Relocating to New Zealand

[Homebird8]

Things are gathering pace and it's looking like we may be arriving in New Zealand this autumn with DS1(7) and DS2(5). Auckland's the most likely place so if there's anyone out there who can give me any pointers on starting our new lives (DH is coming too!) then we'd love to hear from you.

Hi Homebird8, how exciting for you! I'm from Auckland, so may be able to give you some pointers. Auckland is a big place though, do you know which area you're heading to?

Forgot to add, you might find Trademe a useful website. It's a bit like ebay, but also has houses to rent/buy, house shares, cars and even jobs. I think you are not able to register to partake in the auctions from overseas, but you can still have a look at what's available without a login.

Getting a car is pretty essential in most parts of Auckland - everything is spread out and public transport is not always the greatest. There are lots of good second hand car bargains, and in general cars are a lot older here - mine's from 1997 (once had one from the 1940's!), and it's not considered old, so don't necessarily let age put you off a good deal.

Hi - I am in Wellington but can give you some tips about general stuff.

Schools are rated in deciles (1=poor 10=best). I think this rating gives an indication of the type of area the school is in rather than the effectiveness of the school itself. We used this when deciding where to live so we picked areas with school rated 9 or 10.

Trade me is a great website as whiteflame says. We used to find somewhere to rent and to buy a car. I would also recommend looking at the expat blog website. There are some useful blogs by people that already live in NZ and they can give you good tips.

HTH

Great time of year to go, two summers in a row will be a great way to start your new life!

Agree totally with other comments re public transport, I understand it is somewhat better than it was when we left 8yrs ago but it really is PANTS compared to the UK. When I was home for a visit a few yrs ago a 20min car journey was going to take me over an hour and half and 2 bus changes!! Its likely you'll need to be a 2 car family but with some organising one car will suffice.

Lots of great suburbs in Auckland but just like anywhere some you probably would want to avoid. Has your DH got a job lined up? Best to figure out where he is located and work back from there, Auckland motorway in peak hour traffic is a bit of a nightmare!!!

From a 'setting up new life' point of view as I said in another thread in this section, give yourselves loads of time to settle in. While lots of parts of NZ life will feel strangely familiar its not home and you are likely to get homesick. Try not to dwell on the frustrating / negative parts of life and plan regular interesting events / holidays / trips etc to help you keep enthused about your new surroundings. I'd say expect a 6 to 12 mth time frame for adjusting and feeling more settled, might be quicker with kids and getting involved with school, sport etc

It is rather expensive to go to the Dr in NZ compared to here, its subsidised but still around $40 / $50 for an adult, so if you are at the Dr regularly then you might consider Private Medical Insurance (Southern Cross, Tower Ins, Sovereign were are few of the big companies from memory), you DH might get cover through is work tho.

Best of luck for your new adventure!!

Hi! Good luck with the move.

We have have been in Christchurch for 2 months now.

Another vote for Trade Me. It is indispensible for finding rental properties.

Food is about a third more expensive than in the UK. It has been a little bit of a shock!

We found that getting a car as soon as possible and driving around your new location every weekend made settling a lot easier. Christchurch has a really good bus service - don't know about Auckland - so that has been really good too.

Hi Homebird, don't look back, NZ is a great place to live and bring up children.

Just one tip - the housing stock over here is pretty rubbish. It might look sunny and airy in summer but come winter, you could well find you are living in a mouldy shed, even in Auckland(no double glazing, no insulation, no central heating is the norm). Aim for north facing with a heat pump, ask about insulation, and never ever rent or buy a house that comes with a dehumidifier.

Also, the traffic in Auckland is pretty bad. You can easily find yourself spending an hour plus in the queues, depending on where you live and work so it pays to plan a bit first. If you can afford it, rent a serviced apartment for a while and use the time to get to know the good areas.

Good luck! You won't regret it (I haven't!).

One tip? Two tips, schmoo tips.

btw, hope that last post didn't come across as too negative - wasn't intended that way.

Homebird8 - just wanted to say good luck.

We got back the health check forms and police ACRO certificate and will be assembling the final info pack for NZ immigration on Monday.

We are going on a scouting mission in November and hopefully putting DCS in a school there for a few weeks so we can get to now Auckland well before making the final decision whether or not to really go next July. Exchange rate is horrendous at the moment though.

Rotten mouldy houses worry me.

