Guile Wanted Down Under

Welcome to Wanted Down Under, the show that catapults a British family

right across to the other side of the world to help them make the biggest decision of their life,

whether to stay in the UK or to move to New Zealand.

Busy pub landlord Simon Guile and his wife Claire

have been thinking about emigrating to New Zealand for an easier life with their three girls.

About six months ago we decided what we were doing was destroying the family

and, the children were growing up without, without seeing me and vice versa.

You know, if Simon didn't run a busy pub any more he would have more time

to spend with us,

and the idea of emigrating to New Zealand just meant that we'd have more time.

Simon's dream is to retrain as a wine maker,

but seven-year-old daughter Izzy doesn't understand why they can't spend time together at home.

We could do that in England because he could get another job.

Do you dislike New Zealand or you don't like the idea of living in New Zealand?

Just don't like New Zealand.

And when they do their sums will New Zealand still be so appealing?

It's not as simple as having a dream and you know, "Oh, let's do it,

"let's have an adventure, let's go," because there's so many aspects to it you haven't considered.

The Guiles have some heartbreaking choices ahead of them.

What will they decide?

With its magnificent landscape and small population of just over four million,

New Zealand is many people's idea of the perfect place to live

and every year around 87,000 people make that move in search of a better life.

To emigrate you need to be between the ages of 20 and 55 with a skill that's in demand.

But if you've never set foot Down Under, it's a massive challenge.

We've given another British family the opportunity

to spend a week Down Under to see if it's all they've dreamt it would be.

After that they'll have to make a decision one way or the other.

To stay in the UK or to move to New Zealand.

Simon and Claire Guile live with their three girls,

ten-year-old Holly, seven-year-old Izzy, and new baby Amelie,

in the pretty village of Hurst near Reading,

and are thinking about moving 12,000 miles away to start a new life in New Zealand.

Well, for years we've talked about adventure and doing something new, haven't we?

And even at university we used to discuss places we'd like to go

and places we'd like to live and it was always dreams, wasn't it?

Simon's been running his own pub for 11 years.

He's made it into a successful business, but he works long hours

and has very little time to spend with Claire and the children and now he's had enough.

The most poignant moment in the last year has been

Holly saying to Claire that they're almost like a single-parent family because I'm always here.

That really caused me to sit up and think, "Well I'm going to miss all her childhood."

We don't have much family time because Daddy's always working

and we only see him at dinner usually.

We don't see him much.

I wish it was different because it would be way better because then we'd be able to see him more.

Now the pub's lease is up and he's got to decide

whether to stay on for another three years or make the move Down Under.

The opportunities start in New Zealand and to not be Simon, pub landlord, is quite exciting.

When Simon did suggest it, it was like, I was quite excited by the idea

and because our life at the moment is so busy with the pub

and generally we never see each other it just seemed ideal, absolutely ideal.

It would mean that we wouldn't have to live each day independently -

me at home with the children and Simon working.

But after a whole life working in catering, it's going to be hard to decide what to do next.

Having sort of searched my inner soul and tried to fathom out what to do next

I came up with an idea that I'd really like to work within the wine industry.

I want to learn everything there is to learn about running a vineyard, growing grapes,

put them into a bottle eventually, and then ship them halfway around the world

to be enjoyed by the likes of you in your front lounge of an evening.

My favourite wine, New Zealand.

-And to be able to...

-Sauvignon Blanc, the best wine.

Not everyone in the Guile family shares the same passion as Simon to make the move Down Under.

Isobel's really not keen, really doesn't want to go to New Zealand at all.

We really value their opinions, don't we?

And she knows that we would never do anything big that they didn't want to do.

Mummy won't go because I don't want to go

and then Holly won't go because I don't want to go.

I can visit it and see what it's like.

I'll definitely give it a try.

I just don't want...

Izzy might not be alone and, although, Claire wants to support Simon to the ends of the earth,

New Zealand might be a step too far.

Something my mum said was, um, "We'd never see you again.

"Because it's such a long journey and such a lot of money, we might not ever see you again."

Simon would go tomorrow, the girls could possibly be persuaded

and I'd love the idea of it,

but the thought of not ever seeing someone again is pretty scary.

That thought of leaving loved ones is a really tough decision,

but will the prospect of finally being able to spend more time together as a family

tempt them into making the move Down Under?

The Guiles will be going to the vibrant city of Auckland,

situated on the north east coast of New Zealand's North Island.

It's on the doorstep of some of the most beautiful beaches

and has plenty of opportunities to enjoy the city's surrounding landscape

as well as its metropolitan lifestyle.

The Guiles think that their property budget is £220,000

so if they shop around they should be able to find something

that will suit all their needs.

We found three possible lifestyles for the Guile family,

each one offering a brand new way of life for them to try on their budget.

But which one will be the most suitable?

Property in the city is plentiful, from high-rise living to townhouses,

but house prices in the centre have boomed in recent years

and the Guiles will have to make do with less space

than they have in the UK.

This four-bedroom property is on the market for just over £350,000.

Too much for the Guiles, but they could look to the suburbs where houses are cheaper.

The commute to Auckland's wine district could take at least one hour from the centre,

which would mean less time spent together as a family.

Well, what about the second option?

