# Where to initially settle???



## DPETRIE

Hello,

Total newbie to the forums but thought id give it a go!

My husband & I are planning on making the big move from Wales, UK to New Zealand September this year - we have our flights booked to arrive in to Auckland and were also bringing our 2 dogs too!

Our big dilemma is where to settle...??? initially going to rent until we are certain on an area!

We are a young couple (20's) love climbing mountains and the outdoor lifestyle! We want to live semi rural but it needs to be work with my partners job as an Electrician (main visa applicant). Also we want good weather!

So far we've decided on the north island - Whangarei is number one, quite like Taranaki too. Any suggestions would be much appreciated...

Thanks.


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## topcat83

DPETRIE said:


> Hello,
> 
> Total newbie to the forums but thought id give it a go!
> 
> My husband & I are planning on making the big move from Wales, UK to New Zealand September this year - we have our flights booked to arrive in to Auckland and were also bringing our 2 dogs too!
> 
> Our big dilemma is where to settle...??? initially going to rent until we are certain on an area!
> 
> We are a young couple (20's) love climbing mountains and the outdoor lifestyle! We want to live semi rural but it needs to be work with my partners job as an Electrician (main visa applicant). Also we want good weather!
> 
> So far we've decided on the north island - Whangarei is number one, quite like Taranaki too. Any suggestions would be much appreciated...
> 
> Thanks.


Hi there - welcome to the Forum.
First question - what visa are you coming out on? A Work, Residents or Visitors visa? Where are you in the visa application process?

Have you been anywhere in New Zealand before? I'm interested in your choice of locations - they're a long way apart from each other, and quite different. What were your reasons for selecting them?

Hopefully we'll be able to give you the type of information you need with the above info!


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## escapedtonz

DPETRIE said:


> Hello,
> 
> Total newbie to the forums but thought id give it a go!
> 
> My husband & I are planning on making the big move from Wales, UK to New Zealand September this year - we have our flights booked to arrive in to Auckland and were also bringing our 2 dogs too!
> 
> Our big dilemma is where to settle...??? initially going to rent until we are certain on an area!
> 
> We are a young couple (20's) love climbing mountains and the outdoor lifestyle! We want to live semi rural but it needs to be work with my partners job as an Electrician (main visa applicant). Also we want good weather!
> 
> So far we've decided on the north island - Whangarei is number one, quite like Taranaki too. Any suggestions would be much appreciated...
> 
> Thanks.


I'm assuming, your partner hasn't got a job offer as yet, but he will be trying to secure a post between now and after arrival if nothing comes up before you fly out ?
I would say, this is the critical path in your move and you will live near to wherever he secures a job ?

We did exactly the same. 
Secured the resident visas first then decided we would book flights to Auckland and spend 3 months in a furnished holiday let North of Auckland up the coast, look for work around Auckland, have a holiday and we would move to unfurnished rental near to wherever I landed a job........
We got as far as booking the flights and virtually securing the temp accommodation in Auckland - thank the lord we didn't pay the deposit for the accommodation.
A few weeks later I landed a job in Wellington!!!
So the weeks and months of planning and research for Auckland went straight out the window


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## DPETRIE

Hi,

You've assumed right! We are coming out on a skilled resident visa - no job offer as of yet but hoping to secure one on arrival!

escapedtonz: - Where abouts was your holiday let? We have a similar idea...

topcat83: - We have never been to New Zealand before - crazy I know, but we are both well travelled and have decided this is the lifestyle we want!

Where we live comes down to where my husbands job is really... We are open to suggestions and initially very flexible about this...

Whangarei jumped out at us as there is a oil refinery similar to shell which my husband could hopefully get work in. Seems a pleasent place to settle, big, rural houses, nice community feel. Great beaches and good weather!

Taranaki also jumped out at us for the close by mountains to go hiking, and come across very industrialised for work reasons also. Beaches dont seem as nice though!


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## escapedtonz

DPETRIE said:


> Hi,
> 
> You've assumed right! We are coming out on a skilled resident visa - no job offer as of yet but hoping to secure one on arrival!
> 
> escapedtonz: - Where abouts was your holiday let? We have a similar idea...
> 
> topcat83: - We have never been to New Zealand before - crazy I know, but we are both well travelled and have decided this is the lifestyle we want!
> 
> Where we live comes down to where my husbands job is really... We are open to suggestions and initially very flexible about this...
> 
> Whangarei jumped out at us as there is a oil refinery similar to shell which my husband could hopefully get work in. Seems a pleasent place to settle, big, rural houses, nice community feel. Great beaches and good weather!
> 
> Taranaki also jumped out at us for the close by mountains to go hiking, and come across very industrialised for work reasons also. Beaches dont seem as nice though!