A few more of us in Wellington too. Feel free to ask any questions!

damp is a problem because it rains heavily at times, very heavily in fact, people tend to underestimate it - and the houses are generally not stone and not insulated and not centrally heated, so naturally it can be a problem. A dehumidifier might be a good thing to have come to think of it. Use through winter in the bedrooms perhaps. Should think they are easy enough to find and not too expensive.

Not all houses get damp, it can depend on the age of the house and the style of building. I have a cousin who moved to NZ and he had one house which really did get damp in winter (so you could actually smell it) but when they moved to a different town (also in fact one of the sunniest), they haven't had any problems at all with damp.

Fore-warned etc best to keep a vigilant eye on it. Can't say that I recall any obviously damp houses although perhaps I was too young to notice it.

Seriously, you DO NOT want to rent or buy a house over here that needs a dehumidifier. I'm not talking about damp smells but insidious black mould that grows on all the inside walls, ceilings and curtains, like a fine black powder. Seriously, check out stuff.co.nz and search for mould if you don't believe me. Private rental stock is generally the worst affected because of a lack of investment.

BeenBeta - there's really no need to worry if you know what to look for. There are plenty of houses that have been retrofitted with insulation and heatpumps which are excellent. But for Brits used to gas central heating (almost non-existent here, although we are one of the rare exceptions now - I put my foot down after experiencing mould for the first time, even though everyone else thinks it's pretty normal), the different types of heating options and house construction materials can be a bit confusing and it is easy to be caught unawares. Generally though, if you steer clear of houses with portable gas heaters, be wary of south facing houses (north facing is best), or houses surrounded by bush (pretty but damp) and try and get one with a heat pump if possible, you'll be fine. Auckland isn't as cold as some parts but you'll be amazed at the number of houses in NZ where the inside temperature at night is in single digits.

Having said all that, I love it out here. It really is the most amazing place to live and work. I just don't want your first winter to be a cold one.

Agree with everything said so far. We are in Nothland, came in January. Be v v careful about housing. Our house (rented from school) grows mould on the bedrooms walls and curtains like there is no tomorrow. Living room is OK as we have a wood fire. We use 2 oil filled radiators to keep the house warm enough for us, so have a huge electric bill. It is fine in the day time, just the evening/night/until about 9am that is cold. Look out for a place with a heat pump, they often seem to work as air con in the summer too.

P.S. NZ is fab!

Thanks for all the housing advice. We lived in a UK house wth black mould so I know what to look for - terrible stuff.

Just been over to this website to look at heat pumps in New Zealand]]. Interesting that they are so prevalent. I'm guessing that a heat pump uses fairly little electric and with cheap hydro electric in NZ that is the reason not so many people have gas. The reverse air con sounds good too for Auckland.

Nice too that at least some people think NZ is fab.

The heatpump thing is interesting, isn't it, BeenBeta. NZ does have its own gasfields, off Taranaki, but I think most of NZ is just too remote for mains gas. Heat pumps are great from an environmental perspective - like you say, a lot of the electricity generated here is hydro or (in the North Island) geothermal so you can feel very smug that you not only live in a warm house but are being 'green' with it.

Good luck to all of you thinking of heading out this way.

i like NZ, very much so in fact. It just isn't California/Florida in terms of sunshine and lifestyle and it isn't Paris/Milan in terms of culture/shopping. Sometimes I think people are disappointed because they somehow expect it to be more bustling and avante-garde etc than it can reasonably be expected to be given the location and relatively sparse density of population.

I think you can enjoy your staythere, certainly if it is only for a limited contract anyway. It is always something else to uproot yourself for an indefinite amount of time or for "good".

I have seen some very nice homes in NZ but once again if you are only going to be there for a fixed term, it needn't be a palace after all.

ditto everything said so far, especially cold damp houses. Ours is a brick house and not too prone to damp but it was -2 overnight last week when we had some fantastic clear blue sky winter days. We chose the lifestyle thing and live 30 mins off peak south of Auckland, 11 acres, pool, country school etc.... DH works in central Auckland and commutes off peak, I wouldn't live this far out if either of us traveled in peak traffic. As has been said don't underestimate the traffic and lack of public transport. Last week I went to a friends in Devonport (North Shore) and it took me nearly 3 hours to get across town leaving at 4pm on a Friday. There are some great places more central, I would chose Mount Eden, Sandringham, Grey Lynn, Mission Bay, St Heliers or around Remuera depending on where your dh will be working and your budget . All quite diverse but central.