Auckland is surrounded by stunning countryside

which would offer the Guiles the more laidback lifestyle

that they're looking for in New Zealand.

It boasts large properties like this at £300,000.

However the Guiles may feel isolated here

and schools for the children could be harder to find.

But Simon's potential work would be close by

and he'd be able to spend more time with his family.

That all looks very inviting, but what about the third option?

If the Guiles found somewhere near the beach, they'd be able to pursue

the active lifestyle they're looking for.

There are plenty of houses with great living spaces along the coast like this at £280,000,

but sea views don't necessarily come cheap.

Moving further inland would provide them with good-size family homes at affordable prices.

The commute for Simon could be an easy 20 minutes and being by the sea,

they would have water sports on their doorstep.

Three very different options there, all of them life changing.

So where did we decide to send our family?

We decided the beach option would be the most suitable for the Guiles.

It would provide them with a good lifestyle on the coast,

as well as the opportunities to find spacious family houses within their budget.

We've set Simon up with his dream job on a vineyard...

Why would you want to change your occupation?

Over the last couple of years I've really thought long and hard about

what I wanted to do and whether it's a midlife crisis or what...

You're not old enough yet.

I don't know, we tend to have them earlier in the UK.

..lined up three houses for them to view...

Do you like this house more than our house at home or would you prefer our house at home?

-I prefer our house.

-Do you?

But will any of this matter when they watch messages from friends and family back home?

I just need you to know that I love you very much.

Things like this really make you realise how much they mean to you

and how much they mean to the children and Isobel just adores her grandparents

and I don't know if I can do that to my children.

So the Guile family are on their way.

Flying 12,000 miles and crossing three continents,

they arrive 24 hours later in Auckland,

and surprisingly they are looking rather chirpy.

It was great. It was problem-free, we've all had a good sleep and a good rest

and it was actually quite nice to sit down for 24 hours and do nothing.

I feel better today than when I got on the plane in London.

It's very, very long, though, and I can't imagine any of our family doing it.

Looking forward to seeing what the country's got to offer us - job opportunities, houses,

um, and activities we can all do together and looking for a change of lifestyle, so really exciting.

We're all excited.

Well, I'm glad they're feeling rested

because we've got a jam-packed week for them in Auckland.

Their base for the week is Red Beach,

a coastal suburb 15 miles from Auckland.

Wow, look at this.

SAT NAV: You have reached your destination.

-What do you think, Iz?

-Wow.

And there's a surprise waiting just around the corner.

-Sea's just there. You can hear it.

-Unbelievable.

The views of the Pacific Ocean are breathtaking, and the house isn't too bad either.

Oh, look at that window.

My goodness. It's like in the films.

-What do you think?

-Doesn't look real.

There's a huge open-plan living area including a kitchen,

and enough rooms for each of the children to choose their own, no matter how small.

What do you think?

She likes it.

This house seems to go on forever.

We need a map to find our way round. Oh, look at that shower.

There's two showers in there.

-Cool. Oh...

-This must be the master bedroom. It's got a fantastic view.

-Wow, look at that.

-This is amazing.

-Absolutely amazing.

-I'm quite speechless, actually.

-Do you want to go in the garden?

-Yeah!

So, first impressions.

Would they trade in their UK home for one like this in New Zealand?

I don't think you can compare this house to ours, really.

Location-wise, you know we're on a reasonable busy road in Hurst,

even though it's a small, pretty village, you know,

we're still on a busy road with big lorries coming past.

Nothing's going to come past here, maybe the odd boat, but that's not going to bother us.

It's just a different world.

It's not in the same league as our house, never.

It's just completely different.

It's certainly a good reason to make the break if you can live somewhere like this.

But moving here would mean taking the children away

from their family and friends and so far they aren't going to go easily.

Even they've been quite speechless walking into this property so we will just see.

You know, we'll be here by the beach, they might really love it and want to stay forever.

We're going to cram as much in as we can,

see as much as we can and do lots of activities and just have a fun time together

and, you know, if it all clicks it clicks.

But what happens if it doesn't?

Back in the UK, Simon, Claire and the girls

live in a four bedroom cottage in the pretty village of Hurst.

Although they have a substantial mortgage, if they sold they'd have

enough equity to go a long way towards a new home in New Zealand.

With a potential budget of £220,000 towards a property in Auckland,

their plan is to try and buy it outright, or have as small a mortgage

as possible, freeing up Simon to pursue his dream job, and Claire would work part-time as a teacher.

They also have their hearts set on living close to the sea, but could all this become a reality?

Their search begins 14 miles away north of Auckland in the sleepy suburb of Snells Beach.

And estate agent Beth, who's originally from Scotland, is going to show them around.

-Hello.

-Pleased to meet you, I'm Beth.

-Simon.

-Pleased to meet you.

-Isobel.

-Hello.

Property one is a four-bedroom detached house on a 500 square foot plot

in a quiet cul-de-sac situated 15 minutes' walk from the beach.

So it's a total family package, it's good value. It's four bedrooms, you've got your fenced yard.

It's got nice outlook from the decks, you can see right across to the end of Snells Beach.

This is where everybody comes on holidays,

so it's great to live in a place that everyone comes on holidays.

You don't need to sit in traffic to get here.

Simon says he practically lives in the kitchen, but would he want to live in this kitchen?