Cool that's exactly the same path we took.

I also hoped to secure a job when we arrived, but as I trawled the jobs adverts daily I couldn't help but apply for any posts that appealed.
I only became an interest to employers when I actually had the visa in the passport and had made plans to travel.

We first looked at New Plymouth in the Taranaki region, however I just missed out on a job there to a Kiwi who was the obvious first choice.
The next two jobs I applied for approx 6 weeks later were both situated in Wellington CBD - and I was successful in both so just picked the best for the family......and we're still here a year and 2 weeks on!

Holiday lets were in Gulf Harbour, Owera, Waitemata and Stanley Bay if I remember correctly, all furnished, min 3 beds with heating and a garden for the little one to play but rent expensive here, especially near a city like Auckland - way way more than UK.
They were around $700-$750 a week.
We did have specific requirements and were quite fussy at the time!

You will find many on these websites :-
www.trademe.co.nz or www.holidayhomes.co.nz or www.holidayhouses.co.nz or www.bookabach.co.nz

After I landed the job in Wellington, obviously all our plans changed. 
We managed to find a 3 bed furnished holiday home in Woburn, Lower Hutt and after accepting a relocation allowance from my new employer managed to string the money out to give us 8 weeks rent there which was enough time until our shipping container arrived. Didn't really cost us a cent!
As soon as we knew when the shipping container was going to be available to us we secured an unfurnished more long term rental in a different location but still near to Wellington.

Once you have lived in a place you will quickly find places you really like so I'd say don't commit yourself to long term rental. Maybe try 6 months then if there's somewhere else you really like, give it a go.

After 13 months here we just absolutely love Mount Maunganui up in the Bay Of Plenty. It's so far from life in Wellington and just what we dreamt what life would be like for us here many years ago before we came.
Luckily my company has an office around an hour away on the outskirts of Hamilton so the transfer request has been lodged!
May as well try to see if life ideal for us there since there's an opportunity with work.

We had never been to NZ before also. We did plan to come in 2010 for a long holiday to check it all out, but with trying for kids, work and the costs involved we thought it better to save the money and use it for when we actually secured the visas to come - nothing like a bit of adventure!

Advice on the settling down part - I know you say you want semi-rural.
Just make sure you aren't too remote from civilisation unless of course that is exactly what you want. It is a lot easier here to be far away from a neighbour.
We have a friend who's a kiwi and lived in the UK before we came and we wanted more space and semi-rural initially but she advised us to live in a large town or city at first and then reduce the people around us slowly until we reached our perfect compromise as it is so easy to become isolated. 
We also have to think of our little ones future. Not going to be much fun for him if theres no other kids anywhere near.
With only 4.4M people here and over half of them in the top half of the NI it isn't hard to be on your own when living down a country lane.

The best beaches seem to be North West and South East of Auckland - especially down the coast to the Coromandel and Bay Of Plenty.
West coast of the North Island beaches seem to be more windswept and full of driftwood - they certainly are here in Wellington.


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## DPETRIE

Some great information thank you... I think we will follow a very similar path! 

We have no little ones - but we are bringing our two beagles! Did you bring any pets?

Also what removals company did you use? We are at the stage of deciding what we should and shouldnt bring before we get quotes from removals... So far we have been recommended pickfords...


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## topcat83

Another question - what stage is your visa application at? Do you have the residents visa yet?


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## escapedtonz

DPETRIE said:


> Some great information thank you... I think we will follow a very similar path!
> 
> We have no little ones - but we are bringing our two beagles! Did you bring any pets?
> 
> Also what removals company did you use? We are at the stage of deciding what we should and shouldnt bring before we get quotes from removals... So far we have been recommended pickfords...


No didn't bring any pets.

We used PSS International for removals. I wouldn't recommend Pickfords as in my opinion they aren't international removals more national.
PSS were fantastic. They did absolutely everything. Took them 3 days to wrap and empty our house into a 40ft container.
I'd advise you to get a few quotes from international removals companies and ensure they are members of the required associations so you are covered if anything goes wrong. Just pick the one you feel most comfortable with and the cheapest is often not the best. The prices are all around about the same so beware if one in particular is cheaper than the others as there's a good chance they will cut corners to save themselves costs - ie they may pool your shipment with someone else's container or containers - not good for you as your stuff could take months more and arrive at different times.

