All over the country, people are moving houses. - Watch that truck, eh? - Wow, this is getting tight now. - Can you swim? - From old villas to modern homes and even historic churches,... - Oh, good work there, Clarke. - Like a glove. - ...they're giving new life to buildings and structures that once faced destruction. - Front wheels are skidding. - Whoa! Oh! - (BLEEP) - There's no obstacle too big. - I only need a millimetre. - ...and no challenge too great... - Up a little bit on the hook, Don. - ...for the people who take this on. - Starting to get very ugly down this hill. - Hold on. Whoa, whoa, whoa! - Whoo! So how far would you go to match your ideal home to the location of your dreams? This time ` a couple with a love of historic homes are desperate to save a 100-year-old cottage from the wrecking ball. Far out. Look at this. The house speaks for itself. - Amazing, isn't it? - It is, yeah. - For them, it's not about restoration but preservation. This is great. I mean, it's instantly got that feel of history, right ` the old cottage feel? Fantastic that you're rescuing this old place. To succeed, it'll have to survive barge rides,... This is probably the most critical part here. ...river crossings,... There's actually a bit more water here than I was expecting. - Hold it there, Ritch. Hold it there. - ...and cross-country bushwhacking. This is our insurance policy. If the truck can't go any further, hook up the digger, keep going. So come along for the ride. This is Moving Houses. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023 Kaikoura boasts a glorious coastline, between the mountains and the sea. But with State Highway 1 squeaking along the coast here, straddling squat railway bridges and tiny road tunnels, and the inland journey involving a mountainous pass and fording rivers, it's not exactly an easy town to roll a house through. But that's exactly what Stewart and Trudy plan to do. They're the proud owners of a large historic home nestled on an amazing 5-acre site here in Kaikoura. But they've been looking to downsize. - We need to cut back on the gardens. - Smaller garden and a smaller house and free up a bit more time. - We've got the sea just out here. I do a little bit of fishing. I'd like to do a little bit more surfing. - I love the small community, and people here are all nice. It's a great place to live. - The couple have no interest in building new, preferring the timelessness of older houses. - We love heritage buildings. We like the 100-year-old-plus homes, don't we? Villa look, and the balconies that surround it. No, that's what we really enjoy. - Finding a home that ticked all their boxes was not an easy process. - We'd said to Gerard from Coffey House Removals if he came across anything nice, we might be interested in having a look. - We did ask him to look for something different and unusual, so he certainly did. He found something different and unusual after about a year and a half. - Emailed Stewart some photos of this one that was coming out of the Sounds, and from the photos, we thought it looked really nice, so we'd go for a drive and have a look. When you're coming into the property, you have to go down the driveway. You just see the back of the cottage, which looked nice. And then you wander around the front and you thought, 'Oh, wow, that's lovely.' Yeah. I loved it, yeah. I thought I didn't need to really see inside. I just thought that veranda, that's lovely ` I can see myself sitting there. - It was love at first sight. But with the home due to be bowled, they had to act quickly. - Probably on the way home, we decided. - We made a decision there and then. - The problem is, the couple haven't had a chance to lodge all the necessary council paperwork, so their dream home will be moved on to their property, but they'll not be able to live in it or restore it. But for Trudy and Stewart, this move is about more than just living in a nice house. - We're taking a house that was really, years ago, would have been bowled or burnt down and giving it that life again, that it can stick around for another couple of hundred years, hopefully. Our ultimate goal for their cottage is to ensure that it looks part of the make-up in Kaikoura, that it's always been here, sitting on that spot for over a hundred years. - So here's where the house will finally end up, on a piece of land just in front of Trudy and Stewart's existing home, with the beautiful old cottage laying across the section like this in a south-east direction to take in what will be glorious sunrises in the morning, but most importantly, to still have the ocean right on its doorstep. Trudy and Stewart must really love this house, because not only can they not live in or renovate it, but it has to be moved more than 170km from the top of the South Island, not far from Picton, in a magical spot named Bythell's Bay. And I've got here just in time, because the cottage and the truck it's sitting on are getting shipped out by barge tomorrow to begin its trip to Kaikoura. Bythell's Bay is a tiny sweep of golden sand here on the inner reaches of Queen Charlotte Sound. And it's been in the same family for over a hundred years. But