I like open plan, it's a bit different from back home.

Yeah, most properties seem to be open plan, don't they?

Yeah. It's like it was definitely in vogue for a while to have open plan.

Now they're getting back into closing kitchens off, the brand new houses. But I like open plan.

We have one of the double bedrooms here.

As you can see, it's quite a large bedroom, good for older kids.

-It is quite big.

-They've got built-in wardrobe as well.

Got another one of the rooms here. It's a little bit smaller.

Down the corridor there's a tiny baby room and most important, the master bedroom.

-Oh, that's big, isn't it?

-Yeah. It has en suite as well.

It's a massive bedroom too.

It is a big bedroom.

It's all right, but Simon doesn't seem that convinced.

Maybe the price will be more attractive.

It's on the market for 429,000,

which is pretty good value for four bedrooms and a fenced section.

It's a nice quiet street,

schools are just around the corner, buses at the end of the road.

Well, that's everything they need and they would only have to arrange a £22,000 mortgage.

But what do they really think of property one?

It looks quite nice from the outside, but it reminds me a bit of a caravan.

It's a lovely area and you can see why people move here and you can see why people have second homes here.

Moving this far out of the city

doesn't really appeal to us. We like to be more near the centre of things.

No problem, there are plenty more houses to look at closer to the city,

but with proximity comes a larger price tag.

We've pointed Claire and Simon towards Arkles Bay to look at two other houses.

They should be more up their street.

-Hi there.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Come on through.

-You've got your hands full there.

-Yes.

Property two is a much larger four-bedroom house.

Arkles Bay is set in a pretty valley,

it's closer to amenities and it's only 20 miles from central Auckland.

Right, this is the main living area here.

You can see it opens out onto the deck out here.

It's open plan, all the tiled areas have got underfloor heating.

-Oh, lovely.

-So you put that on.

Unlike property one, this house has got a modern kitchen, which has got Simon very excited.

-It's nice having a central island.

-Yeah. It's big.

-You could do you TV chef bit on here.

-I could do, couldn't I? Yeah.

Then you could open a couple of restaurants, maybe a pub.

The other nice thing about this property is that the master bedroom

is away from the children's rooms, and the master bedroom, it's got the large ranch slider

that opens out and you have a look at the bush out there and...

It's got a lovely outlook.

It is a lovely outlook. You are facing north too,

so you get, you know, good afternoon and all-day sun.

And if you walk down to the bottom, down towards Ferry Road,

you've got the walkway that takes you right through to Arkles Bay beach, which is really lovely.

OK, let's go and have a look at the other bedrooms.

Hopefully property two is as far away from caravan life as you can get.

And it's got three more bedrooms, all more than big enough for the girls.

And this is the family bathroom. It's got you know a bit of an unusual design feature up there

where you've got plenty of sunlight and can sit in the bath...

-Very unusual.

-Yeah, look at the sky.

This second property has clearly got a lot more going for it

than property one, but how much will it cost?

It's on the market at 549. Are you thinking that it would suit you?

It's affordable from where we're coming from.

-It is very different to British properties.

-Yeah.

And it seems a little bit sparse and a little empty.

-It's not cosy, is it?

-Yes.

-Um, it's a good living space, but we'd rather have less living space and more money.

-Yeah.

Well, I don't think they'll be rushing to make an offer on this house,

but if they bought something similar then they'd have to find a mortgage of £75,000.

And on a smaller salary, this could make Simon's wine-making dream much less practical.

This exchange rate, you know a year ago you were getting three dollars to the pound,

which would have made it 200,000, so it would have made it affordable.

Um, right now getting just over two to the pound putting it nearer 300,000,

then, yeah, you are looking at a mortgage not dissimilar to what I've got in the UK,

which is not what we're looking for.

So we do realise that there is a trade-off to downsize your mortgage

and to actually achieve what we actually want to.

So, you know, there is an opportunity to move further up the coast

and take advantage of cheaper property which has got the beachside location we're looking for.

But to live so far out of town might be isolating

for Claire and the children and could put the whole move in jeopardy.

It's a dilemma, but I think we might just have something up our sleeve five minutes along the road.

-Hey, guys.

-Good morning.

-I'm Paul.

-Hi, I'm Simon.

-Pleased to meet you.

Property three is a four-bedroom detached house on a large plot.

It's a stone's throw from the beach and, although you can't see the sea,

you can see it has great views of the valley below.

So you've got your kitchen-dining lounge area down here.

-The property is facing north...

-Yes.

The sun comes up there in the morning

and it sets down there in the evening so you're all-day sun round this area.

Lovely open plan aspect, isn't it?

The thing about this property, no-one is looking in on you, you're looking out.

-Yeah.

-There's a feeling of space.

-Yeah, quite elevated, aren't you?

Yeah, from all the rooms it's quite a good outlook.

Will the interiors live up to the stunning views?

-This is a good size room. It's got the double wardrobe in it and that's a good size.

-Yeah, it's nice.

-Nice deep wardrobe, that one.

-Yes, it is.

-And that's probably where you could put your overseas guests when they come to stay.

-Yes.

-You could fit a bed in there.

-It's big enough, yes.

So we've got the master bedroom up here. You've got the walk-in wardrobe.

