you see the rock on the right now? - Some of these corners are so tight, the pilots have to watch every millimetre of the turn. - 150 above the side. Give way for the wires. - These particular lines carry 33,000 volts, so if we take one of these out, all of Queenstown goes black. - Still got 100 on the guard rail. OK on the wires, mate. - There's not too far to go now. But up ahead, there are even more vehicles to contend with. - Yeah, hold it there, Warren. Lift it up on the right. Just a wee bit more. - Is that enough? - Can you lift` Wait, wait, wait, wait. Lift the back a wee bit, mate. Yeah, OK, away you go. Carry it forward. Yeah, away you go. - We've cleared the cars, but there's one tight corner to navigate before our arrival. - There's some wire on your right. OK, yeah, you got plenty of room on your right-hand side. - Finally, at midnight, we arrive at the Queenstown property, and a relieved Brett is here to welcome his new office home. - It's an impressive move. It's been a bit of a process, so, yeah, quite daunting to watch it coming all this way and over the cars, and, yeah, been a bit of excitement. Those guys are amazing, really. They're real craftsmen, aren't they, in terms of... in terms of what they've done tonight. It's been pretty impressive. - But while Warren and his team have got the church to site, months of restoration await Brett and Hollis before they can finally say this job is done. - Yeah, there's a lot to do. We've still got all the foundations, and they're putting the roof on tomorrow. So I'd probably say there's another two weeks' worth of decent site works, and then we can actually get into the proper stuff, in terms of actually getting the building back to life again. - (CHUCKLES) Got you. - Oi, what should we...? (BOTH SPEAK INDISTINCTLY, VEHICLES ZOOM) - Oi, Clipboard. - Hullo. - What are you doing? - LOUDLY: Reviewin' the speed limit. (VEHICLE ZOOMS) - The what? (VEHICLES ZOOM) - Speed limit. - Why? - It's just too fast... (TRUCK RUMBLES LOUDLY) ...for roads like this one. You know, stuff's changed ` new schools, new builds, people movin' in. We're lookin' at the speed limits to make sure they're right for the roads to keep us all... (SIREN WAILS) ...safe. - Did you like that? - Eh?! - Wait. - Wha...? - So are you changing all the speed limits? - Yes. No, just the... (TRUCKS RUMBLE LOUDLY) rubbish ones. Just the sh... (HORN TOOTS) ...ones! - All right. Hurry up, then. - OK. - Bye. - Thank you. - Not many people by a church, and even fewer people buy a church as a work-from-home option. But that's a decision that Queenstown couple Brett and Hollis made when they decided that a better work-life balance was in order. That was six months ago when I watched the church move here. It was a mammoth task in itself, but they tell me that they've got some results ready to show. And, well, I can't wait. I'm stoked to see Brett's grand landscaping plans are bedding in. But the church? Well, the last time I was here, it was a shell braced with metal beams to stop it collapsing. Now, well, it looks like it's always been part of this landscape. A new roof and a top-to-toe paint job plus a generous deck finish off the exterior renovation. Gidday. How are ya? - Gidday. How are you? Good to see ya. - Good to see ya. Oh, Hollis is here as well. - Hi! How are ya? - Hey! How are you? - Good. - Goodness me! It would appear you have other news. - Yeah, yeah. We've had a couple of projects since we last saw you going on. - Oh, congratulations. - Thank you. - Just another layer of project. - Wow. I mean, I know what life's like with one, and I can't even imagine doing that and a restoration project as well. Talk me through. I mean, are we finished? - We're about 80% there. - Has is it lived up to your expectations? - Definitely exceeded my expectations. I'm just really pleased with how it's all come together. - One of the big revelations ` when you're looking out one window, you see Coronet; then the other window, you see the Remarkables in the middle of winter, and that was a total accident from our behalf. We didn't think you'd get views from Remarkables out this side, but you do. Let's go and have a look, eh? - Yeah, I'm excited to show you. - Fantastic. And do you think this will be your main entrance into it or...? - This will be the boardroom. - Right. - The whole intent for this room is that we'll get a nice big rimu table so you can kinda capitalise on the views out to Coronet. - I was gonna say ` how much are you going to get done in here? - Yeah, probably not much. - Oh, it's a nice space. Who chose the wallpaper? - That was me. - Yes? - Yeah. So Brett tends to do the kind of bigger, structural things, and I kind of do the pretty things. - And are they kakapo up there? - They are, yeah. - Hollis has done a great job mixing new and old. I love seeing the original features painstakingly restored. The bell tower, this has all come back to life. - Yeah. The bell's all been sanded back, yeah, and then we had the builders just configure the bell chain a lot better. Back in the day, the bell tower was exposed at the top, so you actually had a lot of water coming into the tower. - Well, with that sort of attention to detail, I can't wait to see what's in the rest of the building. - Come through. - Wow, I mean, it was a big building before, but with that false ceiling gone and then these lovely, big exposed beams, it feels massive. - Having a look and seeing all the original rimu beams has been awesome. - Goodness me. And, I mean, that was all painted white, so you just stripped that all back. - They're all stripped. - The renovation reveals just how