even for this pocket-sized slice of paradise, a sea change is coming. Trudy and Stewart's new cottage was the original homestead of the Bythells family, after whom the bay was named. Hey, guys. How are you? Wow. Just admiring your new house. - Lovely, isn't it? - Looks good, doesn't it? - Far out. What I love about this is that you know, it's not a villa, it's not a bungalow, it's a bespoke house that was built a hundred years ago. And are you guys going to keep the essence of that? - Yes. - We will. We'll keep the same character. - The same layout. - We won't change too much at all. Cos that's what sold it to us ` all the nice windows and everything. - I mean, just looking from here and looking at that beautiful veranda, those enclosed windows, it's so cool. - Shall we go and have a look inside? - Yes. - Good. - The original 1916 homestead had just three rooms. A separate kitchen and a bathroom were eventually added out the back. I see. So not quite all the house is going. - No, that bit's left behind, the old kitchen. - There's weatherboards and windows to take, and there's a bath, a clawfoot bath in the back that we'll be taking. - Right, so you are gonna salvage parts of it. - Yes. - The front half of the house has stayed true to its original design. But the old brick fireplace couldn't be moved, so right now there's a gaping hole where it stood until just a few days ago. - It's not often you enter a house through a fireplace. - It's amazing, isn't it? - This is great. It's instantly got that feel of history, right ` that old cottage feel? - Yeah. - The cottage is just 90m2, including the now demolished kitchen and bathroom. Although Trudy and Stewart plan an extension in keeping with the house to remedy that. Interestingly, the bedrooms can only be accessed from the porch, with the lounge in the centre of the house. And so you guys are going to have some decisions to make about how much you keep and how much you sort of modernise and make it a liveable home. - We'll try and keep it within character, so we don't want to move outside of that character, from the outside and the inside. - Yes. - Yeah. So we'll stay with the same. - Right, and so some of the horizontal panelling through the walls? - Yes. - We'd like to keep that if we can. Yeah. All the sash windows of course. - Change the door handle. - Door handle's gone. - Looks fairly modern. - Won't tolerate this door handle. Far too modern. Looks at least 1940s. - And keeping the character ` that's what we're into. - There's a lot riding on this move. It'll need to go perfectly if this to be any hope of preserving all the unique features of this house that's been settled here for over 100 years. Tell me about the history of this place. - My great-grandfather came down here, rode down here from Picton, actually, in 1916 or so. and he'd been for a holiday, I understand it. Yeah, he bought the place. He was a building merchant in Blenheim. They've just had this as a holiday place ever since, really. There's over a hundred years of family history in that house. - And this place actually has a name, doesn't it? - Yeah, so, a Bishop, I understand, 100-odd years ago that came and named that house Kohanga. And that means 'cosy nest'. And that's what it's been for the family, you know, a place to congregate. - Very interesting. - And I guess chatting like this helps develop a sense of... yeah, a sense of that history all being handed over. - Yeah, very important. - And for you, just a chance to build something here with a bit more space for a few more kids. - Yeah, absolutely. For us to see it demolished or removed in some other way I think would have been just too hard, really. So we're really, really stoked that it can stay together and that someone can take it forward. - It's in good hands. - I can see that. - And this is also the calm before the storm, of course. - Tomorrow it all kicks off. - Yeah, absolutely. - There's a real touch of melancholy here, given that after a century, Kohanga, the Nest, is about to set sail all on its own. The upside, of course, is that Trudy and Stewart have a deep love of historic homes, and the site it's going to is fantastic, overlooking the Southern Ocean. Still, though, an old home having lived its entire life on the sea's edge with salt quite literally in its bones, I do hope that the trip is worth making. (SOFT MUSIC) # Mmmmhmm # (VOICE OVER) That's my brother Zac. He can sleep through the spa, the hedge trimmer, and the leaf blower full power. But not all at once. So! (VOICE OVER) Book your Genesis power tower. Sorry mate, it's free power. And time it perfectly. Really sorry! (UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC) Trudy and Stewart's dream of relocating this historic cottage from Bythell's Bay to their site just north of Kaikoura is one of the most ambitious I've been involved in ` so much so that Trudy and Stewart can't bear to tag along, in case chaos unfolds. It's a three-day, 280km slog involving barge rides, narrow bridges, river crossings, roadworks and massive detours. Today's job is getting Kohanga the 40-odd kilometres to the moving company's yard in Blenheim, via land and sea. Every inch