[scotsfamily]

Hi all,

We will b moving to NZ in July/Aug time, and we wer'e just putting a list together of whats worth taking and what needs replaced eg: Dishwasher is very old. Now should we buy here and ship it or wait till were in NZ?
For those that have been through this and are maybe 6 to 12 months in, what do u wish youd brought with you and what was a waiste of time bringing.
We will have plenty of room in our shipping container so give us sum ideas.

Bye

David & Janice

submitted: EOI 6th/2/08

[lockstock]

Our three cats. But that doesn't help much does it.

I wish we had left nearly everything. With the money we saved on the container we could have bought basic furniture. Our special bits and pieces could have come in boxes with Seven Seas. Ah, the blessing of hindsight.

[shakyle2906]

We actually wish we had packed more!

We only had 6 weeks to sort and made a bit of a snap decision really we feel now. We came with 6 cases and shipped 12 boxes over.

I would have left our sofas as they were from DFS and very bulky and wouldnt have been much fun trying to fit into houses over here. I would have brought my living room furniture, dining room suite, wardrobes and beds as although we have replaced them over here, we have found there is not so much choice and styles and quality are different. Also found some of the items quite pricy to replace.

I would also have packed all/most of my bedding and towels as again, there are nice things over here but again its the quality issue and price.

Definetly would have brought my washing machine, tumble dryer, dish washer and fridge/freezer as some makes are extorsionate (sp ??) and am not too fond of the top loader washers over here.

When i think what i got rid of and what i got for them, i could cry!

Never mind, hindsight eh!

Sharon
x

[lockstock]

We've had the bulky DFS sofas problem too.

[IanW99]

We've had the bulky DFS sofas problem too.

Just to put the other side of the coin so to speak.

We did bring our sofas with us from the UK (which hardly fitted there to be honest) and they are no problem at all in our NZ house which has loads of room.

For things that you wish you have shipped with you, then this topic has been brought up many times before so would suggest a search for it.

For us, a condensing dryer and non stick saucepans as both items hard to find and thus expensive in NZ.

Ian

[Lara Croft]

We planned to do a big Costco shop before we came, and just ran out of time... I'd like to have stocked up on:
- Persil non-Bio tablets
- washing up liquid (the ones here are so thin...)
- dishwasher tablets (they only have powder here)
- bin bags
- batteries

Definately bring your white goods, we were lucky enough to buy new in the sales before we came. Also, basic furniture (book shelves, CD racks etc) is v. expensive here - in comparison to good old IKEA - and I wish we'd brought more in that line.

Carpets (and all floor coverings) & curtains also seem v. expensive - might be worth buying a bolt of good quality curtain fabric and then getting it made up when you arrive. Paint is scarily expensive, but you are not supposed to ship it, so it probably wouldn't be let in.

Make-up and toiletries in general are expensive, and not such a wide range available. I wish I'd stocked up on shampoo & conditioner, also razor blades for OH.

Probably worth taking a trip to M&S and buying a few bags of undies, t-shirts etc (tights are expensive here, and not so good quality IMO).

If you have room, my vote would be for Bring It All!!!

J

[IanW99]

...
- dishwasher tablets (they only have powder here)
- bin bags
...
J

They definitely do dishwasher tablets in NZ, we use them all the time.

Depending on how you dispose of your rubbish, you may need to buy council bin bags otherwise they won't take them away. Not saying bringing bin bags not useful, just that you may need to buy some in NZ anyway.

Ian

[Tia Maria]

Here's a thread about expensive things in NZ:

www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=9903

Cheers

Tia

[oldest]

I wish I had brought more Pond's Cold Cream with me.

[gil]

We brought all our furniture and white goods (except dishwasher which was built in), which worked for us. The container was expensive (40' cube) but for the cost of it, we would not have been able to buy all the stuff inside, if you see what I mean! The house we rented and the house we bought both had dishwasher in. Here it's a Fisher & Paykel Dishdrawer, which is fine.

I don't miss any particular products: here I use Persil Low Suds powder for my front loader - everything else causes a flood!- whilst I used to use Ariel tabs in UK; Finish tabs are replaced here by Active Dishwasher powder which we find really good.

I buy shampoo etc here without really thinking about comparing to UK. Anyway, after nearly 18 months, I can hardly remember what we used over there!

Being the type of person who is not attached to any particular brands, I couldn't be bothered to bring supplies of toiletries/cleaning stuff with me and as I said, we find everything here to be fine. Don't know if I'm odd, but I always thought toiletries etc were dear in UK too!

Gil

[lockstock]

I wish I'd brought my old salary with me:wah

[Tia Maria]

I wish I'd brought my old salary with me:wah

:clap :laugh :laugh Same here!

Cheers

Tia

[Georgebulldog]

Wish I'd bought small chest of drawers as all ours will just be put in a wardrobe & don't need to be fancy so now bidding like mad on trade me to get a bargain as the shops ones are too much

Wish we had left & sold the dishwasher as already in the house so now surplus (until it breaks) curtains, lampshades, TV video, DVD

Glad we bought all my daughters toys, hoover, tumble drier, washing machine, baby clothes

We did bring everything & I'm glad we did, I would much rather get rid of it here than be without it now & regretting it which I know so many people are

[Pip]

we brought everything, except the fitted appliances from our flat. I purchased a new bosch washing machine to bring with, which was a good move, as the same model is nearly 3 times the price here. Wish I had also brought a tumble dryer, as Kiwi houses are a little colder, so clothes can take a while to dry in winter.

I stocked up on all our toiletries/some food items which all helped, but oddly enough, I wish I had brought some tins of paint. (it seems really expensive here!)

I'm in the bring everything camp, if you don't need it, you can sell it on trade me, and its easier to stock up when you are earning GBP, then out of kiwi salaries.. and the exchange rate won't be doing any favours for people bringing cash out, rather than actual goods.

just my own opinion..!

[shakyle2906]

I wish I'd brought my old salary with me:wah

God, me too xx

Sharon

[tigerlily]

Clothes for work and shoes for work. I went from being a stay at home mom, to a tutor here, so I need something more professional and without stains. Clothes here are very dear and the options are more limited. Shoes are crazy expensive, but comfortable or cheaper and awful.

We shipped all our belongings and I think it was worth it. It would be very hard to feel at home here without our art, carpets, table etc. I love my pots and pans and would not have wanted to replace them.

[Sam B]

I vote bring everything - it's very expensive to restock, and the choice is much more limited.

[Bunstar]

I wish I had brought my Dyson...I can't believe the cost of them here :wah