generous this space is. It truly is on a grand scale. Hollis' paint choices feel modern, but also respect the history of the church. - Massive difference from what it was. - It's incredible. You know, you can do all sorts of things in here, couldn't you? - Yeah, yeah. I think the plan now is we'll look at doing a few events and bits and pieces. Yeah, we'll still use it as an office, by all means. But, you know, the amount of enquiries we're already getting to use it for functions and things is just mind-boggling. Got a natural stage that's been created from levelling the floor. So, yeah, nah, it's a cool spot. - I did not see that coming. But given Hollis met Brett when he was playing in a rock band, maybe they're planning on getting the band back together. But he has touched on something that was going to be a big issue for them ` the floors. I remember you had that difficulty of the sloping floor that was hidden under a false floor and then a step down through to there. If you hadn't seen it before, you would never have guessed that that floor was, once upon a time, sloping. And of course, the wood panelling along the side matched the sloping floor, and you've managed to straighten that all out as well. - Yeah. That was a headache. - And I'm pleased to see the glorious gothic window that was removed with such skill is now the room's central feature. I can't wait to see what's happened to the old vestry. I feel like I've walked into a totally different building. - It's a bit of a change, isn't it? - Oh, it's a total change. What are you gonna use this room for? - Put a wee bar in, so that could be a good cue. - Probably a little bit different than most smoko rooms. - I'm pleased that you picked up on the term 'smoko'. Clearly showing how long you've been here now, Hollis. That's great. - Probably for the interim, again, we'll put some more office space desks in here. But when we use it for events and functions and conferences and things, this will be probably the main activity hub. - Let's talk about budget. Did you stay within the boundaries of where you were hoping? - Oh, we made a few changes along the way, like double-glazing, the heating and cooling systems, all the insulation. So we thought ` do it once; do it right. So the budget's really gone. We want this building to stay here for another 100 years. So it's... You got to do it right, and that costs money. - So some of the unavoidable straight-up costs, the relocation costs. - Yeah, that was a big one. That was 180K. - And do you have a ballpark of the reno on top of that? - (LAUGHS) I don't even know. Horrific, if that's a number. - Horrific is a number, but... (BRETT AND HOLLIS CHUCKLE) But comparable to a new bill` build, do you think you're still sitting under that? - No, I'd probably say it's comparable. - But what we would've gotten out of it is completely different, and, to me, that's priceless ` being able to have this here. - So much of what people are looking for or feeling comes through that authenticity of something these days, doesn't it? And so when you walk into a place like this, you can't deny the history of the building. It's not been thrown together to look like something. It genuinely has come from a place of history. - It is, and that was something we really were very conscious to keep. We wanted to do the old girl justice. - Brett and Hollis may be reinventing the old church for the future. But for some, this building will always have a deep connection to the past. Joan and Jim were married in this church almost 70 years ago. How does it feel to see a building with so much emotional significance transplanted? - We're really delighted to see the way it looks. - Bet you guys are pretty keen to see what they've done. - We'd love to see inside. - Yes, it'd be good. - It looks amazing. There's so much more light coming in. - And the inside colour is really great. - I'm so happy to hear that Joan and Jim approve of the church's new life. They've brought something special for Brett and Hollis. Here they are. - Hey, guys. - Hi. - Hello. - Hi. It's great to see you. It's the first time I've met you. - I know. - I've been longing to meet you. - Same. - Hey, we've got a gift here for you. - Wow! - Thank you very much. - Oh my gosh, what is it? - A cousin of mine had done this painting, and it's a gift for you, and it's of... - Oh, wow! - Oh, fantastic. - Yes, of the church in its original... - Original red roof too. - And we've also got another gift here, and it has got the history of the church. I hope you'll find somewhere in the church to` Oh, the building. - Absolutely. - What do you call it, a church or a building? - I think we still call it a church. - Yes, I know. Well, I'm afraid I do too. - Definitely have this with pride. - Yes. You're welcome. - Thank you so much. - Thank you very much. - Thank you. - Hollis and Brett have planned a roof shout to thank all the tradies for their hard work on this grand heritage project. Breathe out. - Excitement now, isn't it? - Yeah, yeah. Almost, you're almost there. Thinking about the history that this place has been through, right? 110 years ago and being built in Waikaka. But very much as a hub of that community ` weddings, people paying their last respects, congregating. Here we are, 110 years later, and it's about to begin a whole new journey. Well, congrats. And goodness me, good luck... - Thank you. - ...for what you have coming over the next couple of months. - The next project. - The next project. Brett and Hollis have achieved something truly extraordinary. They saved a much-loved building from demolition, carted it around the Devil's Staircase