Oh, I like the walk-in wardrobe.

That's gone down well.

-Wow, it's big.

-It's big.

And then the en suite, which is a good size.

It's far bigger than the en suite we've got.

-Yeah. It's very deceptive. You don't expect it to be this long when you walk in.

-No.

-Shall we take a look outside?

-Yeah.

-That would be great, yeah.

Outside decking is a popular feature of Kiwi homes and they don't come much nicer than this.

We've got this wraparound deck here.

Once again it's just built for the sun.

Up there and down to you left.

-Really good for entertaining.

-Fantastic view.

And then you've got the undercover area here for when it's raining.

Yeah, so you can still use your barbeque if you want to.

That's good. Rather than standing with a brolly like you do.

Surely property three is going to be more expensive than that last place.

So how much would this realistically sell for?

Well, this, they've just dropped the price. It was on at 485. They've just dropped the price to 479.

The housing market has dropped

-and they are losing a fair bit of money on the property.

-Mm-hm.

So, um, plus the renovations they've spent with carpet and paint,

-it's definitely... Someone's going to pick up a very good property at a decent price.

-Yeah.

But could it be the Guiles? Seven-year-old Izzy is determined it's not going to be theirs.

Do you like this house more than our house at home, or do you prefer our house at home?

I prefer our house.

Do you? Why do you prefer our house?

Because it's cosy, it's small and it's this one you feel

very small in it and in the other, in our house you feel big.

Do you? Oh. Holly, what do you think of this house?

-What do you think?

-I think it's cool.

-Do you?

-I like it.

-What's your favourite bit?

Ah, I don't know, I like it all.

It's certainly a house we can afford, it's aspirational,

it's something we can certainly move into straightaway

and start living and there wouldn't be an awful lot to do

-other than enjoy ourselves.

-It's a very appealing thought.

Which is certainly what we're trying to achieve with moving.

-I wouldn't move here.

-No.

-If I had the choice.

No. OK.

Oh, no. Izzy is definitely not convinced. But will the rest of the family follow suit?

From the three houses we saw today I only really preferred one

out of the three, so on that thought, I'd go for UK houses.

I still prefer the traditional British property

so for that reason I'm going to go for the UK.

I'm going to vote UK.

They were too big and made you look small so for that reason

today I'm going to vote for UK.

The Guiles want to spend more time together as a family

and hope to do this Down Under,

but will Izzy finally be won over by what the New Zealand lifestyle has to offer?

For their family day out we've set them a challenge -

to cycle up North Head in Devonport.

It's an inactive volcano that looks out across all of Auckland.

The move to New Zealand would really mean

that we have more time together as a family and do things like today.

Simon and the children just love being together.

The girls love it because Daddy's a little bit more adventurous than Mummy

and does more dangerous things and they just think it's great.

Me and you.

OK? Ready to go?

They shine when we're all together. They're much happier and it just shows.

That's what we're looking for, just something a bit more family orientated,

something where we can spend more time together.

-You can see for miles and miles and miles, can't you?

-It just looks too perfect.

This is just stunning sitting here in this beautiful...hump. What is it?

-It's a volcano.

-It's a volcano. Sitting here...

It's not going to go off, don't worry.

I don't know, it's just added another dimension to our thoughts.

It's a bit like going through therapy the last couple of days

because you know we don't really spend time together

-discussing what's going on in our lives.

-No.

-Life just sort of drags us along

and it's been quite nice to sort of step back and slow down

and I think that's what we could actually find we could do here,

we could slow down. That's what we're hoping would be the case.

In the UK, Claire and the girls often have to go on day trips

and even holidays without Simon, due to his work commitments,

and it's days like these that are a reminder of how precious quality time together can be.

I'd like Daddy to be around more and see us more

instead of just like just for dinner and stuff.

-When we do things as a family...

-Yeah.

You like that, don't you? But it doesn't happen very often, does it?

-It's just we don't have the time, do we?

-Yeah.

-Because Daddy's always working.

-Yeah.

Seeing his children happy and taking an active part in their lives is a massive driving force for Simon.

It's quite emotional, really.

I know there's a strength of feeling there from them and they want to spend more time with me

and it does sort of tell me that we're striving to do the right thing.

But Izzy still doesn't understand why the changes in lifestyle can't be made at home in the UK.

We could do that in England because he could get another job.

What about living by the seaside, Iz? Do you like that?

I don't really, really care because you can do stuff at home.

Do you actually dislike New Zealand or you just don't like the idea of living in New Zealand?

-Don't like New Zealand.

-If you came here for a holiday, would you like it?

If we were just here on holiday and we weren't looking at houses

and were just doing nice things, would you enjoy it?

-No, I don't like it.

-No?

-No, I don't like, just don't like New Zealand.

I think that she doesn't dislike New Zealand,

she just doesn't want to move here and doesn't want to admit it.

If we come out here and he does a different job which doesn't involve working

when we're not at school or anything,

then, yeah, it could be worth coming out here.

Holly is all for doing what's best to bring the family closer together.

They still need to do some more work on convincing Izzy,

but I don't think even chips are going to do the trick today.

After a grand day out, how will they vote?

If living in New Zealand affords me a lifestyle where I can see Claire and the children a lot more

then that's all good for me

so an easy decision, New Zealand.

