[stevied20]

Me and my wife have four tea chests (large cardboard boxes really) left to fill ready to go in three weeks time.

We have packed everything we want to and have some money to buy new things in NZ, but we want to fill the spare boxes with stuff which may be more economical to buy in the UK

If you are already in NZ or still to leave, could you tell me the things YOU would fill them with given the opportunity.

Anything you wish you had bought before you left?

I don't mean crates of Paxo, gravy granules or heinz baked beans either!!!

Look forward to some good answers and of course the odd silly one.

Just so you know, the kids are coming with us on the plane, so that idea is out.:laugh

Steve & Julie:cheers

[dilanium]

Since I hear books are more expensive in NZ, I would probably fill them with books. And comfortable blankets (because I LOVE snuggling up in blankets).

:)

[TrentBridge]

Definitely books. I read somewhere on the forum that someone wished they had bought some heavy curtain fabric with them (lots of it) to keep out the draughts in those draughty nz houses :uhoh

I think I'd like to take some nice new bedding and maybe a lovely duck down duvet to snuggle into!!

Enjoy your packing ;)

[stevied20]

Very interesting, both above posts say the same thing...books and bedding....must be a life of leisure ahead then

Books...mmmmmmm...interesting. Unfortunately one of the things I enjoy least is reading......But my wife enjoys it.

I have read (Not in a book!!) that people still order books from Amazon UK as they are cheaper even when shipped to NZ....crazy.

We have just bought a Dyson, which we have decided to ship as it cost £159 from Argos, and after checking on the Noel leeming site, the same one cost £300 (@ $2.5)...unbelievable.

Any more ideas??

Steve:roll

[Caroline and Dave]

Non Stick saucepans. They don't exist over here unless you mail order and they cost a fortune.

[stephenandjulie]

I certainly agree with the non-stick saucepans. Rows and rows of non stick frying pans but not a saucepan in sight.
I would say jumpers for all the family. I rarely wore jumpers in the UK as it was always so warm in the house but here is a different matter.

Julie

[IanW99]

Non Stick saucepans. They don't exist over here unless you mail order and they cost a fortune.

That's not strictly true although it does feel like it when you are looking.

We did find a few shops in the end that did sell non-stick saucepans but the choice is definitely limited and for the good ones, more expensive.

Ian

[stevied20]

I certainly agree with the non-stick saucepans. Rows and rows of non stick frying pans but not a saucepan in sight.
I would say jumpers for all the family. I rarely wore jumpers in the UK as it was always so warm in the house but here is a different matter.

Julie

We would bring you a few jumpers with us S&J but unfortunately there are none in the shops at the moment!!:laugh

I don't use non stick saucepans, just a S/S set which we will be packing!

[Kerry and David]

I'm sure I could try and think of a sensible reply but the first thing that springs to mind and if I had empty boxes I would fill them with shoes for all seasons and clothing - I did struggle with the womens retail when I was in NZ so intend to stock up on plenty before I leave in a couple of months:o

[stevied20]

DOH!!!!.................the wife says thanks.....good idea.....I say boooooooooooo!

[Kerry and David]

Funny ..that's what my husband said too:D

[benhila]

I am a book worm but wouldn’t fill-up chests with books, the libraries here (at least in Wellington) are fantastic! Eye cream, moisturizers, face-wash etc are prohibitively expensive compared to the UK; so are TePe interdental brushes and other dental stuff if you are a fellow sufferer. I suppose bringing over Häagen-Dazs is not a practical proposition......

[BaldyBeardyBloke]

Cheese

[Carol]

Someone recently said TCP ....

I agree with non stick saucepans
Also a proper vinegar bottle.
And a few decent vegetable peelers.

um....
Decent stain removal stuff
Wallpaper
Paint - particularly non-drip
and decent rollers

And if you are leaving elderly relatives - a list of local (friendly reliable and trustworthy) contracters - preferably who you have met and explained your circumstances to - who you can call on to help with work for the wrinklies etc if you need to....

