What British TV star Noel Edmonds has been doing in rural New Zealand

British television star Noel Edmonds’ life in New Zealand has been largely a mystery since he disappeared from UK screens and moved halfway across the world.

But a new reality show has lifted the lid on what the former Deal or No Deal host has been doing since buying an 800-acre property in Ngātīmoti with his wife Liz Davies.

Noel Edmonds’ Kiwi Adventure, a three-part series filmed around his River Haven estate in 2024, reveals what the 76-year-old has been building – and battling – since trading stardom for South Island living.

Here’s everything we learnt about Edmonds’ life in Aotearoa.

Why New Zealand?

Edmonds’ departure from Britain was driven by what he described as a seismic cultural shift.

“[The UK] changed so much, so fast, so fundamentally, that I found myself missing a quieter country.”

The couple were in search of “a positivity haven” and felt drawn to Ngātīmoti – a town of around 500 people next to the Motueka River – by the area’s “energy”.

“There’s a spiritual freedom here,” Edmonds says.

Noel Edmonds is showing off his life in New Zealand in a new documentary series. Photo / ITV

What is River Haven?

River Haven is Edmonds’ complex business venture.

Housing a vineyard, pub, cafe, wellness centre and general store, the sprawling estate is the biggest employer in town.

With no plan but a shared instinct to create something community-focused, Davies says it was “love at first sight” on finding the property.

When Edmonds reopened River Haven for the summer season last year, he told punters about why he chose to set up such an enterprise.

“It was five years almost to the day that Liz and I decided to become immigrants. And we came here, knowing absolutely nobody,” he says.

“The reason ... why we came to New Zealand is because everyone told us it’s a land where people say, ‘Yes, we can. We can do it. We’ll give it a go.’

“And that’s what we’re doing.”

River Haven is home to a vineyard, pub, cafe, wellness centre and general store. Photo / ITV

Running River Haven

Despite its idyllic backdrop, River Haven has not been easy to operate.

“When you come to New Zealand, you change your view about the relationship between weather and the economy. I mean, we’re haemorrhaging money at the moment,” Edmonds says.

“If at the end of this summer season, we looked at the books and we thought, ‘Oh, we’ve broken even!’, that would be great.”

He attributes much of the difficulty to unpredictable weather, fewer visitors and a tough local economy.

With few patrons turning up on a sunny Saturday in October, Edmonds calls it the “most difficult time of the year”.

“We’ve got no idea what the weather is doing. The road is quiet, there’s not as much traffic as there was last year.

“What’s happening with the economy? Dunno.”

In the third episode, he notes bookings were 25% lower than they were in 2023.

“I don’t have a God-given right to success here. And this has been quite a steep learning curve,” Edmonds says.

“I think I’d be a fool if I was confident that we will get to my aim of not losing money by March ‘25.

“But ... I’m a fairly determined person. And I don’t like failing at anything.”

Noel Edmonds says he's 'haemorrhaging money' at his River Haven estate in the Motueka Valley. Photo / ITV

Winning over the community

Concerned about how he and Davies are perceived locally, Edmonds shot down claims that 17 staff were abruptly sacked after River Haven closed for winter last year, and stressed they only wanted to be welcomed in the community.

“It matters a lot to me that we’re accepted in Ngātīmoti, in this area of Tasman, and that people recognise that we’re not here to take and that we actually want to achieve positive things.”

Edmonds, admitting he cares what others think of him, visits the local reverend to ask how they were integrating.

“We do worry about it because I’m hugely sensitive and we do want to be accepted,” he said, although he found the priest’s response to be “very reassuring”.

Edmonds’ experimental health routine

The couple have developed a wellness space on the property, complete with a “crystal bed” that uses colour-coded quartz and specific frequencies for “healing and relaxing”.

“I find this so exciting because this is all based on ancient spiritual wisdom,” Edmonds says.

The former TV host swears by a six-part health routine that prioritises nutrition, structured water, Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy, “tranquil power” (essentially slow strength training) visualisation of body energy or “vibe”, and meditation.

He also incorporates infrared saunas, cold showers and a hyperbaric chamber into his energy-driven health regimen.

Edmonds may take a bit of influence from his friend Matt, a man we meet on the estate who claims to have known him in a past life.

“When I first actually looked at Noel and Liz, I can see vibration ... energy, auras. And they were the two brightest vibration beings I’ve ever seen,” Matt tells us.

Edmonds' health regime consists of crystal beds, PEMF pads and cold showers. Photo / ITV

Is this Aotearoa’s first energy garden?

At the heart of the estate is what Edmonds hopes to be the first “energy garden” in New Zealand.

“All we are is body energy systems. And that body energy system touches everything around us, which is how you move into the bigger matrix, the universal energy system,” Edmonds explains.

The garden features massive boulders quarried from Mt Alford in Canterbury that are positioned to align with the compass, along with quartz crystals and “structured” irrigation water.

Edmonds says the idea combines ancient practices and natural forces to create a productive and harmonious growing environment for the flora and fauna around it.

“We want to get going with the electroculture ... It’s harnessing not only the sun but the clouds and the rain and the nitrogen in the air.”

Davies creates an “energy bowl” in the centre lined with sheep fleece, stones, quartz and other material to generate orgone.

She explains how orgone, a supposed universal life force, is a “very positive frequency” that also acts “as a really good weed deterrent” for the garden.

Edmonds and his wife Liz Davies outside The Bugger Inn at River Haven. Photo / ITV

Finding peace in New Zealand

Throughout the series, Edmonds reflects on his own journey, including his marriage to Davies – who he calls his “earth angel” – and his relationship with stepson Harrison, who splits his time between the UK and New Zealand.

He’s frank about the mental health toll after his production company was “deliberately collapsed by some corrupt bankers” in 2005.

Edmonds commissioned Wētā Studios to create a statue named Guardian that serves as a personal reminder of overcoming that dark period.

“When the companies went into administration in 2006, I thought I was a crap businessman, I thought it was my fault. 70 people lost their jobs,” Edmonds said.

“Guardian – he’s there for the weak, he’s there for the disenfranchised, the marginalised, those who feel that society’s let them down. He has not given up.”

The show unmasks a side of Edmonds many viewers haven’t seen before – a man deep in reflection who is reinventing himself and realigning his priorities to secure his future wellbeing.

“Maybe people who have had negative thoughts about me personally will see this and see an honesty, a sincerity, a commitment, a positivity, and maybe a few of them will change their views,” Edmonds says.

“The purpose of life is to give life purpose. When people say, ‘What is the meaning of life?’ Well, live. That’s the meaning.”

Tom Rose is an Auckland-based journalist who covers breaking news, specialising in lifestyle, entertainment and travel. He joined the Herald in 2023.