I think this one just has to be New Zealand.

I really enjoyed it because we could spend more time with Daddy

so for that reason I'm voting New Zealand.

I enjoyed it with Daddy but, um, he could get another job in the UK.

We could do that in the UK, so I'm voting New Zealand.

They've convinced Izzy!

Only joking. UK.

Back in the UK, Simon owns and runs his own pub.

He's built up the business over 11 years and is able to pay himself

a salary of between £50,000 and £70,000 a year.

But it comes at a cost.

He works on average 65 hours a week and gets very little quality time with the family.

For some time he's dreamt of pursuing his ambition of working on

and eventually owning his own vineyard.

Claire would work part-time teaching and Simon's career change

would allow him to spend more time with the family.

Today's a really pretty key day for me and for everyone, really.

If it's not feasible to make a living working on a vineyard,

then we'd have to rethink our entire plans as to what we're going to do.

Whether I stay in catering, which I don't really want to do,

I'd like to have a change and try something different. I think we know what type of lifestyle

we could expect, we know what type of houses we can expect to purchase,

so today's really make or break I think, you know, in terms of what we do out here.

We've arranged for Simon and the family to visit New Zealand wine maker Heron's Flight

to sample how it might be to live and work here.

But first a traditional Maori welcome.

HE BLOWS CONCH SHELL

# Toia mai I te waka

# Ki te urunga Te waka

# Ki te moenga Te waka

# Ki te takotoranga Te waka! #

Hi. Simon.

The hongi is the traditional Maori greeting.

After exchanging their life breath,

the stranger is then considered a person of the land.

-Hello, Simon.

-Hi.

-Hello, Claire.

-Hello.

-Hello, family.

Welcome to New Zealand, and Matakana and Heron's Flight.

Would you like to come inside now?

Mary and her husband, David, set up their winery and restaurant 20 years ago.

He's keen to meet Simon to show him around.

-Hello, Simon. I'm David.

-Pleased to meet you.

-Yeah. Welcome to Heron's Flight.

I'm glad to be here and thanks for inviting us.

Well, I'm very happy to show you around.

David's family vineyard is spread over 15 acres in the beautiful Matakana hills.

When David bought the land in the late '80s, he had no experience of wine making, just like Simon.

A lot of people say they want to get into the wine industry because they like drinking wine.

-Right.

-Or because they like the romance of having a vineyard

and being able to share bottles of wine with their friends.

It's a good idea. Of course - if you don't have that, you don't want to do it, but...

-Yeah.

-You are decidedly different. You actually have a skill in the food industry.

Why would you want to come to New Zealand, other side of the world,

and why would you want to change your occupation?

Over the last couple of years I've really thought long and hard about what I wanted to do,

and whether it's a midlife crisis or what, I don't know.

Oh, you're not old enough yet.

I don't know, we tend to have them earlier in the UK. You wouldn't believe it.

-Because it's a dark climate. You don't get enough sun.

-That's it, yeah.

For me I can move to New Zealand and be virtually mortgage-free,

which will allow me to work in the wine industry on a minimum wage.

But in New Zealand, the minimum wage is £5.50 an hour.

David's vineyard manager, Justin, has over 15 years' experience

and only takes home £15,000 a year.

If they were able to afford to make so drastic a change,

Claire would have to go back to teaching part-time to subsidise their income.

David's wife, Mary, has a lot in common with Claire.

She was also a teacher who emigrated from the UK a few years ago.

-I would be over-romanticising it if I said it wasn't a struggle.

-No.

Because it's not very lucrative...

And know nobody. I would go back to teaching to support our income.

And teaching is actually quite well paid here.

-Is it?

-And there are lots of nice schools around here.

-Yeah.

Matakana School in particular.

-Yes.

-And they're always looking for good teachers.

That's great news for Claire.

She could get back to work easily and help Simon fulfil his dream.

But right now it's time to get his hands dirty.

This pump is set up so it's going to suck out of the bottom here, the tank.

-Yeah.

-And then it's going pump up through into the top, so what I'll get you to do is I'll get you

to climb up that ladder and you want to just kind of move that hose around to, you know, just to stir up

the sediment in the bottom so we can get the malolactic fermentation happening again.

And we'll be doing it, you know, once every few days.

Crikey, it's quite heavy isn't it?

-So I'll just turn the pump on.

-Is it going to make it more difficult with it on?

No, you won't even notice it.

You might fly off the ladder and end up in a barrel, but, you know, it's all good.

OK.

Here we go, pump's going on.

It needs concentration and a steady hand and, of course, the hard part is trying not to spill any.

Uh-oh.

That's at least a week's salary on the floor.

And there it goes in the tank and turn the gas off and we're done.

I don't think this was quite the outdoor lifestyle Simon was dreaming of,

but don't worry, there's plenty to do in the fields.

What are you going to show me now on the vines?

What we've got here is, um, we're going to do shoot thinning.

Basically that's a means to control the quality of the grapes.

We're going for quality and not quantity here, so we're going to remove a lot of these shoots

so we, um, the ones that are left will grow better grapes, basically.

So come down here and we'll have a look.

If Simon set up his own vineyard, it would take over three years before he could start producing wine.

But there's a lot to learn. Does boss David think he's got it in him?

