Te Aroha features in Country House Hunters NZ tonight. A part of the episode was filmed at the Edwardian Domain. Photo / Hamilton and Waikato Tourism
Te Aroha features in Country House Hunters NZ tonight. A part of the episode was filmed at the Edwardian Domain. Photo / Hamilton and Waikato Tourism
Two Waikato towns are becoming reality TV stars this week with Paeroa and Te Aroha featuring in the second season of Country House Hunters NZ.
The programme, created by Australian production company Abode Entertainment and presented by Matt Gibb, follows house hunters as they look for their dream homes in the New Zealand countryside.
Paeroa was the star of the show yesterday and Te Aroha is set to be in the spotlight tonight.
Matamata-Piako District Council said the production company got in touch with them in late 2022 to ask if one of their towns would like to feature in an episode of the show.
“The film crew visited in May. We provided some local intel and put the producer in touch with a few locals to talk to about the town.”
One of those people was Te Aroha Business Association chairwoman Allison Ward who said showcasing Te Aroha on TV was a “fabulous” idea.
“Te Aroha has a great sense of community, it’s very much old town New Zealand. [The town] is known for its natural beauty and we don’t have any traffic lights and only one roundabout.
“It’s a slower pace of life here, it’s almost a retreat-type place.”
Ward said she hoped the episode would attract more people to Te Aroha.
“We have a reasonable amount of property available, which is more affordable than some in the city... But it’s not only about new residents, we also hope that [potential] tourists see what Te Aroha has to offer.
Te Aroha will feature in the show tomorrow. Photo / Janna Dixon
“We are a star town... and have lots of beautiful bush walks. Then there are the [mineral] spas and the [Mokena] geysir and we have the [Hauraki] rail trail.”
Country House Hunters NZ filmed parts of the episode at the iconic Domain and at the gallery of local metal artist Adrian Worsley.
Meanwhile, Hauraki District Council was also very excited about being featured in an episode.
Community development advisor Rebecca Jenks said the production company approached Hauraki District Council last year to ask if one of the local towns wanted to be part of the show.
“The goal is to highlight rural and provincial towns and show what makes them special while the show follows someone looking for a local property.
“It was an exciting opportunity to show how great the Hauraki District is ... I’ve been living here for four years and I’m loving it. It has this small-town vibe that is especially great for young families.”
Paeroa was part of Country House Hunters NZ yesterday. Photo / Christine Cornege
Jenks said the house hunter looking for a place in Paeroa, had a longstanding relationship with the town.
“From my understanding, they grew up in Paeroa but moved to Aussie for a while.”
The filming took place in May last year and it all went “really well”, the only cast member not playing ball was the weather.
“A part of the show is a promo video for the area. We thought Bullswool Farm was a good spot [to film part of this] because of the natural bush and the views.
“It was pouring with rain and we had to leave promptly without having filmed anything ... but the crew came back two days later on a day with better weather.”
Jenks said the show had not only a local following.
“It has an international viewership... so [being featured] will not only show house hunters but also potential visitors what Hauraki has to offer.
“They’ve promised to be back to feature another one of our towns if they make another season, so let’s get those TV ratings up.”