of this cottage is irreplaceable to Trudy and Stewart, so the barge company tasked with carrying the fragile home has a huge responsibility not to damage it. - Heading to a shallow beach to try and get a barge in, so it's definitely a top-of-the-tide job. And it's a gradually sloping beach, so we've gotta be very wary of running aground. We're on the incoming tide. That's important. It's also sorta good touching on the bottom as the truck comes on, but you don't wanna do that on the ebb, because you'll be in for a wait. And I'm hoping the wind today stays away, because it's pretty tight as we sneak in there. I don't want the wind pushing us around as we come in. - Luckily, the man tasked with moving the antique house has barged houses out of the Sounds before. It's not often that you have the truck and the trailer matching the colour scheme of the house, but it looks like this is meant to be. - Colour coordinated, mate, definitely. - Now, talk me through some of the obstacles we're expecting today. - A lot of planning was done around the tides. We needed spring tides. Today's tide's a 1.4, which is a good tide ` an extra metre coming in today to take it out. And also ferry timetables ` we have to consider that, too, for on the road. - Oh, right. - So that's why we sorta made it the time we've made it. - Yeah. - Yeah. - You don't wanna get tangled up with a ferry offloading, and all that traffic. - All the trucks and stuff, so we've planned for that too. The main thing is to get it on the barge, and I'll be happy, we'll be happy. - This is quite literally our only window. Otherwise... - Yep. Our gear's held up here, and we don't want that. - No. - We've gotta keep moving. - Jeez! Today's the day. - Today's the day, mate, definitely. - Wow. - There's quite a bit on your plate. - Yeah, I know, mate. Yeah. - The reality of moving on their family home is starting to hit the Bythells family. So, any minute now, Angus, we're going to see a barge coming around that corner. - Yeah. Very exciting. I'm nervous and a bit apprehensive, but excited about it as well. - And how are the older members of your family? - Really mixed emotions, I think, there. You know, there's sadness mixed with excitement around the change, I think, too. - And so are you gonna stand here on the beach and wave it off? - No. (LAUGHS) - No? - We'll be out on my uncle's boat. - You're gonna follow along? - Oh, yeah, absolutely. Iona, which is just over here ` we'll take it out in a flotilla fashion. - I like this. - And we'll send her off around the coast. - Great. - Looking forward to it. - High tide's just before 10. Now we're just waiting and crossing our fingers the barge arrives in time to get Trudy and Stewart's beautiful old cottage on the water before the tide turns. Thankfully, it pokes its nose into Bythell's Bay at the agreed time. But will it be able to handle the load? What sort of weight are we talking, all up? - So, the house is probably 14. - 14 ton? The trailer's 10, and the tractor units about nine, eight. - Right, so sort of 35, 40 ton. - 35, 40 ton, yeah. And how much can that barge take? - He can carry 500 ton. - 500 ton? OK. - He weighs 380 and can carry 500. - Yeah, I knew it would be fine. (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC) - RT: We've got about another 100mm to come in yet. - From here, the team have exactly one hour to get the job done and the barge back into deeper water before the tide turns. - Well done, mate. We're looking good. - And this is where it gets tricky. - Just hold it there. Are you right, Harry? Are you good for us? - RT: Yep, I'm happy. - There's a drop at the edge of the grass of about a metre and a half to the sand before the truck can reach the barge. So the relocation team lay heavy plastic mats to provide the friction for the wheels. This is all coming together quite quickly, but of course we are time-restricted. It is right on high tide. So if the house doesn't go on now, it's not going on. - Righto, we gotta go. - We've got 40 minutes of high tide left. The clock's ticking. This is probably the most critical part here. You can see the angle of the truck, and it has to come up the ramp. - (METAL CREAKS) - Oh, it's going close. The front wheels are on, but the team aren't taking any chances. - Hook that rope on the hook. Hook the winch on. Try and drive forward, Ritch. Yep, you're moving. Yep, keep it going. Keep it going. Keep it going. Keep it going. Wind it in, Gerard. Wind it in. - The truck is struggling to get momentum up the ramp. The winch is taking the bulk of the weight. - Just watch the level of it. - And the position of the cottage on the trailer is also causing some problems. So you can see the challenge of them having to load the house crossways means that they're having to lift it right up and over to get it on to the barge. - RT: Keep coming up. - Yep, looking level, mate. Looking real good. Yep, you're on. - The first challenge of the leg is done. Stewart and Trudy's cottage is safely on board. It's not often that the most technical part of the move is right at the start, but there was a couple of really intense moments there, to get it up and on. And now it's