Well, I think Simon's a very nice fellow and I think that he has the right type of attitude.

So often you can look at somebody and say, "Would they be a good grape grower?"

Do they have, perhaps, the skills to learn about winemaking,

but more than that, do they actually have the skills to run a business?

Could they take that bottle of wine and convert it into dollars?

I actually think he does. I think that from the outset I thought,

yes, if he had the motivation and if he was able to either start a vineyard from scratch,

work for somebody else, work for me, work for someone and learn the basic skills,

I think that what he brings

to it is that hospitality background and I think he does.

It's a nice combination that he has actually and clearly he knows something about wine and that helps.

But that only helps.

So after a crash course at the vineyard, it's time for Simon to ask the burning question.

So there's five mouths to feed in my family.

-And on a minimum wage, it would be quite difficult to make ends meet.

-Yeah.

How am I going to get into this and fast-track myself to a better salary?

Your best bet would be the bigger wineries.

They will train up people every season

and they normally pay at least a few dollars, 3 or 4 above the minimum wage.

The amount of hours you'd be putting in,

you'd end up with a reasonably decent pay packet at the end of the week.

You know, if you're in a bigger place, running a big vineyard

or something, you know, you can probably expect to earn upwards of

-50,000 or 60,000 a year.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-When Claire arrives I'll tell her that she's got to work full-time

because I ain't gonna earn anything.

-No, she'll get used to it.

-Good luck with that, Simon.

-Well, that's all right.

Well, it's been a really great morning, really informative.

I've certainly learned how much money I can not earn working in a vineyard.

I think Claire and I need to sit down and do some sums

and see what she could earn. Obviously I could have looked at restaurants and bars,

but that's not really changing the way we live our life

and I don't think we would attain a better lifestyle.

Really I want to do something that I get a lot of job satisfaction from,

plus I get to see Claire and the kids a lot more, and that's what we're trying to achieve.

Whether we can do it doing it this way, but, you know, I think there are still some questions to ask

and pose to David and Justin and see whether I can take it further.

Although today has answered some questions for Simon, it has also raised some new ones.

Would Claire be prepared to go back to work full-time with a ten-month-old baby?

And what sort of lifestyle could they afford on such a small wage?

But for now, how will Simon vote on work in a New Zealand vineyard?

Claire and I have been bowled over today by the generous welcome that we've been afforded, the food,

the wine and the time that David and Justin spent with me this morning and this afternoon.

Having seen what there is involved in running and working in a vineyard,

I haven't been put off by the long hours and potential for working weekends in harvest time.

I can negotiate around a minimum wage for a few years

and develop my winemaking skills and so my decision today is New Zealand.

But very soon the Guiles will have to sit down and do their sums.

And when they do, will their dreams of a fresh start come to an end?

A move to New Zealand involves massive financial as well as emotional decisions.

The Guiles will have to take into account the cost of living in Auckland

as well as what they could make on the sale of their UK home.

Simon and Claire have recently put their property on the market for £350,000

and offers are already coming in.

If they get their asking price, it would give them equity of 165,000,

but for Simon to pursue his dream of working on a vineyard,

he would have to start on the minimum wage of £5.50 an hour.

And they really need to do their maths to see if a move to New Zealand

is possible at all on that salary.

We've prepared a comparison of their UK and New Zealand expenses

to see if they can afford a life Down Under.

Look, around 32% of New Zealanders have some form of health insurance.

You have to pay up to £19 per visit to the GP.

I think you'd have to add in the health insurance, wouldn't you, as well, at £50...

Monthly shop's going to cost us another hundred quid.

Gas and electricity is half.

So what are we looking at salary-wise?

12.50 an hour.

Well, I'd have to work full-time.

Yeah. There's £1,200 difference in terms of earnings, but...

For Claire, it's essential that they can make an annual return journey to the UK to see the family.

Return flights from New Zealand to UK...

-Yeah?

-..cost an average of £800 to £1,000 per adult.

You'd have to make provision each month.

Yeah. A sort of contingency fund.

Depending on how many times you want to go back.

If you want to go back once a year, you've got to save £400 a month for it.

On a reduced salary that's a huge amount to find each month.

It's time to do their sums.

What's the difference between that?

So it would leave us with £739 a month left over, so we wouldn't really be any better off.

You couldn't take £400 a month out of that to save,

so this is telling us that even if we save £200 a month,

which would probably be difficult, we could only return back to the UK every two or three years.

-Yeah. If that.

-And realistically, probably every five years.

Mm.

And then things really change.

Yeah.

That's a massive bombshell.

If they could only see their family every few years, then any plans to move would be out of the question.

There's no point coming halfway across the world

to change your lifestyle and create more time for the family and then have no money left.

I'd need to consider

whether I follow my heart and my dream

and want to make wine or whether I, you know... I've got to really do a bit of soul searching and decide

where my priorities are and how much I can earn doing other things.

It's not as simple as having a dream and just, you know, "Oh, let's do it,

"let's have an adventure, let's go," because there's so many aspects to it you haven't considered.

If I could guarantee I could fly home once or twice,

or at least once a year and my family could fly to see me

then it wouldn't be such a scary prospect,

but looking at the figures, we wouldn't be able to afford to go home.

