[Babette & Andy]

Not really looked through this section of the forum much, as we were only at the beginning of the process. So appologies if this has been covered before. :oops:

The way things stand we're hoping to have all final jigsaw pieces in place to make the move July/Aug. At the moment our plans are to go to Christchurch, and for Andy to try and get a job there (unless a job offer happens in the meantime anywhere else ofcourse).

We'll likely rent furnished for a number of weeks, but what then. In our luggage we'll obviously take as much as we can clothes wise and stuff, but what about toys for the girls etc. If we stay in rented furnished, what to do with the container and contents? Do you get access and pay some sort of holding fee?

Also, once we're in NZ and say for instance a job takes us away from Christchurch, how do you get your container from A to B? Just by road on an HGV or something?

All these questions are starting to come into my head now. Do you have to give the Shipping company a final address/destination? Are there clauses about moving the end location, i.e. Auckland instead of Chch? How does this tend to work?

Thanks if you've read this posting till the end ... hope it made some sense. Any thoughts / advise greatly received, will help to settle my mind on this one.

Babette :cheers

[jonSE]

Babette

Final address fro delivering the Container can be left until you get there, which will be before the container unless you have a long (6 weeks) hol en route. Just talk to the local agent when you arrive. Although for the purposes of getting a quote you'll need some idea of where you are going to be. (In our case delivery is to "within Waiheke Island city limits" Important 'cos they have to put the container on a truck then onto the ferry to get to the Island hence more expensive than just Auckland)

We are still pondering how we store everything once we are there assuming we rent somewhere furnished for a while before we buy. Best bet seems to be somehwere with a large garage or with some unfurnished rooms. WE'll have to see what happens on this one.

Regards

Jon

[Diny]

Hi Babette

Posting in this section is proof things are getting closer for you - are you panicking yet?

OK - shippers. I agree that you don't have to give the company an actual delivery address. However, you do need to tell them your general location (i.e. for you Christchurch). The main part of your quote will be from your UK address to your nearest port and then to your nearest depot. Obviously by the time it reaches the depot in NZ and has had all the MAF rigmarole done, you will have an address. Abit of a grey area for me, I don't know whether MAF do their bit at the dock, the depot or your house.

Am only really going on what I've picked up off the forum on this next bit, but from what I can gather the vast majority of rentals in NZ are unfurnished. You may just be hanging out for the container to arrive so you can get comfortable. Obviously there are furnished rentals available, I just don't think they are as abundant as unfurnished.

I would imagine it will all depend on each individual carrier, but White & Co have told us that we can leave the container in 'the yard' if we're not ready to receive it and once the MAF paperwork has been completed, yes we would be able to open the container and get some stuff.

Hope this helps, see you next week.

Diny

[veronica]

you don't have to give an address type destination but I have been told road haulage is fairly expensive here. Not so much from the christchurch to outer suburbs type but if it were sent here and then had to be transported to Auckland it might be a hefty bill. As far as I understand it once the boat has left it would be difficult to change the destination although the best people to speak to are the shipping companies.

[lindajax]

Babette,

We noted with our shippers and most of the others said the same thing - destination can be given once your here ( I Know this because I did it!) BUT to defer the date can cost and if the destination is more than 30kilometres away from arrival point there is a charge for transport.

We had to defer our container for 3 days and it cost us $198 about £78
because Maf had to inspect at our residence the container coul not be emptied into a removal lorry and taken to the storage depot. Charge was for resiting the container and 3 days storage whihc we manged to get for 1/3 of the actual cot of $50 per day!

Hope this doesn't put you on a downer but it is good to know.

[Babette & Andy]

Thanks guys, all useful information. Things to bear in mind when speaking with the shipping companies.

If only I had a crystal ball . . .

[Moorf]

Babette - did you know that there is a "toy library" in Christchurch - you can go and get out toys/puzzles etc for your kids whilst the stuff is in storage .. just a thought!

[ruthyroo]

Word of warning...once you get notification from the shippers that your stuff is in NZ and they need confirmation of the delivery address, don't hang around - they have somethgn like 28 days to get it shifted or you get fined. We escaped a hefty fine by the skin of our teeth - i was dilly dallyingin the hope they could deliver straight to our new rental rather than the old...

Also yes, furnished places few and far between in NZ - and most pretty horrible granny's cast offs. We survived on one sofa, one bed until our stuff arrived - no kids makes it easier.

[Moorf]

.. and check under any "throws" over sofas.. I personally wish I hadn't as we'd already moved in.. but YUK!!

[Tanya]

Word of warning...once you get notification from the shippers that your stuff is in NZ and they need confirmation of the delivery address, don't hang around - they have somethgn like 28 days to get it shifted or you get fined. We escaped a hefty fine by the skin of our teeth - i was dilly dallyingin the hope they could deliver straight to our new rental rather than the old...

Also yes, furnished places few and far between in NZ - and most pretty horrible granny's cast offs. We survived on one sofa, one bed until our stuff arrived - no kids makes it easier.


We arrived on the 6th Nov 2004 - still sleeping on airbeds and have bought an outdoor table and chairs for eating off - thats about it - haven't seen our furniture and car since 29th October - they hope to deliver it next wednesday but I am not taking bets on it! It's been a disaster and we have 2 kids!!

Tanya

[Moorf]

Tanya/Richard.. don't keep us in suspenders... is all your stuff delivered and intact?

I hear the car arrived still in a car-shape :laugh what a relief eh!

Moorf

[Tanya]

:raebanana :raebanana :raebanana

Our container arrived at 8.25am yesterday morning!! It took them until 3pm to unload and unpack anything that was wrapped. We have to do the boxes. So far we have 1 broken wine glass and a couple of scratches on furniture but we have only opened a small number :eek OMG how much stuff did we actually bring! When you have gone along reasonably nicely for 3 months without anything, you have to wonder how much of the boxes will ever need to be unpacked!!

There was quite a large hole in the container which wasn't there when it left the UK (we know because Richard went in with the door closed). It looks as though a container which was put on top of ours was banged down very heavily. Luckily, it hasn't rained here so nothing so far is water damaged :hopeso

MAF were great - they came and spent a while in the garage as we had loads of items which needed checking. They said we had done an excellent job and nothing needed extra cleaning or taken away. They also told me their cost so I shall be going back to NZ Van lines for a major refund! They even told me to get them to send a copy of the invoice as they know what the companies are up to as per another thread!

Now the fun begins, trying to get the contents of a reasonably large UK home into a small NZ home - and then move it all again in a few months when the tenancy runs out and we buy a place of our own. Can't swing a cat for boxes at the moment, (Cat didn't come home this morning - the whole experience with boxes and me here must have stressed her out).

Will emerge from the boxes in a day or 2(I hope) and give an update on our progress. Considering it left us at the end of October and only arrived yesterday I must say our goods are in better condition than I had expected!

Tanya

[Moorf]

Yay :raebanana :raebanana

I'll come help u unpack.. see you later :P

Moorf