Where's Best to Live in NZ and what do we need to know: PART TWO!!!

[AngryBeaver]

Wow,have just gone to post and it wouldn't except it! So have had to start a new thread. Hope everyone finds it ok.I feel a bit like we've all been out for the night and somehow got seperated and no one has their mobile!!
Anyway,this was the question I've had to cut and paste from the old thread:...

Sorry,have had a quick look but can't see...has anyone used emirates?
I think the sky couch thing looks good,but we'd have to buy a couple and that would be pricey.
Dh reckons Emirates are fine,but I don't think he's anticipating how different it's going to be travelling that disatnce with 3 exhausted infants.
He has limited travel experience as it is and the longest he has been on a plane with them is 3 hours. He keeps saying it will be fine,they'll sleep for loads of it...somehow I'm thinking this will not happen!!

What's happened with the mortgage application? Do they need paperwork you don't have?

Question- how much did visas cost per kid? I had a look at the fees list online and not at all clear. I'm not even sure how much for me as I'm supposed to be 'family stream' type but it doesn't have that on the list - am I being thick or is it exhausted baby brain?

So justabout??.... Up feeding fluffy tennis ball head .... Any news?

I like it justabout

1980's - tick - not 90's or 2000's so won't be a leaky house but new enough not to need lots of maintenance (hopefully)

Pool - tick - even a little one (better than our paddling pool :o)

Veggie garden already there - tick

Good sized deck - tick

Hope you get it

Looks great justabout - very kiwi and hope you get it.

Congratulations justabout - you have a pool and a deck for a proper BBQ. It's great - well done

1200 posts and now have have Auckland house porn

looks fab justabout!

looks good justabout. windows that fit, a bit of land. Decks are good. The pool looks like it is properly fenced.

You may end up skirting the underneath though. We've lived in two houses on posts and both were quite chilly as the wind went underneath and seemed to whip the heat away. One was in Parnell though which is a very windy area so you may be okay in a different micro climate. We just had quotes for insulating our house through the government subsidised scheme and they came in about $2400 - $3000. We have a list of other stuff to do first though :-(

I'm not sure if I mentioned it earlier but we've had three building reports done in NZ.

One came back with 'don't touch it'. Oddly it was a weatherboard owned by a builder. The frame had shifted and he had done other work that wasn't up to scratch.

One came back with about 10k of work to be done but we missed out at auction.

The one we bought came back with 15-20k worth of work to be done. Now I think I could spend 50K on it tomorrow! But we still love it :-)

I think most houses in NZ will come back with some issues so be prepared. I found the building reports more in depth. The inspector would verbally give me a ballpark but not put it in writing. Fingers crossed for you.

Hi everyone, can I join in please - we are moving to Auckland in February next year - have just been approved!

Lolly - we paid £125 each for the children and me. I am on work visa (partner of worker) the children are on student visas (they are 9 and 5).

Your house looks great justabout. I am starting to look more seriously to get an idea of areas before we arrive!

I called their £1 a minute line today. Ds1 and 2 need student apparently despite ds2 being 3.4 and ds3 and 4 need visitor and I need family stream. Website not clear at all. Think for all if us it's about £800 odd with dh getting his bit refunded.

In taxi home from work Xmas night out - they're all asking when I'm back off mat leave and I'm saying early summer secretly hoping I'll be long gone by then.

Itsjysthebeginning - welcome and where are you going in Auckland?

Hi again, DP has a Work To Residence Talent Visa - Accredited Employer (must admit I am not really sure what his talents are!), his was 165. I havent actually seen the visas yet so don't know what they say but they are not resident visas, I think we need to be in NZ for 4 years to qualify. I agree Lolly that the website is really confusing, I originally filled the wrong form in. In the end DP went up there with everything.

We are not sure where we are going to live. We are thinking about the North Shore although I am a bit worried about the journey for DP. East of the city is an option but on first look it seems quite expensive (although not compared to London!). Schools will be a big factor for us, my understanding is that if you are 'in zone' they have to take you - does anyone know if this is correct? Anyway it is very difficult when you aren't there to see it and I think we will arrive with a bit of a plan and take it from there.

Yes, if you are in zone they have to take you. If they end up with too many kids for the class they just have to hire another teacher and start another class.

Snap - we're applying thru accredited employer scheme and thinking north shore but worried about commute for DH and me for when I get job sorted. Again compared to central Edinburgh the prices in town don't seem that scary - used to being skint from living in a capital city. If I pass the medical then we may be there in march I think. I really think they could do some work on their website - totally unclear re 'the kids but then I suppose it's in their interests for us to call if it is £1 a minute (and you sit listening to 3 mins of IVR chat only to be cut off at the end).

Sorry ladies I'm in a mood - been on my work Xmas do. The senior director (female) asked me infront of a table full if I'd finally stopped having kids and when I said yes she asked if they could have that on record. Think 'she should know better to be honest. Sorry too much gin ...

Wow lollystix- she should know better. I thought you weren't allowed to ask that kind of question any more.

I used to live in Edinburgh. I love it apart from the weather (oh, the irony today!) I find Auckland to be quite the opposite in some ways and expected to hate living here. There isn't much public transport and you need to drive. But the traffic isn't bad outside of rush hour so I can get most places in 20 mins and park when I get there. You just need to adapt your lifestyle.

Some stuff is much more expensive here- I just bought 100 multivitamins for $45 :-( Now I wish I'd done a boots international order!

The buses here are fab - don't drive anywhere as walk or bus but possibly cos parking total nightmare and £1 for 15 minutes in the centre - I'm assuming parking not that bad in Auckland? Weather here is truly awful just now - about 2 degrees and being blowing a gale all week (serious school shutting gale too). Went sledging at the weekend. Where were you in Edinburgh - I'm a southsider - do you think I would cope in Auckland?

Eating jammie dodgers with baby stuck in boob to get over the trauma of the work night out. The director's comments were only the half of it but it's a long story... Would have been nice if all my so called mates (colleagues) hadn't agreed with her. Obviously having 4 kids is totally unacceptable

I was a student in Edinburgh and then worked for a wee while. I lived in Newington and Marchmont mostly.

I think you can survive and enjoy Auckland but you do need to adapt your lifestyle. If you try to live without a car you will be limited in what you can do and areas that are doable. Devonport is one good place if you don't drive. I managed a year without a car pre baby but felt that DD would miss out too much so gave in and bought a car when she arrived. (My first ever car as I'm a greenie.) Parking is good most places apart from the city centre. I do take the bus there but am quite unusual for my area. I think the average number of bus journeys for a kiwi is something like 2! But public transport has improved since we arrived 3 years ago.