sort of a bit of a regroup and a breathe out, get this off the beach, and we're away. It's a big moment for the small community. And farewelling Trudy and Stewart's new home is the Bythells family, sailing alongside for the final crossing to Picton Wharf. This is such a beautiful visual representation of a family's connection to a home. We're just leaving Bythell's Bay with Kohanga, the Nest, their old home on the back of this barge. But they're not ready to say goodbye just yet, following along, just to see it off on the next part of its life. Over a hundred years of family history now sits on board a barge, looking forward to a new beginning. But thoughts now shift on how to get the house off again and on to dry land. - I can't see everything, for a start. - I mean, obviously our vision is blocked by a significant house. - So, yeah, I've gotta keep a close eye on things. I've got a little bit through the door there. I'll use that when we get into port and I'm putting the ramp down on the landing. (CHUCKLES) - We're still a couple of kilometres from Picton Wharf. So until then, I'll just enjoy the ride. I'm used to a bumpy passenger's seat, not million-dollar views, so I might as well make the most of it while I can. (INSPIRING MUSIC) It's early afternoon when we reach Picton with Trudy and Stewart's precious home still safe and sound. Now skipper Harry, despite not having good line of sight, has to perfectly dock his heavily weighted vessel. (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC) Which he does. This is the end of the journey for the barge. And then at 9.30 tonight, when the roads are clear, we'll take the house through to the yards in Blenheim. And then after that, it's the big haul ` all the way through to Kaikoura. Now comes the tricky task of getting Kohanga off the boat. This is way more than Trudy and Stewart's 100-year-old cottage was built to handle. - RT: Can you just lift your back up, mate? Just got this anchor on the side here. - It's a case of one careful inch at a time. - Bring your front up now, Ritch. Bring your front up now. (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC) - Come around to the passenger's side a bit. - Start bringing your front up too, Ritch. That's better. - All eyes are on the old cottage. - I'm only gonna bring you up to that plate. - With one more push up the gravel slope, Trudy and Stewart's new home is finally on land. - And that'll do us. Let's cone it at that. That's us. Good work, boys. Good stuff. Good effort. So what we're gonna do, we're actually gonna turn it around, reload it from end on. And then we'll get it ready for tonight, with lights and bits and pieces so we can go through the logging yard. And then we'll head for our yard at Riverlands. We'll head down there. - Over the next couple of days, we'll be encountering all manner of obstacles as we attempt to bring Trudy and Stewart's new home back to Kaikoura. I just hope it makes it there in one piece. (DRAMATIC MUSIC) So, it's night-time here in Picton, and we're about to get this all on the road for what is a short run from here at the port through to Gerard's yard in Blenheim, preparing us for the big run that comes after ` that is from Blenheim all the way through to Kaikoura. So it's a good chance to get us all out on the road and see how the house travels before we have to make that big journey. At 35km, it's not a long journey, but there's still those ever-present issues of low power lines, parked cars and tight bridges to deal with. - At 9.45, we're ready to roll. Well, in my case, ready to eat. You don't consider bananas bad luck, Ritchie? - Nah, mate. We're not on a boat, are we? - Not on a boat? Well, we were. - (BOTH LAUGH) Sailing superstitions avoided, and we're off. But any hopes of getting underway at a quick pace are soon dashed. So, we haven't even gone 200m, and we're already down to a crawl. These narrow streets getting out of Picton, especially with parked cars and big trucks on the side, are not leaving us a lot of room. And then there's the road signs. - Just watch the side street stuff. - RT: Your passenger's a touch, mate. Passenger's, passenger's. You're just touching driver's. - Trudy's precious porch has taken its first knock. Thankfully, there's no harm done. Is it good luck to touch your first sign? - Yeah, mate, you gotta touch the first one. - It gauges the width, mate. - Yeah, you've got a feel for it now. (LAUGHS) Very good. Straight out of the gates, just a little light touch. - Just a little light touch, mate. - Let the give way sign know who's boss, and away we go. - Exactly. - RT: Good room out to your passenger's side there, mate. - Just keep an eye on it, mate. - Even in suburban areas, hazards like trees are always a risk. - This tree here, hanging over the road. - This tree is a low one? - Yeah. - All right. - Just a little brush. - A bit of a tickle. The pilots up ahead have also informed us of some seriously large trucks coming our way. The last thing we want is for Trudy's precious balcony to get sideswiped. Slowed right down again. We've got three trucks all lined up. Of course, this is where the timing of these runs is so important. We