[HelenandPhil]

Hello,

We have always planned to leave the UK with just our suitcases and start afresh in NZ. because of this we are renting our flat fully furnished in the UK, and have nothing other than clothes to bring to NZ. However, our parents have just offered to pay for three tea chests (61cms x 41cms by 51 cms up to 40kgs) to be shipped to give us more room in our luggage, but we have nothing to put in them.

If you had this space to ship stuff what would you fill it with? We have considered saucepans and plates, clothes, small electrical items.... Do you have any recommendations for items that would be better bought here and shipped?

We have looked through threads and have identified front loading washing machines, and walkers crisps!!!! but one is too big for our tea chests and we arent great crisps fans....

Any other ideas????

[crispyking]

... you also wouldn't be able to bring food into the country ...

we would recommend just bringing your personal items ... clothes, photos etc with you as everything else can be bought here, mostly cheaper than having to ship stuff from the UK, assuming that you have the money to buy everything for a home.

also the MAF/customs forms and restrictions are a bit of a nightmare when your shipment arrives, so the less brought, the better, to some degree :roll

[zardell]

We have looked through threads and have identified front loading washing machines, and walkers crisps!!!! but one is too big for our tea chests and we arent great crisps fans....

Any other ideas????


Yeah - take the money and put it towards new goodies when you get here :laugh

No seriously, if you have nothing you want to bring, why bother?? Get the parents to save their money towards a trip out to visit you once you are settled in NZ.

I have to ask (if you don't mind) if you are flying out in July, why is it taking you 3 months to get here?

Taking the scenic route ??

Julie

xx

[Moorf]

I took it to mean they booked the flights on 7th July!!

I agree though, if there's really nothing you desperately can't come here without, or anything you don't immediately think you need, save the money!

The Warehouse has all the cutlery and crockery you could need at great prices so I wouldn't bother bringing over that sort of stuff, or kettles etc.

[Lupin]

Bread :laugh

No, seriously, I'd get them to buy themselves some plane tickets over, it's lovely to leave with your first visitors already booked :)

[Lupin]

The Warehouse has all the cutlery and crockery you could need at great prices so I wouldn't bother bringing over that sort of stuff, or kettles etc.

We're on our third kettle :roll We are either unlucky, consume a ridiculous quantity of hot beverages or a keetle would be worth shipping :laugh

[zardell]

I took it to mean they booked the flights on 7th July!!


Oh yeah.......:o

You can't tell I've had a little glass or two can you??

Going to bed now..........

Julie

xx

[willsken]

No, there is nothing you can't get here. Oh, except I haven't seen Roc and as it takes 10 years off you and I now look 19 again, I'd say fill it with that. Oh, and good quality jumpers. That's it though, now I have a Bisto supplier here.:D

[willsken]

Oh yeah.......:o

You can't tell I've had a little glass or two can you??

Going to bed now..........

Julie

xx

Sorry, did you say glass..... or bottle? It is a Saturday after all!!! :cheers

[HelenandPhil]

Thanks guys.... although i think I want some of whatever youre drinking!!!!

We booked the flights in July but fly on 1st October. We are having a couple of weeks holiday when we first arrive before I start work at the end of October. :clap

We have the first viewing for rental of our flat this afternoon, so we are making ourselves scarce - think you have put us in the mood for a drink!

[willsken]

hot beverages or a keetle would be worth shipping :laugh

Sorry Lupin, what's a keetle? Is it better than my one, should I buy one??? OH says I spend too much but if it's really good............... :laugh :laugh :laugh

[LesleyS]

Hi Helen and Phil

We are thinking of doing the same as you. Are you sending pictures, photo's small personal possesions over? If so, is this by air rather than shipping, and have you been quoted any prices for this yet?
What about things like bedding and towels? Do you think it's worth buying ahead?

Kindest regards

LesleyS

[Carol]

Hi Helen and Phil


What about things like bedding and towels? Do you think it's worth buying ahead?

Kindest regards

LesleyS


noooooo ........ waste of money if you are getting everything new here.
I think getting them their own plane tickets in around 6 months time (Christmas :nice1) is by far the best idea.

6 months is a tough time in the emigration timeline - it would be lovely to have visitors to look forward to.

