Popular Kiwi YouTubers Thomas and Sheena Southam are farewelling their Northland dream home as they prepare to relocate to Melbourne for work, reported OneRoof.
The husband-and-wife duo, known for their food travel channel Chasing a Plate, began uploading videos in 2016 as a fun way to document and fund their culinary journeys. Over time, their channel grew into a full-time venture, amassing 200,000 subscribers and nearly 30 million views, OneRoof reported.
When the pandemic forced them home, the couple bought a 750sqm section at 6 Sunset Heights in Cable Bay and built a three-bedroom home with sweeping views over Doubtless Bay.
The pair, who now have a toddler, say leaving the beachside property is bittersweet.
“We’ve loved having fishing, boating and beaches on our doorstep, but it’s time to head to the city again,” Sheena told OneRoof.
In an ideal world, they would keep the property as a bach, but financial realities mean that’s not possible.
OneRoof quoted, “We don’t want to move. We’d keep the house if we could. We love it here, we really do. The house and the location are just a dream, but the reality is we need to be in an urban centre to do our job,” she said.
Sheena explained that having a baby shifted their lifestyle and priorities.
“When we moved up here, we weren’t expecting a baby to show up. We thought that we would be able to travel more freely and then come back to paradise… But it just hasn’t worked out that way,” OneRoof reported.
The couple also found Auckland unaffordable. Melbourne, they say, offers them better housing options, efficient public transport, and a vibrant food scene, all essentials for their content creation.
According to OneRoof, Haze Real Estate agent Joel Vieviorka, who is marketing the home, described it as a three-bedroom, two-bathroom property with an excellent kitchen and panoramic views from nearly every room.“It was built as their forever home, but their plans have changed,” he said.
Despite the move, Thomas and Sheena remain committed to their channel. Their toddler has already visited 13 countries as part of filming trips, and the couple say they hope to return to Cable Bay one day.
“She was built as our dream home,” Sheena reflected. “But that’s life. Hopefully, we’ll be back one day,” reported OneRoof.