"We have to load it in the car, drive anywhere for 45 minutes to an hour.
"Everytime I walk in the garage and I see the bike, collecting dust, it just breaks my heart."
He said Wairarapa was picked "out of the blue".
"As a family, we have been kicking around for the last 18 months, wondering what life would be like living outside of Auckland, rather than the constant battle, the logistics of getting anywhere.
"It's a city we love, and we want to remember it for good reasons."
Mr Holden said he grew up in Invercargill and wants his daughters to have the freedom he had.
So they toured around the country, which included checking out Wairarapa.
"I had spent time there through a previous job, and we began to look at it more seriously."
As well as being "a beautiful part of the country" the proximity to Wellington and Palmerston North would provide professional and study opportunities, he said.
His wife, Jen, is eyeing up retraining at Victoria University or Massey.
A sports lover, Mr Holden is aware rugby league is non-existent in Wairarapa, but there are plenty of sporting codes across the region.
"It's all good.
"I'm passionate about sport, whatever that might be.
"Sports is in my blood."
Once they decided Wairarapa was the place, the family did three or four trips, visiting the towns before settling on Greytown.
"We haven't bought anywhere yet, we'll either buy or build."
He said great schools in the area were a factor.
"Greytown School has a great reputation."
A keen biker himself, he said he is looking forward to experiencing "carless roads".
He said Lila was a bit dubious about moving away from her friends, but has perked up over the idea of having a pet lamb.
"We want to be part of a small community, jump in, not stand on the sidelines."
He said his wife might look at volunteer firefighting "and I'm keen to have some bees".
Mr Holden has previously been marketing manager of Auckland Rugby Union, chairman of the Auckland Diamonds netball franchise and chief executive of the Lion Foundation.