It's almost a selfish decision to come here and to remove yourself from

the circles you move in at the moment

purely for your own benefit,

but, you know, we've got to think what's best for the five of us.

It seems the promise of a better lifestyle

and a dream job for Simon could prevent them from seeing family in the UK for years at a time.

Will the prospect of becoming isolated without the support of friends and family,

who would be 12,000 miles away, be enough to bring their dream to an end?

With Simon working such long hours in the UK,

the Guiles' life together has taken a battering

and in New Zealand they hope to have more time to socialise.

We've given them the chance to meet up with some other Brits who've already made the move.

Simon, Claire and the children are going to a tea party at Susan Bowden's house.

In the four years since she's emigrated,

she's built up a good group of Kiwi mates as well as some fellow Brits who've also made the move.

Hopefully they can make our family feel at home and answer a few questions into the bargain.

-Hello.

-Hi.

-Pleased to meet you.

-Nice to meet you. Welcome.

-Thank you for inviting us.

-You're welcome. Thank you.

Come on up and I'll show you round and introduce you to everyone.

-Here we are.

-Hello.

-Hello.

Hello, nice to meet you too.

-Hello, gorgeous.

-This is Judy.

-Judy's just arrived as well, a couple of days ago.

-Hello. Nice to meet you.

Given the rain outside and the number of English accents

at this party, you'd be forgiven for thinking you were back in the UK.

And the similarities don't end there.

It's as close I think to England and the culture is quite similar...

-Yeah.

-The way of life is quite similar.

Obviously you have a bit more of an outdoor lifestyle.

Not at the moment. I promise you it does get better.

'It's lovely meeting people here in New Zealand.

'Everybody's really friendly and tried really hard

'to help you with your decision and tell us about how it was for them moving and it's been really good.'

-We found it really, really easy.

-Yeah?

In the UK everyone's so wrapped up in their own world and their own lives and it's so busy,

especially where we live. But I think there's more time here for other people

and especially if people have moved over from the UK and they're all in the same situation with family

and they are really friendly and able to share that with you. I've really enjoyed that, meeting people.

In the living room, the children are getting on like a house on fire.

-Do you like it?

-Yeah.

It's way different to England because in England it's very, like, cold all the time, really,

-and in New Zealand it's quite warm.

-Yeah, it's really hot.

'The girls have loved meeting people their own age.'

I think Holly, she's had a lovely time,

and Isobel, she's loved it. She loves meeting people, but she's just not admitting that she's liking it.

Even if she felt in her heart that she'd have a better time

-doing something in New Zealand than England, she'd still vote UK.

-She would.

I think the friends and family thing just bothers her more than anything.

You know, leaving what she knows.

But it's not just Izzy.

Since yesterday's realisation that if they made the move,

they could only return to the UK every three years,

Claire's been increasingly troubled and Simon's desperate to come up with a solution.

Claire's Mum and Dad are desperate for her to stay.

I don't know whether they'd be prepared to move as well,

but if we had a foothold in, then they'd definitely think about it.

There are plenty of families that have done that.

Once one family's moved over, then, you know, the others visit and they think,

"I quite like it here as well," and then before you know it...

I mean, we know families that have got all generations -

grandparents, you know, family and then it just...

That makes, that is the one thing that I think you really do miss.

I think everyone knows how heart wrenching it is to leave people behind.

People we've met through the week, they've been very welcoming and have shared their experiences.

You probably rely on your friends more heavily here because you haven't got Mum and Dad around.

If Claire's sister came and we came, then, yeah,

that would be a deal breaker, I reckon.

-It can work but, um, you've got to be determined.

-Bold to be the first person to do it.

-Yeah. You know, the pioneers.

-If they don't follow you, it says a lot about you, doesn't it?

Yeah. "See you later, then!"

I think they're preaching to the converted when it comes to Simon, but Claire still has massive doubts.

Right now they're going to vote on how easy it is

to make friends in New Zealand, even if they are a bunch of Brits.

Everywhere we've gone we've been afforded the biggest welcome.

People haven't had to be so kind to us

and to me it's friendlier than the UK and we wouldn't have any problems.

New Zealand.

I've made a lot of new friends

and all the people in the UK are really nice,

but I've found it easier to make friends here so I'm going to vote New Zealand.

Everyone in New Zealand's been really friendly, fallen over themselves

to help us out and give us, you know, their experiences.

I think it was far more friendly than it would be

if we were in the same situation in the UK,

so for that reason I'll go for New Zealand.

My best friend is in UK, she's really nice.

And all the other girls in my class

are really nice so I have to go for...

UK.

All week the Guile family have been undecided whether to move Down Under.

Will hearing messages from friends and family help them make their final decision?

Hi there, everybody, especially Holly, Izzy and Amelie.

Hello.

I really, really miss you.

I hope you're having a very nice time.

I really, really want you to come back.

Hello, you lot. Big wave.

-Hi, Claire, Si.

-Hi, guys.

Simon has the ideal selling point, he owns a pub.

Yes, no, he works hard, he works very, very hard

and he does support them very well.

Claire's very kind, she'd do anything for anybody.

Lovely daughter, couldn't wish for a better daughter.

Claire is a very, very dear person

and she's got so much time for everybody.

The girls and her family

and if you need to talk she's always at the end of the phone if you need to chat.

