[denisesykes]

Hi everyone, we have finally made it to NZ and have decided to settle in Raumati Beach on the Kapiti Coast.It kinda ticked all the boxes for us and the kids and its so far so good.
We have found a nice 3 bed rental about 2 mins from the beach and within walking distance of the very good (decile 9 school) and pick up the keys 2 morrow.However, we went to rent some furniture , just the basics and they wanted over $800 for the month and then we still have to buy bedding , and kitchen items to get us through until our container arrives on 11th Dec.
what did everyone else do , did they bite the bullet and pay to rent or did they buy second hand or borrow or what? I would love to know.
I will post again to tell you about all our experiences so far but at the mo am writing on oh's laptop which is reserved for business , (supposedly!) so have to keep it short.
Anyone else live on the Kapiti Coast, if so maybe we can get 2gether.
Love
Denise

[ukiwibird]

Hi Denise, Great that you've got here at last! We bought mattresses and slept on the floor. We were always in the Warehouse buying bits and pieces cheaply for us to use until our container arrived. We had plastic garden furniture and bought a bed divan to use as a lounge suite. Boy, were we pleased when we got our beds, but it wasn't for long, and now the plastic furniture is in the garden and the bed divan is ready for if we have anyone to stay over. It worked well for us. Were is the Kapiti coast? We are up on the Hibiscus Coast of Auckland. We have been here for 3 months now. Regards Trudy

[jubjub]

We rented the bare minimum, was a bit like camping for a while, bit of an adventure! Couch, bed, fridge, microwave, washing machine.

New bedding wont hurt, as we have found we need a summer set and a winter set anyway.

We bought a very cheap set of crockery, couple of pans, cutlery etc.

At least you dont need to buy heaters :yes

[driver]

we bought some inflatable mattresses cheap at a camping sale the other day, intending on putting them into our suitcases. Only trouble with this is they are quite heavy. Was thinking of putting in a couple of sleeping bags so at least we know we'll have beds. They will come in handy after, cos we intend to continue camping, some weekends.
How do you find a place to rent these items from? Do they have places in most towns or did you get the info from estate agents?

[Babette & Andy]

Good to see you've arrived safely Denise!! Wonderful to have the family back together again. (We can't wait for Andy to get back on Saturday morning after 3 looonnnggg weeks). Look forward to your posts with your experiences.

Kapiti coast is on the outskirts of the Wellington area isn't it, on the left?

Babette

[Smiler]

Denise

Glad to hear you like it up there, it looks beautiful.

We also raided the warehouse, some 2ndhand stores and also trademe has been brill for bargains.

We had already dumped some stuff in the Uk that we intended to buy new here, Bed & furniture and sofa's. We got some good stuff on sale just by chance.

We have rented a washing machine from Mr rentals and decided we could do without microwave for now.

Look forward to hearing how you enjoy the next few weeks too.

Deborah

[Mildred]

Denise

So sorry that I didnt wish you luck when you left. I've been off the forum for a few months so didn't realise you'd finally left Kent.

Hope the kids are really settled in well and that Paul is enjoying his job. Don't worry about your family - it sounds like emotional blackmail to me and I'm sure they'll soon realise how wrong they were to treat you like this.

Take care

Frances

[MB]

we bought some inflatable mattresses

We struck on the idea of an inflatable mattress -- actually, for our son we already had one of those inflatable all-in-one beds with zipped cover -- for ourselves.

We found a queen size for about $34 at The Warehouse, and have been using it as our bed now for months.

I cannot recommend them highly enough for new Kiwis, because not only are they easily portable if you're moving from place to place within a few months, and not only are they cheap and really very comfortable, but they are also a boon for allergy sufferers in that (duh) they are almost all air. Yes, you might want to buy one with a foldable frame for about $120 if being higher off the ground is important to you, but the advantages remian the same.

Furthermore, if the firmness doesn't feel quite right you can put air in or let air out a bit... oh, make sure yours comes with an air pump or buy one at the same time for about $8. If you get it home without one, could be a less comfy first night!