don't want to get stuck with ferry traffic going this way and having them sort of trying to get past us and creating a dangerous situation. And likewise, I guess, trucks rushing to make the ferry also become an obstacle as well. So, Ritchie, dare I ask, have you always arrived with the house on the back? - (CHUCKLES) - Always, mate. - Always? - Always. - Never lost one yet. - Haven't lost one yet. But there's a first time for everything. Hopefully crossing the Waiau Bridge isn't that time. We just have to tilt on an angle so that we've got one side inside the rail and the other one sitting over the top of it. That moon's looking pretty full. - I haven't even had a look, mate. - I was hanging out the side here. Do you have more incidents on a full moon? - Never, mate. (CHUCKLES) Just got some low wires down through here, so we'll just slow it up a bit. - You probably don't wanna touch those ones. - No. - Whoo! Wasn't a lot of room there. I've learned a lot about power lines during this whole process of moving. And the ones that are right next to us now, they're 15,000 volt ones, aren't they? - 15,000, yep. - And you really don't wanna touch those ones, or things can get real sparky. Just shy of 11pm, we roll into the relocation yard in Blenheim. - Good on ya, boys. Thanks very much. - Amazing to think that this morning this house was on site, where it had been for a hundred years, up the inner reaches of the Queen Charlotte Sound, and then put on a barge, on the truck, through on the first leg of the journey to here. Big day. After a full day's rest, we're back at the yard in Blenheim, about to take on the biggest leg of the journey. We're travelling from Blenheim down State Highway 1, passing through Seddon, out on to the coast, all the way to Kaikoura. But there's a problem. When you're moving something as large as a house, it's not that unusual to need to take the odd detour to get around things But I think this one takes the cake. Right now we're on the edge of Kaikoura, and just 25km ahead's our final destination. However, because of the obstacles between us and them, it means that we're gonna have to turn off here ` which might not seem that unusual, except for the fact that that detour is an extra 142km, and we're going to have to ford a river just to get around them. The Kowhai River will be the biggest challenge of this 142km detour. Hopefully, with the trailer technology we're packing, we'll be able to tackle all that and more. I'm lucky enough to have gone on board with several generations of these trailers, so I'm actually genuinely excited to see what the new one can do. - Yeah, so, they've come a long way. So it's self-levelling, automatic height settings. It's all operated from the cab, by a computer screen. So it's all new. It makes our job a lot easier. Definitely. Yeah. - Last-minute checks are done, and we're ready to roll. I'm back in the cab with Ritchie. So not only do you have me to put up with, you've got this new tech as well. - No pressure, eh? - No pressure. You poor thing. - Totally different gearbox and everything. But anyway, we'll get there. (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC) - We make it out of Blenheim, no worries. But once we're out on State Highway 1, we're very quickly slowing down other traffic. - RT: We've got one truck up behind, if we pull over at the bottom here, let him go around us. - So our first stop of the night. We've got a narrow passage of road, and it's just a chance to control traffic. - Just let me know when he's on his way up. You are clear. The one truck coming down. The one truck coming down. - All right, we're given the all clear. Here we go. - What's this little town? - This is Seddon. - Oh, yeah, Seddon ` named after New Zealand's second-best prime minister. - Yeah, mate, you're tracking real nice. - Tracking real nice he says over the comms. We've just slowed right to a crawl. We're coming through the small settlement of Seddon and having to navigate a tricky little passage in the main street. I'm not sure how my body clock feels about a 4am start, but there's no denying the beauty of an early morning on the East Coast. Here we go. We've popped out on to the coast. I can see the ocean out there now. It's remarkable that we can even use this road, considering everything it's been through over the last few years, with the earthquake that just changed this landscape forever, in places the coastline having lifted 2.5m out of the water and being almost unrecognisable as to what it used to be. Past another Kaikoura landmark ` Nin's Bin. Johnny will be just waking up over there, getting the boat ready and going out, getting crayfish, as his father did, and as his grandfather did, to sell them in that little caravan on the side of the road. And that is one of the top food destination eating experiences that you can have in the world, right there on the coast. - It's a shame it's not open. - (CHUCKLES) Yeah, I reckon. - Making myself hungry. - Yeah. - (BOTH LAUGH) Whoo! Man, that's a view. - Look at that, out the window. - Magic, innit? - That is magic. Just an amazing part of the country. Burnt orange skyline looking out over the sea, up to