Ensure you cover your shipment via some sort of insurance scheme. The international removals company will probably offer you a "special" price on this but beware. Make sure it covers everything for damage, moisture damage from possible condensation and full loss if the ship sinks!!!
I found it was cheaper to insure via a 3rd party company who specialised in this type of insurance instead of going along with the international removals company quote.
There's a company in Liverpool :-

A Letton Percival & Co Ltd

Luckily my new employer agreed to insure our whole shipment for free 

You also need to ensure your shipment quote is from door to door which means it is their responsibility to get it from the arrival port to your new door in NZ and there shouldn't be any hidden costs.
The only other costs you could incur are customs duty, GST, Maf inspection fees and Maf cleaning fees.
You should be fine to avoid customs duty and GST unless you are bringing over a newish vehicle or have masses of new stuff in your container - be aware that everything you own should have been owned by you for more than 12 months to avoid taxes here. It's just a matter of using common sense and taking new stuff out of its packaging before it is wrapped so it looks used.
You won't avoid Maf fees as they will most certainly want to inspect some part of your shipment and it is your responsibility to pay for this and any other costs if they declare something needs cleaning.
Maf inspected 35 of our packages from the container which cost us another $440 plus they sent a tent away to be cleaned which cost another $70.

I would bring everything you can and more as the majority of things here are more expensive. White goods, furnishings, bedding, homewares all a lot more expensive unless you shop in the sales. Clothing, shoes, trainers etc etc all more expensive than UK. There are a couple of shops like The Warehouse and KMart where you can buy cheaper clothing much like Primark and TKMaxx back home but you won't find the quality. You have to pay extra for that and its a higher premium than UK.


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## Journey2NZ

Hello

I am in the same situation, I live in London,moving to New Zealand , Wellington Lower Hutt. I am an engineering student aged 22 , who has secured a one year unpaid internship for a small engineering company in Gracefield Road, Seaview, Lower Hutt. I will be on working visa so I can look for weekend part time work in bars , restaurants etc. What are the rent prices like for a single room , in shared house or flat. Are the rent payments monthly or weekly. Are the utility bills included. I want to live near my workplace so I cut down travel expenses???? If anyone has information in this area please share


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## escapedtonz

Journey2NZ said:


> Hello
> 
> I am in the same situation, I live in London,moving to New Zealand , Wellington Lower Hutt. I am an engineering student aged 22 , who has secured a one year unpaid internship for a small engineering company in Gracefield Road, Seaview, Lower Hutt. I will be on working visa so I can look for weekend part time work in bars , restaurants etc. What are the rent prices like for a single room , in shared house or flat. Are the rent payments monthly or weekly. Are the utility bills included. I want to live near my workplace so I cut down travel expenses???? If anyone has information in this area please share


You should be able to find good deals on rental for one room or in a share and near to the area you will be working. Seaview is more of an industrial estate so I expect Petone will be the closest for accommodation. The centre of the town approx 3.5kM away. 
If you happy to walk this distance each way then your travel expenses will be zero. If not - get a push bike it won't take long and it's virtually flat terrain.

Petone good for shops, cafe's, restaurants a plenty and pubs plus many opportunities for sport with the river close by, the sports centre, golf and many biking/tramping trails.
If there's anything lacking then Lower Hutt City a few more KM's away will have what you're after as this is the main shopping centre for the area.

Rent is usually advertised as a weekly figure and should state whether it includes utility bills etc - some adverts include it and some don't.

Try Buy online and sell with NZ's #1 auction & classifieds site | Trade Me for rental ads or just google rental accommodation Petone, or house shares Petone etc etc.
You always have the option of a motel room which start around $80 per night, but for something more long term you can agree a reduced cost - and for this you get your own en suite and a kitchenette plus all your utilities paid for.


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## slim8589

Hi there,

we moved to New Plymouth (Taranaki) in 2004.

It would certainly tick many of the boxes you mention.

If you need/want any specific info about the area please go ahead and ask.

Andy


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## nykkie07

Hello

I hope you dont mind but I am reading all your posts and taking lots of bits from all of them - they are really helpful!
We are totally new to this - hoping to locate around October as bringing our dog with us so tied to dates , vacinations quarantine areas etc and cost...!! My Fiance is a carpenter foreman and have been told we will have no problem finding work but we are still deciding on the area - yet again North vs South? We are both sun worshippers and do alot of scuba diving so the North Island has been recommended more due to the climate. We have started the visa process and have logged the EOI and are at the moment awaiting on a migration company to work with us to get a job offer but due to not being able to go until Oct it is a bit difficult at the moment. I guess I ahve lots of questions the same as anyone mainly about renting - is it better to go through an agency or Trademe as I notice there is lots of good stuff on there? Are most places furnished or unfurnished as that will be a decision to whether to have a container with our stuff in.? So many questions , I dont know where to start!? So apologies if I am totally flying them at you all. Any advice will be greatly received!