We rented when we first came over to get a feel for where we would like to live but that might not be the best option if you have school age children. Many schools have zoning now, so check this out when looking at schools/areas to live. You could also google the train routes from Britomart if you want to be a 1 car family. On the whole if you are central they are relatively reliable.

Despite the negatives (housing, transport, increasing traffic) as people have said it's a great place to live and especially to bring up children.

Hey, best move we made. We went back to the UK after 14 months for Xmas and to see whether we missed it...missed family and gas central heating but do not miss anything else. We live on the West Coast of the South Island - yes there is life beyond Auckland. It is wild, remote, medical services suck and the nearest Starbucks is three hours away but the people are friendly and really look out for you. I have just had my first baby and am overwhelmed by gifts and kind thoughts. Do consider somewhere outside of Auckland. My tip is, before you pack stuff for shipping (we have used PSS twice and would recommend them) clean everything twice with smelly disinfectant and a toothbrush - MAFF are not people to mess with. And don't ship your car unless it is one if the family - we have just shipped a classic car and it cost us a fortune to get through compliance here.

Hi everyone, hope you don't mind me joining in. Need help please. I am a kiwi, but have been living in London (very centrally for almost 15 years). We've been harping on about moving home to NZ for some time and its always been part of the plan. Now DH has been offered a great job back in our home town and I am literally freaking out. We've got 2 small children now and I would dearly love them to have Grandparents and Auntie around them, but I am sooo lost. I thought I wanted this but now I am not so sure. When I get past my heart stuff and my head takes over I've interested in all the costs at home now (Wellington) - what do I need to bring from here and what should I leave. All help much appreciated fellow kiwis - I am sure I am not alone in these thoughts.... Thanks in anticipation

bnz my cousin and his wife lived in London for 3 years (Dh and I have been here 8 now with one DS and one on the way) and when we went home for our wedding (3yrs ago) I asked them how they found settling back to NZ life after being in London, as its always been part of our plan to go home too. Cousin said it took almost as long as they were away before they felt completely immersed in NZ life again! Now I doubt its going to take 15yrs for you and your family but by the sounds of it do expect it to take some time!! I think having family and the lifestyle at your finger tips will help the process (and steak and cheese pies... and toffee pops... and burger rings... and peanut slabs etc etc). I think going into it knowing it will be an adjustment is the important thing, not having the rose coloured glasses that just cos its 'home' that everything will be peachy.

My best friend is moving back to NZ next week after 5yrs here, she has used those vac pack bags (inside the boxes)for all the linens, she says not to bother with kitchen stuff unless you have an absoulte favourite (or your work is relocating you LOL), electricals only bother with the really good stuff (not the 2yr old toaster). You have to itemise and price EVERY SINGLE THING for insurance so only take items of clothing / toys etc that you really want to, cos the organising of the move has been a real mission for her over the past few months!

Ask for Briscos / Farmers / Warehouse vouchers for Xmas and buy all new stuff in the Boxing Day sales!

Best of luck, hopefully we'll be in the same position in another couple of years.

Argh I totally hear the comments on central heating, NZ does get fairly cold / damp in Winter I just dont understand why CH is so uncommon!!! Its vital here but honestly a lot of older NZ homes really could do with it too!! Heat Pumps seem to be the most popular option these days, I think they are relatively easy to install too so you can always negotiate with landlord if you are renting (think there are govt subsidies available too)

DH had been away for 18 years when we moved here it took him nearly as long as me (not a kiwi) to adjust and there is still 8 years later things we miss about London. At the end of the day though NZ is a better place to bring up children imo.

I would bring everything you can, it's been said on here before but the cost of living is high. Household goods v expensive (no Ikea etc) so you either buy cheap crap or pay through the nose. I would play with google for cost of living e.g. trade me for rentals, barfoots for house prices, countdown for food, hill and stewart for electrical etc to get an idea.

Our best investment was using a removals company, they packed a 5 bed house in a day or so, cleaned outdoor goods and cleared MAF at this end. Very stress free. I literally packed our suitcases. I really would recommend it.

Good luck, the transition will no doubt be hard for all, but I would love to have my family around, sadly they are in London!

Thanks Sibble & Kiwidreamer, think its something I need to just commit to and get on with... but still in freaking out territory at the moment. We've been away a long time, have had an absolute fab time here, had 2 small wonderful DD's but think maybe need to go back and be better daughter & sister and probably mother too and put my fears behind for now. Thanks for the suggestions, much appreciated :)