[harebrainedscheme]

I was just curious...what kind of goods from the US are a commodity in NZ. Are there certain things I should stock up on before my move to NZ? For example, does it make more sense to buy a car in NZ or ship my car from the USA? Are Levis $900 in NZ, so I should bring 17 pair? I was just trying to plan ahead.

Thanks

[Sam B]

I would bring as much as you can, you will probably find everything more expensive here. Not your car though, the steering wheel will be on the wrong side, I think.

[jess]

To bring an American car into NZ you have to make an expensive modification. See Land Transports page on this (http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/factsheets/12.html). There are other issues as well, but that page links to more info.

Makeup & beauty products and books are particularly expensive here compared to the states. (So is house paint, but you can't bring that.) We still use Amazon to buy books. Even with shipping it's cheaper.

If you are paying for a container to bring over your goods, go ahead and bring whatever you have. We brought our lawn mower and heavy weight machine, and are glad on both counts. After a year I'm still using shampoo I brought from the states. I had thought about throwing it out, but if you have a container anyway, why not bring it and spend that much less?

[ElizabethD]

Things cost so much here, you'll be glad you did.

[jen]

Over the counter medicines are more expensive here, so you might want to stock up on ibuprofin, tylenol, sudafed or whatever you use a lot. As Jess said, books and cd's are expensive (CD's around $30 new!) so if you have a 'wish list' now would be the time to buy those things.

Can't think of anything else right offhand except hard liquor & there's threads on how much/what you can bring unopened. We brought everything & are very glad not to have to buy it all again here.

Jen

[swissmissdesigner]

I am jetting between NZ and America for a while.
I can tell you that I bring EVERYTHING I can every time.

If you take camping gears (tent etc.)try to take it in the original unopened form. Otherwise they will keep in the airport for a min. of one week.

If you need more help, please feel free to contact me..

[Ana&Steve]

Apparently mascara is very expensive, I never shopped for it while in NZ, but my friend requested some, so I brought her 4 tubes. Also they asked for Reeses PB cups and Butterfinger Crisps, baby clothes and pacifiers or nuks or whatever they are called.:o We won't need any of that except the mascara (for me) but we are bringing/buying for the move books, DVDs, curtains, fabric, 2 mop/wash buckets, Siracha chilie sauce, toothbrushes, voltage regulators, a sewing machine, and computer games/software. (cleaning out Costco!) Also we are taking every scrap of furniture and rugs, and we're considering a telescope. You may also think about bringing cell phones and buying the sim cards in NZ, and if you need a camera get it before you go, IMO.
Ana

[jess]

...and we're considering a telescope. Oh how I wish we had kept our telescope! Had a great one and inexplicably sold it for cheap thinking we were taking too much. :wah

[wanderingoregonian]

jeans, shoes (sneakers in particular), and folding bookshelves are all on my list of things to grab when I'm next home.

[suebeenz]

Anything tech here, is quite a bit more expensive. So if you need to buy a computer, camera etc soon, now might be the time.

When thinking about electronics, you should pay special attention to the voltage. Laptops typically support both, and if you look closely, you'll see a red-slider on your desktop computer to switch voltages. Wireless routers are about twice the cost here, but if you get a router with a power supply that doesn't support 230v, that means you'll need a transformer, which are quite expensive here. I haven't looked that extensively, but the only router that I've seen that supports both voltages, are the ones from Apple.

If you're sure that you're going to need transformers, and you've already decided to ship things by boat, I'd definitely recommend buying transformers in the US. The ones here are expensive and low-wattage.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend bringing your tv. NZ uses a different format for TV (PAL vs NTSC) so that would be a problem, as would the needed large transformer. The way things are going, today's TV costs half the price next year anyhow.

Booze is quite expensive here compared to the weekend Costco raids, but I the limits on how much you're allowed to bring are quite small i think.

Finally, surf wax is quite expensive. :yes

[Malay-Coopers]

Pet supplies (bedding, toys, leashed) are all expensive too.

Bring everything!

What I should have brought but threw out or gave away: plastic laundry baskets, dog bowls, wine rack, kitchen towels, dishes, pots, pans, glasses, fireplace tools, etc . . .

But I did bring my books!

[Ana&Steve]

Oh how I wish we had kept our telescope! Had a great one and inexplicably sold it for cheap thinking we were taking too much. :wah

Bummer! Hope this doesn't sound cheeky, but reading the above makes me lean more towards getting one. (I'll let you borrow it!:D )
Ana

[xanctus]

If you like to do some sport get the gear stock up from US for sure...
Electronic stuffs such as digital camera, wouldn't hurt if you buy it from US.
But again, it's all depends on your own needs...

[tourist]

why an american wants to move to NZ ?

[jess]

why an american wants to move to NZ ?There are quite a few of us on here who moved or are moving for many different reasons... not everyone is happy with the US socially and/or politically, so that's one possible cause. Or perhaps they like it fine, but wanted to try living overseas for a while. Maybe their companies transferred them, or they work for the embassy here. There are probably as many different reasons as there are Americans on the forum.

[astus]

For me it has been the little things I never thought I wouldn't get here...what I miss the most...Solid deodorant!!
I hate any other kind...and you can't get it here.
I have a friend who's going to the US an Mexico in a few weeks and when she asked me if I needed anything and I asked for solid deodorant...she looked at me with a very puzzled look...but I really really miss it :laugh
(If anyone knows where I could get though...you'll make me very happy)

[swissmissdesigner]

I will look for it and let you know...

[Oregonkiwi]

For me it has been the little things I never thought I wouldn't get here...what I miss the most...Solid deodorant!!

do you mean, like this?
http://www.foodtown.co.nz/HomeShopping/Shop.aspx

(edit - sorry, the link doesnt seem to work how I wanted, but search for deoderant on that site, they have solid stick/cream ones to give you an idea what's available.)

[movefromus]

Definitely clothes, shoes, and DVD's (but you'll need a dvd that plays US dvd's or else use your computer to watch them).

I don't think you can buy Tylenol or Ibuprofen in NZ - not that I've seen at least. Check out the Foodtown website as it'll give you a few ideas of what's available and how much it costs.

I think it's be cheaper to buy a car over there but that will depend on the make and model you own and/or want and whether you want new or second hand. There's a great used car market over there.

Not much is cheaper over there in general so take as much as you can.

Carly

[Caniwi]

I don't think you can buy Tylenol or Ibuprofen in NZ - not that I've seen at least.

I'm pretty sure Panadol is Tylenol (Acetaphenamen), and Neurofen in Advil (Ibuprofen)- they're just different brand names.

Caniwi

[jess]

I'm pretty sure Panadol is Tylenol (Acetaphenamen), and Neurofen in Advil (Ibuprofen)- they're just different brand names. Yes this is true. And Nurofen Plus is ibuprofen with codeine and is available over the counter.

To get the equivalent of Tylenol PM or Nytol, you have to sign for it (at least at Radius Pharmacy) - which is not a big deal; you ask for it and they take your name and address. But it's only about 8 pills for 16 dollars.

[astus]

do you mean, like this?
http://www.foodtown.co.nz/HomeShopping/Shop.aspx

(edit - sorry, the link doesnt seem to work how I wanted, but search for deoderant on that site, they have solid stick/cream ones to give you an idea what's available.)

Yes thank you!
Well the only brand I've seen yet is Dove...which is not very nice, plus it's very very hard to find it even in Foodtown or any other store.