[Sam B]

Well, we sent 5 boxes ahead of our other stuff and this is what was in them:

- 2 boxes full of our favourite books, including all Harry Potters ready for a reread before launch of HP7

- kettle, iron, music centre, coffee machine.

- pillows and duvets all squished into small packages (lovely goosedown ones that I didn't want to have to replace)

- bedding and towels (I love my bedding, I'm fussy about it and I didn't think I could replace it for as nice stuff)

- some photos.

Hope this helps. We didn't ship all our stuff until we were sure we were staying.

[willsken]

A more sober reply. The thing I miss here is the good quality cheap clothes and shoes you can buy in the UK. I don't like spending a lot on clothes for work and in Asdas for example, I could buy stuff that lasted but didn't cost the earth. I have yet to find that here. I have bought cheap clothes but the quality isn't the same. So if I was sending things over I'd fill it with things like that. :)

[Familyofmonkeys]

Only bring things you can't get, or are very expensive over here.
Among other things we bought over (just as an example):

Bottles of wine...so far it has been very hard to get my favourite Roija (spanish wine) here.
You are allowed to bring over a quantity for personal use. Customs do not have a problem, as long as you don't bring a stupid quantity.

Also some spirits....italian amaretto, cointreau, etc are expensive here. You can even bring over open bottles, but write down rough qty remaining for customs.

We also bought all of our ground herbs and spices over (you cannot bring whole ones though). They are quite expensive to replace when you add it up.

Yorkshire tea bags....they are probably available somewhere, but are so light to pack it was just as easy to bring some with us.

Marmite.

Vegetarian/Vegan hard cheese replacement....no problem bringing this sort of thing as it is a processed product...as long as you declare it.

I would also consider bringing some books or CD's if you are liekly to buy some anyway, as they can cost more here....unless you love Amazon.

[tiefchord]

No, there is nothing you can't get here. Oh, except I haven't seen Roc and as it takes 10 years off you and I now look 19 again, I'd say fill it with that. Oh, and good quality jumpers. That's it though, now I have a Bisto supplier here.:D

Yes but there is some stuff you SHOULD bring with you unless you like paying 2-3 times the price.

[HelenandPhil]

Hi Helen and Phil

We are thinking of doing the same as you. Are you sending pictures, photo's small personal possesions over? If so, is this by air rather than shipping, and have you been quoted any prices for this yet?
What about things like bedding and towels? Do you think it's worth buying ahead?

Kindest regards

LesleyS

Hi LesleyS,
All of our photos are digital so we are taking them on a portable hard drive. We have been running down our personal possesions over the last few years and are hoping to fit everything like that in our luggage. We have not been buying clothes and are planning to spend the money we have saved buying new stuff in NZ (including bedding etc)

We havent had prices for airfreight but we started another thread for shipping small items and got some good advice(not sure how to show link to that thread!)

Tiefchord,

What is the stuff we should bring that is expensive over there? and is it twice the price when you are spending GBP on arrival?

Thanks to everyone for the replies :cheers

[zardell]

What is the stuff we should bring that is expensive over there? and is it twice the price when you are spending GBP on arrival?




In my personal opinion and bearing in mind I'm answering your question on the pretext that I have £'s in my hands and not $'s, then I don't think that things are very expensive IF you take your time and shop wisely.

All NZ large retailers constantly (or so it seems by UK standards) have sales.

You'll get flyer's (leaflets) in your letter box every week from various retailers, advertising their 'Specials'.
Now when we first arrived in NZ I tended to ignore these flyer's (as I would in the UK) but then I realised that no-one seems to go shopping UNLESS that particular retailer has specials on offer because HUGE savings of up to 75% and more can be made !!

I have bagged some wonderful bargains in Briscoes Homeware (do a Google) such as cotton Super King Size Fitted Sheets for $7 with a thread count of over 300 reduced from $49.99 (which I didn't think was overly expensive anyway!)

As far as furniture is concerned, although anything and everything is readily available, I believe you'll pay a premium for quality. Having said that, I never bought anything from MFI for the same reason.

We don't live in one of the big cities, so I would imagine that their choice is vast when compared to ours.

PLEASE remember that I am only answering your post as if I were spending £'s and also bear in mind that I don't know you or how you shop in the UK.

