[Tia Maria]

I thought I'd lay out the pros and cons (well all the ones I can think of!), of different times for those still at the planning stage:

January (S):

Pros: Best weather, Children can have holiday before starting school in Feb, allows a 'goodbye Christmas'
Cons: More expensive travel time, quieter on housing & job front as many locals on holiday till Feb

February (S):

Pros: Best weather, Children start school at start of school year (mid Feb)
Cons: still quite expensive travel time, still quieter on housing & job front as many locals on holiday till mid Feb

March (A):

Pros: Still good weather, popular month for buying/selling houses, slightly cheaper flights, people officially back at work - so easier to find jobs, contact rental agencies etc.
Cons: Children start in an established class, summer is behind you

April (A):

Pros: Still good weather (but starting to change), easier to get cheaper flights and accommodation, job & housing market still active.
Cons: Children start in an established class, summer is behind you

May (A):

Pros: easier to get cheaper flights and accommodation, job & housing market still active.
Cons: Children start in an established class, summer is behind you

June (W):

Pros: Cheap flights and short term accommodation, job market still active, skiing available
Cons: Start of winter, Children start in an established class - half way through school year, slow housing market

July (W):

Pros: Cheap flights and short term accommodation, job market still active, skiing available
Cons: Winter, Children start in an established class - half way through school year, slow housing market

August (W):

Pros: Cheap flights and short term accommodation, job market still active, skiing available
Cons: Winter, Children start in an established class - half way through school year, slow housing market

September (Sp):

Pros: Cheaper flights and short term accommodation, job market still active, weather starts to improve, housing market starts to improve
Cons: Children start in an established class, leaving friends & family before Christmas

October (Sp):

Pros: Cheaper flights and short term accommodation, job market still active, weather starts to improve, housing market active
Cons: Children start in an established class, leaving friends & family before Christmas

November (Sp):

Pros: job market still active, weather starts to improve,
Cons: Children start in an established class, leaving friends & family before Christmas, housing & job market starts to wind down before Xmas

December (S):

Pros: Good weather - whole of summer to look forward to
Cons: Only a couple weeks left of school, leaving friends & family before Christmas, housing & job market starts to wind down before Xmas. flight prices & holiday accommodation more expensive.

Please feel free to point out any mistakes - I'm sure I've made some! ;)

Cheers

Tia

[Tia Maria]

Obviously different times will suit different people, and there will be variation depending on where you are heading to in NZ, and the kind of work you do but the main things to consider are:

Weather

Homesickness can be a powerful thing, so for some, arriving in the winter and ending up in a cold rental can be enough to make them leave 3 months later, whereas knowing you have 3 months of beach living ahead, while getting reports of snow back home can get you through those first difficult months. Others prefer to arrive when they can get cheaper flights, go skiing and do all the 'settling in' in the winter. That way they have accrued enough holiday and funds when summer comes around, to take full advantage of it.

Jobs

Some jobs are seasonal, so this needs to be taken into consideration. But also remember from about mid -Dec to mid Feb many people are on holiday so agencies and work places are running on less staff, so this can seem quite a quiet time for searching for a job, especially if the boss is at his Bach on the Coromandal!

School

School year runs Feb to Dec. Some children will settle no matter when they arrive, others will find it easier at the beginning of the school year. It can be good to offer the children some kind of holiday before they start but it can also be good to have them at school while you get on with the serious business of job/house hunting. Do remember you will only be able to visit schools once they start, so if you know you want to look at a few factor this into your timings, especially if you then have to get a house in the school zone.

Houses

The house market is quiet between Dec and mid Feb, you can also find a lot of the rental agencies have shut up shop then. However, there is lots of holiday accommodation available, albeit for high season prices. If you arrive in winter, things are a bit quieter, but holiday lets are a lot cheaper, it also gives you the chance to see whether a house gets cold and damp.

Family & Friends

Take into consideration, Xmas, birthdays and weddings. Some are quite happy to leave but if any of these events are important to you consider staying for them as you may not have the funds to fly back for them at a later date (or you might just prefer a holiday in Fiji!)

There isn't a right or wrong time to arrive but you can certainly make it easier on yourself by picking a time that suits your requirements. :nice1

Cheers

Tia

[Sam B]

We arrived very late January, left snow in London to gorgeous weather here. Had 2 weeks to get school sorted so the kids could start at the start of the new school year, with other new kids. Estate agents etc were just back in business after the holiday, so all was good. I was pleased with how it worked out.

It must be quite hard arriving in April and having to do a double winter?

[Familyofmonkeys]

It must be quite hard arriving in April and having to do a double winter?

We arrived mid May so did have a double winter :( When summer arrived it was soooo nice.....although plenty to do/see in Auckland in winter, especially as it was all so new :)

[shakyle2906]

Hi

We arrived last April and it was gorgeous weather here and UK.

I personally didnt find the winter THAT bad here! NOt as bad as a winter would be in the uk anyway

Sharon
x

[Wonderbob]

Hi

We arrived last April and it was gorgeous weather here and UK.

I personally didnt find the winter THAT bad here! NOt as bad as a winter would be in the uk anyway

Sharon
x

Agree with that Sharon, but still not a great time to do a recce. I still reckon Feb/March is the best time to have a look around, locals all back at work, kids all at school, and weather most settled.

