Auckland NZ - Anyone have tips for moving there?

[nickiw]

DH is having 3rd telephone interview tonight, they seem quite keen and may want us out there in 2 months!! Any tips for good areas to live, schools etc??

The Dairy Flats are about a 15 min drive inland from here, but still close to the motorway.

There is another plot in the paper today for $450K for quite a nice size, I should be on commission!

Yes, perhaps a new career as an estate agent specialising in ex-brits awaits you! When you say 'plot' do you mean just land to build on or a house too?

It's just the land, I put some bits in the post to you yesterday, hopefully won't take too long!

Ooooh thank you! And how much to build your dream house then - and are builders easier to find/manage than over here?

You sound very interested!!!! The thing that takes the time apparently is getting the reports and planning permission thru, can take up to 9 months, although you can buy the sections with these in progress. I went to see one on friday, really steep driveway down and I got stuck on the drive, it was really scary. I couldn't turn around or reverse, too steep, lots of wet leaves, bloody nightmare. The agent had to get my car out!! Beautiful section, lovely views, knackered old house and you could split the section and build two houses. All of the paperwork had been completed and this took 2 yrs, cost $530K approx £200k. We can't afford buying this and paying rent. We have been told, not sure if it's good info that approx $200 - $300K should build a fab house and good builders can be found. We are off to a local derby rugby match tomorrow, then the joys of 2wks half term! After which I am signing up with a temping agency for work . How are your plans coming redshoes?

Very interesting - a job,eh....how exciting - will it fit around school? We are still planning to visit in Jan, but the weather has been so gorgeous here for the last couple of weeks I am not quite as desperate as I was earlier in the year! Planning to fly Singapore airlines, looking into best way to book.

I know Air New Zealand has some offers for approx £669 return at the moment, they also have quite a wide seat pitch if that helps at all. That is booking direct with them, their website is really easy to use. We booked through Trailfinders who were very helpful, I have also used Travelbag in the past as well.

Thanks will check them out - wide seats would be good, dh is 6'4 and a rugby player! And we will have the baby with us (she will be 13 months in Jan).

Can I intrude on this thread to ask about good IT job websites for Australia and New Zealand?

DH is seeing if he could get over through his company here (in the UK) but it would be interesting to see demand for skills, salaries, etc.

Thanks.

I think nickiw's DH is in IT, Gem13... she'll probably be checking in to MN later today (tomorrow morning here ... ). She may be able to answer your question.

My DH got his job through DeWinter International, but just did a search thru Jobserve initially

Gem13 - for New Zealand, try www.seek.co.nz Most of the big IT recruitment agencies advertise on there.

Redshoes - I hope the AirNZ seats are big enough, as we're flying them back to NZ in November, and he's a 6'5'' rugby player build too!! If you book your flights online, you can reserve specific seats on a plane map (but be warned that if you book a bulkhead seat, you might get bumped by people who need a sky cot. That said, I've never been on a flight where I've seen a sky cot being used). You can't pre-book emergency exit seats as they need to be able to eyeball you to make sure you're capable of operating the exit doors.

We had our first offer on a house rejected last night . However we have gotten our act together and put our house in the UK on the market much to our tenants disgust. We are going to look at a few more to get an idea of what we want but are not going to offer again until the house is sold. It was all very civilised and quite professional, unlike my experiences in the UK!

Shame about that house Nickiw, but you might find something better. Where was it?

The house was in Browns Bay, I have justed viewed one opposite the boys school which was lovely, but no outdoor area. Then another old wreck which is a good possibility, but we don't have the cash. Must stop looking!!!

Window shopping eh!

Yes - thats an end to it now. Our house in the UK is going on the market today and we will wait and see what happens before we do anymore viewing. We went on a harbour cruise yesterday 10 mins out and it poured down for the rest of the trip, just what you need when you are full of colds!!! Then a whiz around the maritime museum and a hot chocolate!!

just remember that if you put an 'unconditional' offer on a house in NZ you can't get out of it. Put conditions on your purchase such as the selling of your place in Uk, passing building inspections etc and they normally put a time limit on say 3mths or 2mths to pass all your conditions.
Good luck with selling in the UK - see you back in NZ soon!

It's good to make a couple of cheeky offers so you get used to the process. Get a solicitor to provide you with sticky labels for the purchase agreements so you get the wording thats best for you, not the agent.

Yes, an unconditional offer is very scary! I hope you are okay Ghosty. There was a massive storm here over the weekend and we without power for 28hrs!!! Absolutely freezing and miserable. Ours was the only house in the street affected the fuses on the pole had blown. Then just as the workmen finished fixing it Robert started to throw up, and throw up and throw up. The car stinks! but at least the washing machine was working. The house is on the market in the UK and the agent thinks it should shift quite quickly. We really want our own place now so it is good that it is so easy to buy over here.

Been thinking of you nickiw ... on the radio today it said that 7000 homes in Mairangi Bay were out of power
North Shore was more affected than here although I was worried that our big tree was going to lose some branches into our windows! It was a nasty storm. October seems to be the stormy months. Two years ago in October there was another really bad storm that raged for 2 nights. DH was away on business and I was really scared our house would blow away like in the Wizard of Oz!!!

Sorry I didn't call last week to get together, the week kind of ran away with me ... will be happy to meet up for coffee any time though!

Don't worry, another few weeks and the weather will get warmer and the cicadas will start waking you every morning!

Hope Robert is feeling better - and that the weather has improved! We have had glorious sunshine for the last couple of weeks!

Well the sun is out now! Hope I haven't tempted fate but I have hung out some washing. Robert is back at school and fine. I have just managed to clean the whole house for the first time. Also I have an interview at a job agency on Monday so things are quite positive. I have also arranged to go in and help out at school twice a week. So we are really progressing. How are your plans coming on Redshoes?