Although the quality of the goods here is OK, it may not be as good a quality as you are used to - I personally am used to better quality clothes at much more affordable prices. Having said that, I am very willing to spend money here on clothes, but quite frankly I can't/won't because the choice versus the cost is diabolical IMHO. IE over $300 for a pair of trousers that were like rags - don't think so. I may be wrong and please, someone correct me if I am, 'cos I could do with a bit of retail therapy, but I have found that you will pay a premium for shopping in a 'nice' store, but they are only offering the same quality as a 'not as nice' store.

We also looked at leather suites and I wasn't impressed with the quality. No Italian leather here Matey.....:)

Chinese imports have a lot to answer for.

I personally miss the quality that is readily available in the UK and the fact that in the UK you have the choice to pay for that quality or cut your budget and still be able to buy something decent.

Now, don't get me wrong, you will be able to purchase everything here in NZ that you would ever need, but I personally find that I have to make compromises.

NZ has not got the buying power of the UK and the goods/prices in the shops reflect this.

Julie

xx

[pinkpiggy]

Zardell - I completely agree on the price and quality of clothing. It's made that bit more difficult for me as I am a larger lady. ;)

I wouldn't ship things like kettles, pots and pans etc. as you'll need all those things when you move into your property here in NZ.

[ruthyroo]

Things I struggle to find / justify the extortionate cost of that might just fit into a tea chest include...

Decent clothes and shoes / boots (I made the mistake of losing lots of weight before leaving and binning 90% of my clothes, planning to shop for the climate when we arrived. Big mistake - I now have a wardrobe of pretty nasty, lots of nylon and manmade fibres, made in China stuff that I don't like).

Underwear!! Especially bras - good ones are really pricey here - and even then the quality is mince. I miss M&S!

Books - haven't bought one for nearly 3 years as they are generally so expensive. Ditto CDs and DVDs.

Anything 'luxury' like make up, perfume especially brands like Clinique. Really pricey here.

Personal stuff like picture frames, photo albums, etc.

[stephenandjulie]

Paint is very expensive in NZ. If you are going to buy here and will be decorating, then I recommend a trip to B&Q before you leave the UK.
Julie

[willsken]

Yes but there is some stuff you SHOULD bring with you unless you like paying 2-3 times the price.

Some thing are expensive but 3 times the price? Can't think of anything that expensive (except books), I'm really interested, what kind of thing are you thinking of? Also as Zardell said if they are going to be spending £'s when they first come over then most things aren't expensive at all. (Maybe things like paint are very dear but you can't easily bring them over anyway).

[Familyofmonkeys]

Yes, bring bras!!!
There is no consistency of sizes here...some UK, some US, some ????
Also, same size varies between shops.

Or...if you don't mind the postage Figleaves.com are very good. They will even say if bra is labelled one size, but fits another size.

[james the mechanic]

Yes Lucy agrees, bring lots of bras!!
She has researched this subject in NZ quite a lot and concluded that bras are in general very low quality, expensive and the styles are rather old fashioned. She is probably pretty well qualified to comment as she is manager for a large specialist bra/women’s underwear retailer here in the UK. They currently have hundreds of women in NZ as mail order customers, which must in its self speak volumes.
James
Feel free to PM her if you want to know more ladies.

[zardell]

Oh what I would give to be able to find a bra that fits !!

And what makes them think that us larger breasted ladies are happy to wear 'granny' bras ???

They've never heard of Gossard and I can't find a decent substitute .....:no

Julie

xx

[HelenandPhil]

thanks, thats really good to know, I havent been buying any clothes - especially underwear recently, planning on buying everything out there, but I think now that I will go on a shopping spree before I go - especially for lingerie! .... you should see my other halfs face as I type this...:raebanana !

[Tia Maria]

Things I would bring:

Expensive or difficult to source items

Agree with Ruthyroo - books, bras, make up, vitamins and any UK brands you might miss (chocolate?)

Setting up items

Not sure of the timing of things for you but it really does depend on how many weekends you want to spend shopping and how many you want to spend on the beach.

Bringing some 'new home' items will just save you some shopping time. I personally wouldn't bring small electrical items, its a pain to change all the plugs and you won't be covered under the guarantee.

If you are buying a lot on arrival, make sure you get one of those credit cards which rewards you for the amount spent, or get a discount for bulk buying or paying cash.

