[Going2NZ]

Has anyone thought about or actually converted US appliances to NZ standards? Not everything, just washer and dryer. We're not bringing much but after 3 months in NZ, I suggested to my DH that maybe it would be worth doing for just a couple of "neccessities" especially given the high cost of appliances here. He is one of those brilliant people who is good with electrical widgets, fixing things better than they were before they broke and re-engineering gadgets.

I doubt MAF or Customs cares about what kind of plugs your stuff but thought I'd ask if anyone has tried this.

[Oregonkiwi]

I was curious about this too. If you do a forum search for "NZ vs US electronics" you will find a couple of informative threads on the topic. Hope that helps!

[Monzie]

Yes. I've been wondering about this too...mostly because I'd rather not have to replace my ridiculously expensive Dualit toaster (NZ$699?? eep!) which was a wedding gift and supposed to "last a lifetime". I'll happily sell my blender, VCR, television, hair dryer, and bread machine when the time comes to liquidate the household assets. But y'all better keep yer greedy mitts offa my toaster! ;)

Oh, and this is my first official post. I've been lurking for a few weeks and thought it was finally time to register. Greetings!

[Going2NZ]

Hey Monzie, welcome to the forum! Wisconsin hmmm? I have a friend in Whitefish Bay (?) - you haven't lived until you've heard a Texas accent with a Wisskahnsen one on top of it! (No animals were harmed in my attempt at phonetic spelling) ;-) Besides, as an Army brat, I have some layered accents myself.

Have y'all noticed that it seems to be people from the western/rugged individualist states that want to move to NZ?

Anyhow, I can't say I blame you on the toaster. I'd be having toast morning, noon and night! I checked out Oregonkiwi's hint and will be passing the links on to my hubby to see if its possible. Thanks for reminding me about that thread - I remember reading it at the time but that was pre-NZ so it must have slipped out of my brain. Personally, we'd pretty much decided to get rid of almost everything we have and start fresh but no sense ditching things that don't weigh too much and might have greater value here. On the few things we will bring, we've got some transformers that should cover the needs.

Oregonkiwi, what did you decide to do about appliances? From that thread it doesn't sound like its possible but I'm holding out for a second opinion.

Susan

[jess]

Good question Going2NZ. (I don't have an answer at all, but wanted to get the East Coast on the thread ;))

On several things we have that are in fine condition, we thought we would spend less money on the voltage adapters than an NZ replacement, and we have room in the container anyway. Small things like the toaster, the video camera recharger, some nice power tools... That's not the same as your handy OH who can convert the appliance itself, which seems like a much better option!

So far I haven't figured out a reason not to save $ by taking things with adapters, although something tells me it may seem impractical once I'm there.

Jessica

[DrPhred]

Ohh, Wisconsin & Minnesota!
We should have a nothern states meet!

[tigerlily]

I'm hoping to convert a couple of lamps, but they should be cheap to rewire. Could you just run it with one of those little converter plugs?

[Oregonkiwi]

hi Going2NZ,
you asked me what we're doing about appliances. We're not taking any with us. Not necessarily because of incompatability but simply because we're not taking a container. We're only moving with what we can fit in our luggage. We've always rented our home which means we don't own any "big" appliances, and we'll just sell/Goodwill our cheap DVD player etc. I was sad about having to leave my bread machine but then I saw a bunch of them on trademe for around NZ$15 so that cheered me up!

[Monzie]

Count me in, DrPhred. A northern states meet up sounds like a marvelous idea. We can discuss the finer points of packing a snow blower for shipment overseas. :laugh (Actually, that's one item I'll be able to walk away from without a second thought....)

You should hear *my* layered accent, Going2NZ. I grew up in the wilds of northern Minnesota and relocated to exotic southern WI in my 20's. Talk about your flat vowels. Yikes!

And I can not only make fifty varieties of hotdish and jello salad, but I can also grill up a mess of beer-simmered bratwurst like nobody's business. And let's not forget, all the fancy toast you could ever want. I am defintely a renaissance woman.

I'm currently looking forward to the next phase of my life....the one where I add "g'day mate" and lamb burgers to my repetoire.

[Park City Partner]

We are preparing for the movers to come mid-January and we are getting several transformers to convert a lot of stuff. When we were in NZ last year we priced an eletric jug as a gift for our hosts. A nice stainless steel on seemed to run between $75-100! So, we decided to spend money on transformers because we will have room in the container. I will let you know how it works out but to replace all our appliances etc would be more than the transformers.

[T-R3xx]

Count me in, DrPhred. A northern states meet up sounds like a marvelous idea. We can discuss the finer points of packing a snow blower for shipment overseas. :laugh

Count us in, too. I had "funny" thoughts of posting a picture of me snow-blowing the driveway last week with my Chocolate Fish ballcap on.

On electronic devices - check the power transformers, or the back of the device and see if it say something like "100-240vac, 50-60hz" If so, they will work fine with a simple plug change or adapter. The adapters are cheap on Ebay.