the mountains above that still have a good covering of snow on them. And it's gonna be a stunning day. - RT: Roger that, mate. - From here, Trudy and Stewart's place is only 20 minutes away, as the crow flies. But thanks to those damn tunnels, this is where we turn off on our massive detour. So this must feel a bit frustrating, Ritchie, given that we are so close and yet we have to take a detour that's gonna add about a whole extra day on. - Yeah, it's crazy, isn't it? But that's the way it is. - Unfortunately, we can't get - through those tunnels, mate. - Yeah. We can see where we need to go, but because of the obstacles ahead, - just a casual 140-odd-kilometre detour. - Yep, that's the one. - But before we get stuck into that, we've got to get off the road until 9 to make way for early morning traffic. Time for a feed, I reckon. - We'll park up, we'll go have a bit of brekkie and some coffee, eh? - Sounds good to me. - Roger that, mate. Clarke reckons that's a bloody good idea. - So far, Kohanga has withstood all the moves thrown at her. But from here it gets gnarly. We've got to drive through a river, climb high up back country roads with sheer drops, then come back down into valleys where countless narrow bridges await. Then, with the end in sight, we will be bushwhacking through farmland. It is going to be full on. (TENSE MUSIC) At 9am, it's time. I've experienced a lot of firsts moving houses, but none quite like taking a 100-year-old home through a river. It just goes to show how deeply Trudy and Stewart have fallen for this old homestead. The crossing forms part of a functioning road. I'm not sure that it's meant to be used by huge trucks carrying houses, though. There's actually a bit more water here than I was expecting. - Yeah, there's a little bit flowing at the moment. - I mean, you wouldn't want to get that wrong. - We had a contractor come through and level things out a little bit for us. But things could have changed overnight, too. - You wouldn't pop through there in your Toyota Corolla, would you? - No, you wouldn't, mate. No, definitely not. - There's not many places in the world where, you know, a road just goes straight through a river. - No, not many places at all. But yeah, little old New Zealand comes up with little surprises each time. - Well, you know how expensive bridges are. - (CHUCKLES) Dead right. - We'll just go straight through this. Might have to jump back in the cab. Otherwise I'm gonna get my feet wet, aren't I? - He'll leave you behind. (CHUCKLES) - It's not an insignificant amount of water. And the great danger here is we don't know how soft it is in the middle. So if we bog down or stall, things could... well, get difficult very quickly. (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC) This fragile turn-of-the-century cottage wasn't designed to be moved on road, let alone be carried across the unforgiving terrain of a fast-flowing river. (WOOD CREAKS) - RT: Just hold it there, Ritch. Hold it there. We're attempting to cross the Kowhai River carrying Trudy and Stewart's precious new home. The grand old dame's protesting loudly about it. The pilots are here to wisely double check the ground to come. Does this change when you come through here? - Yeah, it does. It'll change quite regularly, yeah. - It'd get big flushes, right. - Ice melt from the snow. Yeah. - RT: Come down, mate. Yeah, Ritchie, you're good to go. - We're given the all clear by the pilots to continue crossing the river. But it's still a nerve-racking process. - Yeah, keep it going. Keep it going. (WOOD CREAKS) - You're lining up pretty good, mate. - And we make it across. - She handled it all right, mate? (LAID-BACK ROCK MUSIC) - The detour to avoid the Kaikoura tunnels ` no doubt a pain ` but there are upsides. The scenery is fantastic. However, it's not long before we're faced with another hurdle, a particularly narrow bridge, where we're forced to raise Kohanga high into the air to clear its sides. - Easy. Righto. Just hold it there. Righto, mate. - After sitting pretty in Bythell's Bay for over 100 years, this must be quite the experience for the old home. - I've got about 150, 200 on my side. - RT: Getting a little bit close on your driver's. You've only got about an inch. - There's just centimetres in it. - Got about 50mm. - Yeah, 50mm either side. - It must narrow up on the bridge there a little bit. - Yeah. (TENSE MUSIC) - All right on the driver's there, Gerard? - Uh, you're just about to touch. About an inch. You might want to straighten up a little bit. You're swinging around pretty tight. - Instructions coming from the back. Because, of course, we're driving blind ` we can't actually see what's happening at the back of us. Not only are we coming off this really narrow bridge with delicate sides that we have to get around, we've gotta pull up a steep incline and away, and that has not been easy. But we're on our way again. (BLUES ROCK MUSIC) A sharp hairpin also puts the trailer to the test. Whoo-hoo-hoo! (CHUCKLES) Man! If there is ever an example of these modern trailers in action, that corner was it. Ritchie had to put complete faith that it was gonna follow around. Nice work. Our