A Surprise

How about asking friends and family to fill one of the chests for you with items they think you might miss or like, I imagine it would be great to open it once you arrive on the other side of the world!

Cheers

Tia

[jubjub]

A Surprise

How about asking friends and family to fill one of the chests for you with items they think you might miss or like, I imagine it would be great to open it once you arrive on the other side of the world!



:clap Wonderful idea, I would love if someone did that for me! :D

Yup, bring favourite underwear, favourite make up (if you use a premium brand, eg clinique), and like the others have said books/cds/dvds if they are your thing. Bendon underwear is not bad, but a little limited on *ahem* larger sizes :o . If you are of an average size, then you can get things like the elle mcpherson range in Farmers.

We get asked from time to time what would we like sent over that we miss, and I can never think of anything.....

Enjoy your packing, and like some of the others said, either get them to put any money they would have spent on extra tea chests on plane tickets for themselves, or they could convert it into $ to help you out in the first few weeks.

[SarahEDH]

If you are attached to using top-quality knives or a favorite type of sturdy stockpot in your cooking (I'm thinking Mauviel copper especially), bring those if you can. I've found premium kitchenware and utensils to be very expensive, although there are options for less costly items.

Agree with what everybody has said above in regard to business clothes & shoes, makeup and vitamins. If you like top-quality running shoes, hiking boots, neoprene sports gear (wetsuits, dive boots, etc.), those are good to bring too.


Sarah

[HelenandPhil]

If you like top-quality running shoes, hiking boots, neoprene sports gear (wetsuits, dive boots, etc.), those are good to bring too.


Sarah[/QUOTE]

Well, Helen has followed the good advice and stocked up on clinique and M&S undies so far:D

I on the other hand have bought nothing yet:( but we are both into outdoor stuff and have not replaced any of our sports gear ahead of the trip.

We specifically like running, mountain biking, snow boarding (skiing for Helen) and scuba diving. If there are any specific recommendations of things to get before we leave we would be grateful. We will be spending GBP when we arrive so does that still mean sports stuff is more expensive than uk or is there just more choice over here?

Thanks

Phil

[SarahEDH]

hi Phil

I'm sure someone from the UK will tell you about cost and choice of sport gear as compared to NZ -- I'm from the U.S. and have only that as my frame of reference. I didn't do much comparison shopping because I brought all the sport stuff to NZ that I expected to use in the short-term, but I did notice 1.5 - 2x higher cost in NZ stores for things like Asolo and Vasque hiking boots (in a mall in Lower Hutt, anyway). No question about the greater number of retailers and product lines available outside of NZ.

One of the biggest advantages in bringing your sport gear (in brands you know and love) is that you're ready to hit the beaches and tramping trails as soon as you get to NZ -- no hunting for stores right away and feeling nervous because you're unsure if the prices are fair. For big-ticket items especially (like a heavy-duty wetsuit that will run several hundred $$ or a spray jacket & water-repellant pants for kayaking), I'd want time to shop rather than be rushed to buy something because I needed it that day.

The downside is the cost of excess baggage, if your sport gear puts you over the airline's limit, but you might decide it's worth the convenience. I brought over a lot of business clothes and sport gear and just bit the bullet on the charge for one more big piece of luggage. To me it was worth it -- I went trail-running and also hit the beach on the day after I got to NZ (instead of queuing in the stores!)

Sarah

[Familyofmonkeys]

We also bought some good quality lightweight breathable waterproofs before we came here, and it was well worth it. Had read on this forum how the weather changes very quickly, and they were not kidding. Here in Auckland it is very humid, but can bucket it down with rain, when an hour earlier it is blazing sunshine. Yes, you can get these things here, but you don't want to get caught short or mess around looking for things when you first get here....there will be enough other things to do.

[Jo Jo]

Scuba diving stuff - my boyfriend is a very keen diver, and is doing his instructor's course before we go to NZ. He has found that good-quality, second-hand scuba gear tends to be much cheaper in the UK than in NZ - I think it's partly because the second-hand market is much stronger in NZ than in the UK. He's been stocking up on cylinders, BCDs and all sorts of other things that I have no idea about, and is constantly telling me what a bargain they were.

[Familyofmonkeys]

OH also bought over all his diving gear....even if he doesn't end up diving again, he says he will get more money selling it in NZ than he would in UK!