[Tia Maria]

As New Zealand has such different weather, depending on where you go, (some areas have snow, whereas other areas barely see a frost), I thought it simplest to just say what season a month is, so it can be applied to whichever area you are heading too.

I also worked on the principle that most people prefer summer to winter, wherever they are, although I'm sure there are some that might feel differently!

Cheers

Tia

[Pebbles]

Very true, Tia!
I personally don't believe there is such a thing as bad weather :p
We just tend to do different things in different types of weather, but it's all just .... weather.
Some people's moods are influenced though by a lack of day light .. so if you are sensitive to that you may want to take it into consideration.

[AndyR]

Good Guide Cheers!
I'll be arriving in August. Even though its winter i'm sure it will be a nicer winter to that of the UK. I'll just plan ahead and get myself into some hobbies for the evenings etc.

[migratory birds]

We visited in late Nov - great for visiting schools in several communities but not so great for seeing swarms of kids out-and-about. Had they been on holiday I, as a parent, would have gotten a better picture of child-life in NZ. Weather amazing though (mostly S Island).

[dilanium]

It'll be a shock for us when we arrive in July after being in Las Vegas for a month.

And I don't really have a choice as to when I arrive, I'm coming when they told me to be there. :)

[gil]

We arrived in November, which gave the kids about 3 weeks in school to get to know some kids locally before the long summer holidays.

I think your comments are great Tia, but the school stuff will vary with the age of your children. Our younger two started in Primary and met some kids as I said. However, because our (then) 15 year-old was in a year where there were exams, the school wouldn't let her come in for the last couple of weeks because her peers were still on study leave. It made the summer longer for her (a plus), but she didn't know anyone her age and when you are mid-late teens, friends are crucial :yes and she was unhappy for a long time.

Gil

[StevieD]

Ehm, Tia, you have too much time on your hands :laugh

We arrived in March, but the kids didn't start school until the second term, didn't set them back too much. But at least we caught a bit of decent weather before the "winter" set in.

[Tia Maria]

Stevie D wrote:

Ehm, Tia, you have too much time on your hands :laugh

Shhhhhh! Otherwise the OH might realise that I've got the oldest son doing the shopping for me, son number 2 doing all the household chores and the third one supports my chocolate and Tia Maria habit by playing for the All Blacks. ;)

Cheers

Tia

[slider]

Great post Tia. It has pulled together all the disparate "when to go?" information floating around in my head together for me in a simple format - and I need more help with that as the years go by. :-)

[Lovebirds]

Wow, this has helped me a great deal! I have been searching and searching for any info on when the best time to go to Nz is....
Thanks for this!
I'v narrowed my search down thanks to you. I definitely need to go when flights are cheaper. Flying from SA is not cheap!

[Tia Maria]

Slider & Lovebirds, you're welcome! :)

Its not a definitive guide as there are so many variables but hopefully it will give some people a starting point.

Cheers

Tia

[britzy]

Hi Tia
Just wanted to say thank you for all your wonderful posts they are so informative and a real eye opener.We hope to be out sometime around october depending on how our application goes and of course the house sale.I am glad it will be sring and not winter as I am a cold creature and we intend to settle around Dunedin!
Helen

[able]

Best time I reckon would be a little after the northern autumn equinox. Leave when the days are getting shorter and avoid winter entirely. October or November sound best.

[daygloweyes]

This is such an awesome thread Tia - thanks for the info :) :)

[Tia Maria]

Britzy and daygloweyes - you're welcome also! :o

Cheers

Tia

[daygloweyes]

Best time I reckon would be a little after the northern autumn equinox. Leave when the days are getting shorter and avoid winter entirely. October or November sound best.


Totally agree :) My original plan was to go this past Jan/Feb but with the application process, etc. May seemed more realistic and I still may go next month...BUT we had such a crap winter that with the weather getting nicer, I'm now craving some heat and sun LOL :D So what is another few months...unless of course I get a job offer :)

[Tia Maria]

If you are affected by windy, rainy, cold or unpredictable weather, avoid arriving end of June to mid August. And yes, that includes Auckland too!

I'm sure lots of people will say it doesn't compare to a winter where they are from but its still the worst time - weather wise - in NZ and could be depressing to some who have just left a summer behind.

Cheers

Tia

PS I am watching gale force wind and rain lashing my windows, which might have some bearing on why I posted this! :laugh

[slider]

If you are affected by windy, rainy, cold or unpredictable weather, avoid arriving end of June to mid August. And yes, that includes Auckland too!

I'm sure lots of people will say it doesn't compare to a winter where they are from but its still the worst time - weather wise - in NZ and could be depressing to some who have just left a summer behind.

Cheers

Tia

PS I am watching gale force wind and rain lashing my windows, which might have some bearing on why I posted this! :laugh

I take it you haven't seen the UK weather report today - windy, rainy, cold and unpredictable. Oh, and flooding. :(
It'll be like home from home :D

[mish&al]

Thank you for the info, Tia, very helpful indeed.:clap

[Beetle]

Awesome thread. Thanks a lot!

/Beetle