route takes us from high up in the hills down into the valleys. Valleys mean more rivers and more bridges. This time it's a rickety old number, probably not designed for moving houses across. So our tactic? Get over it as fast as possible ` safely, of course. - RT: About 100mm inside on your passenger's. About 150 up, 200 over. Real nice, mate. Real nice. Yep, you're just about at the second-to-last axle. Mate, you are off the bridge. Yeah, mate, clear of everything. - You know, if this load was a metre wider, we'd be a lot further back, wouldn't we? We're only just fitting through. - It's pretty tight through here. - And in the blink of an eye, we hit another bridge. While this one looks built to last, its high sides mean Kohanga is jacked right up to get over it, and we're super top heavy. - You've got about 300 out your passenger's side to the kerb, and about 150 driver's. You need to come up a little bit, mate. You're just gonna touch those stripes. Come over to your passenger's side a little bit more if you want to, mate. There's room out that way. Mate, you're looking good. Looking good. (HORN TOOTS) Mate, clear of the bridge. - Despite my exhaustion at having been on the road since 4am, I've got to admit there are worse places I could be right now. - I think there's a ski lodge turn-off just up here somewhere. - There is indeed. - That's incredible. It shows just how high we are, right? Whoo! Far out. - Gnarly. - She's gnarly country, eh? She's, far out, straight up and straight down, and pretty unforgiving rock. You know, Trudy and Stew's house sure is getting the scenic route through to its final destination, considering we started at sea level, came along the coast, and I've just worked out we're now at 450m above, before we wind all the way back down into the back blocks of Kaikoura. Just as I'm getting all misty-eyed about the scenery, old mate rears its ugly head again. And across yet another signature of South Island back country roads, the old one-lane bridge. This one looks the tightest so far. - RT: OK, hang on. Just go to your passenger's a touch. Quite tight your passenger's. Hold up. Hold up. Whoa, whoa. Yeah, mate, that's better. Just come forward a little bit, and then straighten up. Yeah, bro. Straighten up there. - Good line there. Good line. - Yeah, just come over to your driver's side a touch now, mate. Yeah, mate, that's better. (TENSE MUSIC) (METAL CREAKS) Yeah, mate, you're clear of the bridge. (CAREFREE BLUES ROCK MUSIC) - As we exit the Canterbury back country and re-enter civilisation, I've got to admit, I'm looking forward to the end of this leg. It's been a beast. Are we there yet? - Not yet, mate. - Not yet. Sort of approaching the main road, aren't we? - Yeah, we're not far away. We're probably another 10 minutes or so. - 10 minutes? Yes! I've usually had a nap by now, Ritchie. - Yeah, they told me ` about an hour in, they told me. - (BOTH LAUGH) - Must be my bad driving keeping you awake. (CHUCKLES) - Oh, that's it, mate. And back on to the main road we go. - Just a wee detour, Ritchie. - Yeah, mate, just a wee detour. - Not too far, eh, mate? - Far out! - Didn't get you lost. - We turned off at 6.15 this morning. It's just coming up to 1 o'clock, so she's a good six-, seven-hour detour to get back around to the other side of Kaikoura. But we're on track. Whoo! And here we go, off the main road. I think that this is us for the day. - RT: Roger that. - Thank goodness for that. We're only 15km away from Trudy and Stewart's site. But after being on the road since 4am, we need to get some rest. And we've pulled over for another reason as well. This. That's our problem right there. It might be high enough for trucks to go under, but our house is 17cm too tall to make it under the railway bridge. So just when I thought this move couldn't get any crazier, we're having to go cross country through an obliging farmer's property, which will bring us out just on the other side of the bridge. And to do that, we need to cross rail lines, which for safety reasons has been scheduled for exactly 7am tomorrow morning. This isn't something that looks like it happens often, given we've got a digger making a path. So was this one of these problems where you're going, 'I don't know if we can do it,' and then hunting around for a solution and figuring this out yourself? - Yeah, that's the thing. They buy the house, and you go, 'Well, we've gotta get it there,' and you work on it from there. You end up with a good result in the end, so, yeah. - We're not there yet. - (LAUGHS) - Hey, Toyota. - (BABY FUSSES) - WHISPERS: Got something safe? It's kind of a big deal for me now. - Yeah, take your pick! WHISPERS: 'Oh, sorry. 