[Caroline and Dave]

That's not strictly true although it does feel like it when you are looking.

We did find a few shops in the end that did sell non-stick saucepans but the choice is definitely limited and for the good ones, more expensive.

Ian

I think it depends on where you live. We went to over 20 different stores specialising in kitchenware in the Auckland area and no one had non stick saucepans so if you want nonstick saucepans bring them with or move to somewhere you can get. We did find one place that could order them but they were mega bucks. In the end we got them mail order.

[mgbridges]

Agree about books, they are soooo expensive here!

Larger size clothes & shoes for the kids (if they are still young and growing ridiculously fast). I miss Tesco & Asda for cheap, relatively good quality kids clothes.

Good quality kitchenware (when you find it) seems expensive so it might be time to invest in a good knife set (e.g. Global) if you don't have one already.

Bedding, in particular multi-part duvets so you've got all the seasons covered.

Any 'brand' items you've always wanted as they'll be difficult to get or very expensive over here. e.g I know of one Forumite who purchased a SMEG fridge and shipped it over due to the cost differential. I know that wouldn't fit in a tea chest but its just an example! :p

Toiletries - you can get quite a lot of the brands here but we tend to stock up when things are on special so we can keep buying the brands we want.

Nappies - if your kids are still that young.

Can't think of anything else but if I do I'll post again.
Have fun!
Anneliese

[M-Squared]

Hmmmmm see I think books here are about the same $ price (after exchange rate) as in the US. Odd!

Can't actually think of too many things that are disgustingly, horribly way more expensive here. :confused:

Things like room heaters, even at the start of winter, are actually quite cheap! :)

[Familyofmonkeys]

I miss Tesco & Asda for cheap, relatively good quality kids clothes.



The warehouse buy alot of their clothes from the same manufacturers as Tesco. My daughter has been sent several t-shirts from tesco that are currently sold in the warehouse....exactly the same only different colour fabric.

[stevied20]

Any 'brand' items you've always wanted as they'll be difficult to get or very expensive over here. e.g I know of one Forumite who purchased a SMEG fridge and shipped it over due to the cost differential. I know that wouldn't fit in a tea chest but its just an example! :p

Anneliese

Totally Agree, which is why we have just a bought a new dyson to ship, at £159 (Argos offer), Noel leeming want $799, crazy.

Steve:exit

[M-Squared]

Heh... in our rental, our appliances were all "Smeg" brand. Just made me think of "Red Dwarf" :laugh

[YouMeAndThree]

I hear good waterproof clothing is hard to come by - so I'm thinking of getting us all kitted out before we come and maybe buy a few sizes up for the 3 wee ones for the coming years............................. just have to find somewhere in the UK during summer that stocks them, hmmm. Pity I can't do the same for shoes as I hear children's shoes are not that great (and DD1 has a hard enough time in the UK getting decent fitting shoes :( )

[Carol]

re Kids shoes....
Ah yeas.
I'd forgotton about that.

I had to have a whole philosophy change on what to put on my kids' feet when I moved here.

I moved from being a Clarks Brit mum to a gum boots and jandals kiwi mum!
:laugh

[pinkpiggy]

Apart from clothes (being a larger lady myself) I can't think of anything that's not been thought of already. Books can be expensive but the libraries are pretty good. It is quite difficult to get technical books (e.g. OH is IT bod and sometimes wants something more indepth than a "Dummies" guide) but there's always Amazon.

[cappuccino]

I knew from previous trips here that short length trousers were not available (they seem to only sell one length here) and alterations quite expensive, so I stocked up on many pairs of short length trousers in the UK especially black ones for work.

[holland]

I'm sure I could try and think of a sensible reply but the first thing that springs to mind and if I had empty boxes I would fill them with shoes for all seasons and clothing - I did struggle with the womens retail when I was in NZ so intend to stock up on plenty before I leave in a couple of months:o

My thoughts exactly...SHOES SHOES SHOES

[Kayaker]

High-quality, name-brand athletic or walking shoes (Reebok, Adidas, etc.) and REAL blue jeans (Levis, Wrangler, Lee)....plus extra eyeglasses if you need'em.