She's a really lovely friend.

I always knew that the pressure of the pub life would get to Simon and Claire.

All you could ask for your children is to be happy.

You've got to believe that they're brought up

to make their own decisions and live out those decisions and to be happy.

To actually have 50% of my family moving to the other side of the world

is devastating to me, but having said all that,

it's an opportunity I would love them to take.

I can see why they want to do it

because of, you know, um, Simon working so hard and not seeing the family,

but I think there are other ways around it

rather than disappearing off round the other side of the world.

It's the thought that they're so far away that gets to you more than anything else.

My main concern would be that having made the decision to go that they don't regret it,

that they're actually making it for all the right reasons.

I hope you're having a good time and I hope you really like New Zealand,

but please, please Claire and Simon, just think about the long-term picture.

We just hope you enjoy yourselves and make the right decision.

I just need you to know that I love you very much

and it doesn't matter what your decision is because I shall see you and love you just as much

whether you're in this country or New Zealand.

It will affect me and I know how it will affect Gordon,

but on a personal basis I shall just miss having them around.

Just knowing that they're there as part of the family,

they're an important part of the family and, um, I love the girls

and I've really got to know them.

Not being able to look after Amelie as well.

So yeah, it will be hard.

Kind words, some very wise words.

Um, well, it's just reassuring to know your family's there for you.

And, you know, even if we did move this far away from them all,

then they'd still be there to support us, they would come and visit.

It's nice to know how much they think of you because it's not something you say on a daily basis.

It's really lovely. I mean, Emma getting upset just is really, really touching.

I think our family will think that, um, we're doing, I don't know,

it's hard to say.

I think,

I feel guilty, I think I'd feel guilty if we came,

if we took the grandchildren away from their grandparents

and the thing that I'm thinking a lot is that it's a selfish move.

To come here would be selfish.

Selfish, yes, maybe,

but we need to do what's best for us as a family and,

um, that decision's going to be a hard decision to come to, I think.

Things like this really make you realise how much they mean to you

and how much they mean to the children, and Isobel

just adores her grandparents and her aunties and uncles and cousins.

That video was probably just a little bit too much for her to bear, really.

And I don't know if I can do that to my children.

That is the hardest part.

Claire was upset by Izzy's tears and has had to rethink their emotional ties to the UK.

Their week in Auckland has been a mixture of highs and lows.

It's the end of the Guiles' week-long experiment in New Zealand.

They were amazed by their new coastal accommodation.

My goodness, it's like in the films.

-What do you think?

-It doesn't look real.

They got to spend quality time together as a family.

-I'd like Daddy to be around more.

-We'd do things as a family.

-Yeah.

You like that, don't you? But it doesn't happen very often, does it?

-It's just we don't have the time, do we?

-Yeah.

Because Daddy's always working.

It's quite emotional, really.

I know there's a strength of feeling there from them and they want to spend more time with me

and it does sort of tell me that we're striving to do the right thing.

Simon loved his time on the vineyard, but with a drastically reduced salary,

when they did their sums, the results were a shock.

We could only return back to the UK every two or three years.

-Yeah. If that.

-And realistically probably every five years.

-Mm.

It's not as simple as having a dream and just you know, "Oh, let's do it,

"let's have an adventure, let's go," because there's so many aspects to it you haven't considered.

The wrench of leaving loved ones was too much for Izzy to bear.

Her little heart broke when she saw her grandparents on that friends and family DVD.

I couldn't do that to her.

I'll do everything in my power to protect my children and to keep them happy and she was devastated.

It's been an emotional roller coaster week for Claire.

One moment I think, "Ooh, I could live here, it's really lovely,"

and the next moment I think, "Oh, I couldn't live this far away from my family."

I have moments like that and then I look around and it is stunning,

but I wonder if we could get that somewhere else in England.

I know for a fact that if we did move here

that we'd all embrace the lifestyle and really enjoy ourselves,

but I realise I might be fighting a losing battle.

It's time for the final vote.

Will Claire and the children give Simon the answer he wants?

I've had a really good time this week,

but I couldn't leave my family forever

so for that reason I'm going to vote UK.

It's nice, but I wouldn't leave my family and friends.

I might of chosen New Zealand,

but when I saw that video I thought, "Oh, no, UK."

I've had a fantastic time in New Zealand, it's a beautiful country,

the people are lovely,

but I think my heart really, really lies in the UK.

My final thoughts on the week,

New Zealand would really offer us a fantastic opportunity as a family,

with lifestyle, with work opportunities and with housing,

but instead of these flags I really need a white flag

to tie in with Claire, Holly and Isobel

and I'm going to have to join them and vote for the UK.

The Guiles love the idea of living by the beach, being near the city

and spending more time together,

but in the end the pull of friends and family proved too much

and it seems they won't be moving to New Zealand.

I've realised that the decision we've already made

to change the way we lead our lives is the right decision to have made.

We've had a fantastic week this week.

We've done a lot of soul searching and it's actually been quite enlightening for us

-as a couple I think, and family...

-Yeah, it's been really good.

And we've got it straight in our heads what we want out of life now, it's just where next, really.

Yeah.

Join us next time when we find out what happens

when another British family has to decide whether they're Wanted Down Under.

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