'These all come with Toyota Safety Sense as standard.' - Will it be looking for signs of danger? - Well, yeah. It has a pre-collision system with autonomous emergency braking. - Can it help me stay in my lane? - Actually, it can. (CAR ALARM BEEPS) - (MAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) - Can it help me keep a safe distance from others? - Yep, that too. - Do you do 5am test drives? (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC) The following morning, we're up bright and early. - Yep, keep it coming. - Under the watchful eye of authorities, we cross the main line. - RT: You've probably got a good couple of hundred there, mate. - Just like that, we're across. But we're faced with a problem. Overnight rain has turned our path through the farmer's paddock into a bog. So how much bush bashing do we do to get back to the road? - We're only about 400m away from State Highway 1, so we'll just take it easy through there. - Mats need to be laid so the truck can maintain traction. (TENSE MUSIC) Slow and steady wins the race this morning, making our way down here. And of course, this is our insurance policy. If the truck can't go any further, hook up the digger, keep going. We get through the main part of the bog, but the cosy nest Kohanga gets closer and cosier to the trees than Gerard would like. Its 100-year-old veranda is really taking a hammering. I'm glad Trudy's not here to see this. - You probably can come to me a little bit, Ritch. We've just got this bank here. Yeah, just keep it on that line there. We might have to lift up over that bank, or lean it one way. - The bank on one side and some huge gum trees on the other is putting the squeeze on Trudy and Stewart's precious cargo. - Yeah, you can see this post there, can't you? Start steering off to the passenger's side, yep. - We're going agonisingly slowly. But this house is one of a kind. - Keep an eye on that. I've got eyes on it. Stop there. Keep coming. Nice work. Nice work. - Gerard and the team negotiate the last few metres... successfully. This is the full cross-country experience. (TRIUMPHANT MUSIC) And just like that, back out on to State Highway 1. We're only 15km away from Trudy and Stewart's section. But then Ritchie gets a heads-up about some unscheduled roadworks going on ahead of us. What did he say? - Single lane tar seal up here, apparently. - Oh, right. So we can hear it on the comms from the pilots ahead that there are roadworks. And we weren't exactly expecting that today. When you've got a load that is as wide as the road, you can't just pull over to one side. So we're gonna have to move cones and move machinery, by the sound of things. - Wait till the load gets around the corner. - But it's not the obstacle first imagined. And the road workers are more than happy to get us through. One good turn deserves another, and Gerard takes a moment to let the built-up traffic through. - Come forward as much as you can. - (HORN TOOTS) (CHUCKLES) A lot of happy people beeping as they go past. Look at that. Stoked not to be stuck behind us on the main road. So here's the ocean ahead. After leaving it yesterday to take our detour, it's taken us, what, a full day and some. But now we're almost back around on ourselves. Trudy and Stewart's site is now only several hundred metres away. What an effort. Oh, that sea's looking beautiful. Whoo! That looks inviting. - Should've brought my dive gear. - Well, I threw mine in. - Did ya? Good on ya. - From Queen Charlotte Sound to the Kaikoura coast, this beautiful, bespoke 100-year-old cottage has found its final resting place. And it must come as some relief to owners Stewart and Trudy. Well, that house has got a few more stories to tell. - It certainly has. It's travelled some distance now, hasn't it? - It has, but it looks like it's held up well. - Yep. Yep. - You can see all the windows still in the frames. - And look at the view. - And look at the view. I know. That's such a tease, isn't it? Stew, I know it's one thing to put some pegs in the ground and imagine what it's gonna be like, but now it's here, what are you thoughts? - I think it's looking wonderful. We don't mind houses being what they are. - Yep. It's home. (JOYFUL MUSIC) As Trudy and Stewart's cute new cottage is moved into position, it's clear that eventually this home will look like it's always been here. And having a look around inside, I'm pleased to see that the damage is as minimal as it is outside ` that is to say, none. Most importantly, the balcony is absolutely fine. Trudy will be over the moon. - That veranda. Wow. Imagine how it'll come up. That's lovely. - Unfortunately, it won't be going down on piles today. - So, the consent hasn't been issued yet. We're just waiting for some details from the engineer. - And once we get hold of that, we'll obviously finalise it for council, and they'll issue the building consent, the we're all good to go. - Right. - Which might be some time yet. - So it's gonna sit here unpiled until that time. - Yeah, until that information comes through. - Yeah. And that's just the juggling act you've gotta get right. - Yeah, it's a juggling act to get it right, to get everything lined up. The engineers and all the information required ` plumbers, electricians, drainage information that has to be on those plans, sightings off the boundaries. That's the important bit, too, so we make sure we get it right. - And so Kohanga is at Journey's end, but with a whole new chapter in its life yet to be written. I really admire the tenacity and vision of Trudy and Stewart, who have taken a chance and rolled the dice on such a lovely piece of history. Kohanga is in good hands,