[Bunstar]

I knew from previous trips here that short length trousers were not available (they seem to only sell one length here) and alterations quite expensive, so I stocked up on many pairs of short length trousers in the UK especially black ones for work.

Oh how true, being a wee bit vertically challenged myself I think I'll be stocking up with short legged trousers on my visit back to the UK next year.

[DMcG]

Since I arrived in NZ carrying only two rucksacks four years ago, there's an awful lot of things I have in storage that I miss. Being a cooking fanatic, the one thing I really miss and don't even want to think about buying here is my entire Le Creuset collection of pots and pans :wah

Dougie

[BigRod]

What is it with all the women and shoes???

... to us blokes there are only four types; black ones, brown ones, trainers and jandals. Simple eh?

High-quality, name-brand athletic or walking shoes (Reebok, Adidas, etc.) and REAL blue jeans (Levis, Wrangler, Lee)....plus extra eyeglasses if you need'em.

Now prescription glasses are *pricey* here, but www.zennioptical.com start at $19 US and ship here and are recommended by many.

Rod

[stevied20]

Well, Harry (7) accidentily lost his prescription glasses last week.......;) wink....wink and he got a new free pair and we paid for sunglasses for him as well.....about the only dodgy thing we can think of doing before leaving, apart from borrowing lots of money under false names before leaving......joking!!!!

Steve & Julie

[Chaz]

We were considering buying a fridge locally in Ireland or Northern Ireland to save a few €. Only concern I have is things like warranty etc. We are paying for our goods to be shipped so thats not an issue.

What whiteware would be considered worth paying for with this risk?

[IanW99]

We were considering buying a fridge locally in Ireland or Northern Ireland to save a few €. Only concern I have is things like warranty etc. We are paying for our goods to be shipped so thats not an issue.

What whiteware would be considered worth paying for with this risk?

It depends on the size of the fridge, if you are thinking of an american style (wide) fridge then it is unlikely to fit in most kitchens, they don't tend to use under counter versions either. So if you were thinking of getting these styles then you would be better waiting IMO.

If you are going to use the fridge for a little while first then I wouldn't worry too much about the warranty i.e. if its working for more than 48 hours it is likely to continue working for many years. However, I would try to get a make that is available in NZ just in case.

Front loading washing machines are not so common in NZ so less choice and more cost, so if you want a front loader it may be worth getting (although some have found them not to fit in the specified location).

Wish we had bought a condensing clothes dryer with us as there are very few of them in NZ so again limited choice and expensive. Note that the power supply must be able to be set to 10A max if you buy one.

Ian

[Carey]

Just checked our condenser dryer and the rating is 13 amp; no obvious way of altering that. Will it work in NZ?

[StevieD]

May do but you may not have the power in the house, we have ours in the garage which has a heftier supply.

[IanW99]

Just checked our condenser dryer and the rating is 13 amp; no obvious way of altering that. Will it work in NZ?

Would check the manual as I know a lot of them have the ability to be set to 10A or 13A.

It's not so much will it work as will it be safe. What would happen is that the Dryer will use more power than the plug, socket and wiring are designed to safetly handle which could cause them to overheat and potentially cause a fire.

I'm sure the electricians on the forum could offer some suggestions otherwise e.g. re-wire the outlet at a higher rating?

Ian

[jonSE]

M&S Socks

[Carey]

Would check the manual as I know a lot of them have the ability to be set to 10A or 13A.

It's not so much will it work as will it be safe. What would happen is that the Dryer will use more power than the plug, socket and wiring are designed to safetly handle which could cause them to overheat and potentially cause a fire.

I'm sure the electricians on the forum could offer some suggestions otherwise e.g. re-wire the outlet at a higher rating?

Ian

Anybody offer advice on this one? Don't want to bring our 13amp dryer if we won't be able to use it safely.