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## pane

Kia ora taranaki and Whangarei maybe good choices but if you wanting mountains you would be more looking towards Queenstown in the South Island. But it's expensive and cold in winter but very beautiful. Or in the north island I would suggest Taupo this is the central north island has a very big lake and lots of snow in winter on the mountains if you want to ski. I think the north island is a good choice for you as the weather is much better. On the east coast is were I'm from and in the Hawkes bay we experience some ove the best weather the country will see all year round. In terms ove work you would be better placed in a big city but setting up your own business you could pick your location and away you go. Good luck.


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## escapedtonz

nykkie07 said:


> Hello
> 
> I hope you dont mind but I am reading all your posts and taking lots of bits from all of them - they are really helpful!
> We are totally new to this - hoping to locate around October as bringing our dog with us so tied to dates , vacinations quarantine areas etc and cost...!! My Fiance is a carpenter foreman and have been told we will have no problem finding work but we are still deciding on the area - yet again North vs South? We are both sun worshippers and do alot of scuba diving so the North Island has been recommended more due to the climate. We have started the visa process and have logged the EOI and are at the moment awaiting on a migration company to work with us to get a job offer but due to not being able to go until Oct it is a bit difficult at the moment. I guess I ahve lots of questions the same as anyone mainly about renting - is it better to go through an agency or Trademe as I notice there is lots of good stuff on there? Are most places furnished or unfurnished as that will be a decision to whether to have a container with our stuff in.? So many questions , I dont know where to start!? So apologies if I am totally flying them at you all. Any advice will be greatly received!


Hi,
Welcome to the forum.
With your fiancé being a carpenter foreman I'd say the most likely place for work would be Christchurch, South Island to assist in the rebuild. Also don't expect him to be able to find another job being a foreman initially. He may have to go back on the tools so to speak to prove himself for a while first.

Sun worshippers and scuba diving then I'd say North Island maybe Bay Of Plenty, Coromandel or North of Auckland, but that may prove an issue to find work.
Either island would have been good for you over the summer we've just experienced. It has been an excellent one country wide with the North Island being declared a drought zone for a period.

TradeMe is excellent for finding rentals and you will find the majority of the adverts are from the landlords themselves who don't want to pay letting fees to agents so the benefit is there are no letting fees or agents fees to pay by either party prior to moving in.
If a landlord accepts you and on completion of a tenancy agreement, normally you would pay around 3 or 4 weeks rent up front as your bond and the landlord will lodge this with the appropriate government office who holds it on your behalf.
You will then pay your rent upfront weekly, fortnightly, 4 weekly or monthly depending on when you get paid from work and directly into your landlords bank account.
If you go through an agency for property then expect to pay around another 4 weeks rent upfront in fees which isn't refundable.
Just make sure you understand the rules of the Residential Tenancy Act which you can view here :
http://www.dbh.govt.nz/residential-tenancies-act
We secured both our rentals via TradeMe adverts so saved on any fees, however rental prices are high here - maybe double the uk and are always advertised as a weekly cost.
I'd say most places are unfurnished. 
Anything furnished is usually classed as a holiday home or Bach, usually short term and you don't pay a bond or have a tenancy agreement. You just have a booking for a specific number of weeks with the landlord or property manager and pay weekly or fortnightly in advance.
We brought everything over in a container but be mindful that this takes around 12 weeks to arrive!
We secured a fully furnished holiday bungalow for the first 8 weeks then arranged an unfurnished rental from the end date to tie in with the shipping container arriving. All worked out quite well.
Any more questions just ask away.
Good luck.

Sent from my iPad using ExpatForum


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## topcat83

Hi there - welcome to the Forum. 
My son is a scuba diving instructor and a snowboarder. They have a tradition of doing a Charity day where they ski in the morning at Ruapehu, then dive in the morning out of the Bay of Plenty. 
But as EscapedtoNZ says - at the moment, for anyone with building skills, Christchurch is the place to be. Our friend lives near Tauranga, and has found that there is little building work there at the moment, so is commuting to Christchurch for 2 week stints, for the work.


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