Noel Edmonds, the former Deal or No Deal host, has revealed he is experiencing significant financial challenges at his £15 million River Haven estate in New Zealand, just as his new reality show, Noel Edmonds' Kiwi Adventure, airs on ITV.
Since relocating permanently to New Zealand in 2018 with his wife Liz, Edmonds has invested in the lavish estate, which features 12 buildings, a vineyard, and a pub called The Bugger Inn. However, despite the property’s stunning setting, Edmonds admits that running the business is taking a toll.
In the second episode of Kiwi Adventure, he candidly describes the financial strain: “We’re haemorrhaging money at the moment,” Edmonds said, pointing to the unpredictable weather as a major factor. “When you come to New Zealand, you change your view about your relationship between the weather and the economy.”
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He explained that staffing costs rise in anticipation of guests, yet low visitor numbers have left them struggling: “We’re going to have to have a spectacular November and December to balance the books.”
The series documents Edmonds’ journey to build a new life away from his previous celebrity fame. Despite setbacks like scenes showing a rain-soaked, empty pub garden, Edmonds remains cautiously optimistic. “New Zealand is a great place to come to but it’s not the easiest place to set up a business,” he reflected. “We’ve done a fascinating thing with the River Haven adventure. Will it be the move that sustains us for years to come? Watch this space!”
Speaking on his situation, Edmonds said, “I believe in the cosmos. I believe everything happens for a reason… Just struggling at the moment to come up with a good reason here!”
He also shared his sentiments on emigrating: “When people say to me, ‘What do you miss about the UK?’ I find myself going back to why I left. Because all the things I miss about Britain are the reasons I left. The country changed so much, so fast, so fundamentally, that I found myself missing a quieter country… We are not trees so you can move.”
Liz Edmonds added insight into their unexpected new venture: “None of this was planned. None of it was planned at all. There was no plan whatsoever to buy a vineyard and do this. I don’t know it was just a feeling of we could work on this, we could develop this.”
Noel Edmonds’ Kiwi Adventure airs Fridays at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.