People still ask: 'Noel Edmonds? Didn't he die?'

"SOMETIMES I struggle to explain why I’m so excited about this Kiwi adventure,’ says Noel Edmonds, former Deal Or No Deal host turned New Zealand businessman.

- BY RACHAEL DAVIS

“It comes down to the land - the look, the feel of it. We have a beautiful home, and in the morning, we wake up to a view of the mountains. Whether or not you can see them tells you what the weather will be like. Just a few kilometres away, there’s a beautiful beach, the Moutere River, and within an hour's drive, you're in serious bush.

“The scenery here is magical. Even after six years, we'll go for a drive and still say: ‘Wow?’

In Noel Edmonds’ Kiwi Adventure, the Ilford-born TV presenter and radio DJ, now 76, is inviting viewers to his rural New Zealand home, showing the world why he chose to move 11,000 miles away with his wife, Liz.

“We started our Kiwi adventure north of Auckland,’ says Noel.

“If you understand the geography of the North Island, you'll know Auckland dominates. It sits at the narrowest point, and of New Zealand's five million people, around four million live in or around Auckland. So it’s quite busy up there.

“We rented a house - until you get residency, you can’t buy - and it was beautiful. Suddenly, we had all these Kiwi friends. It’s true what they say: Kiwis are very friendly. We had a fabulous social circle. But over time, it began to feel a bit like the UK or Europe. I even called it “Euro-Zealand” because it was so busy - busy roads, constant building and development. So we decided to move again and ended up at the top of the South Island.