[SteveO]

Has anyone found their hayfever to be worse or better in NZ than in the UK?
I currently suffer mildly from grass pollens (ryegrass most common type of hayfever) from May to July. Given the UK's poor climate missing outdoor walking in the countryside for 3 months of the 5 best of the year is a real bind. I am hoping NZ would be better given that I live now in the middle of England and plan to live by the coast at either Wellington or Auckland.

Thanks for help Steve

[sizzlingbadger]

Unfortunately you'll only find out how your hayfever is after you arrive ...

I've have been very lucky and so far (touch wood) haven't really suffered with it since I got here. Although I used to live near wheat fields back in the UK and here the closest I've got to those was the other side of Palmerston North ! That seemed to be the cause of hayfever for me, now and again though I start sneezing when we've had the lawn cut.

However haven't been so fortune on the asthma front, I thought it would magically disappear once we got here :roll Very wrong, it's been the worst it's been in a long time and it's taking a long time to come back under control :(

[ruthyroo]

Unfortunately NZ is renowned for being bad for asthma and hayfever. I never had hayfever in the UK but out here it's hit me like a ton of bricks each summer. It seems to come in waves - the grasses come on, then just as they die off the wattle trees start to flower... and so on throughout the summer. Damp houses and generally humid climate don't help with the asthma either.

[Tia Maria]

My OH, also suffered from very mild hayfever in the UK, it didn't really need treating, just a bit annoying. However, in NZ, it has got a lot worse, although he finds the nasal sprays are normally enough to stop it getting too bad.

We've only been here a short while, so I don't know if this is just an initial reaction, or whether he'll get it year in year out now.

Cheers

Tia

PS We're living North Shore, Auckland - not sure if its better elsewhere.

[katandbob]

Funny thing, changes of environments.........I had a bad bout of wheezyness when I started my new jobs...must be the change in environments etc, hope that arriving in NZ in winter will ease me into it (and my lads in Sept) otherwise I better stock up on tabs...BTW how is the prices for hayfever/alergy products, do they sell cheap versions?
Kat

[Moorf]

My sis-in-law's symptoms started pretty much an hour or so after they arrived in early summer :( and she suffered badly throughout their stay. She said it was a lot worse than in the UK.....

[k-k]

Kat,

In reply to your question about cost of hayfever meds in NZ, I'd make sure you stock up before you get here. I sold a pack of 30 Clarityn tablets the other day and nearly died of shock when the price came up on the till.... $56 for 30 tablets. You could buy the generic version (Loratidine) for £1.99 for 30 in the UK pharmacy I worked in.

It's all branded stuff over here and it's expensive.

Karen

[jubjub]

A nasal spray (flixonase) is just over $20.

Be careful what you bring with you, if its got the psuedoephydrine it it, DON'T, you will get a major hard time from customs as its used to make street drugs over here "P", they take its importation very seriously.
Cant say I have been any better or worse, hubby says his sneezing is way better than it used to be. Guess it depends what triggers you.

[katandbob]

Cheers Karen and Sal,

will buy an extra box....need to send robs dollies and hammers anyway...I am sending a supply of P20 as well as I am not taking any chances with the sun! (only want to be sliced once!

Kat

[Daffy]

I found it a lot worse in NZ, but the nasal spray pretty much stopped it as it does for me in UK. I suppose a lot more grass, trees and pollen in general means more hay fever.

[SteveO]

Thanks for replies from everybody, I would be interested to hear from more. So far NZ sounds much worse than UK which is surprising given the cleaner air however all that rolling countryside is bound to generate more pollen.

[Hannah]

I had really severe hayfever in the UK - my eyes would often swell up and close etc etc. I spend 2 months each summer looking like i've been kicked in the face by a donkey and that's WITH all the medication. It's grass pollen allergy and my son has it too. We both get breathing problems also (like the pollens got into the lungs - i guess that's what asthma must feel like?)

Anyway, I've had virtually NO hayfever here in NZ this summer. The only time i experienced it was when we went of for a trip in land (towards Rotorua). The only thing i can account for is location - living in New Plymouth, right on the coast, wind generally comes in from the west and blows any grass pollen in land i guess. I bought hayfever medication of various sorts in anticipation and had no problems at all. My son had some mild problems but nothing like UK. I put his down to his activities (he spends a lot of time on grass, playing football). Seriously, i've not experienced hayfever at all in New Plymouth. Now there's a good reason for me to emigrate here (i.e. NP) permanently.

Weird thing is I used to spend time on coast in England during summer and my hayfever was often worse (lots of grass on sand dunes in places we visited.)
The grass in NP is well looked after by council and i can't remember seeing any long grass anywhere i've been to. There's no rape seed fields here (indeed, no crop fields that i'm aware of, it's all dairy farms) so that's one big problem out the way. (Northants, where i'm from, is full of rape seed plantations).

Hope this helps! hannah

[SteveO]

I make that about 5 worse (including Asthma) and 2 better, I wonder if New Plymouth is the answer for Hayfever sufferers or whether there are other good locations in NZ or in fact anymore feedback?

[SteveO]

Could anybody tell me which months or even dates they are affected with hayfever (grass pollen). I will have to come and check it out personally and as I can only get a maximum of 3 weeks I want to time this at the worst hayfever dates to see if affected. I know it sounds mad but I don't want to get to NZ and then suffer worse than UK. Thanks in advance for your help

[nick w]

that's just great........we live in rural uk and hoping to relocate to nz within a year. I've started suffering bad hay fever here this year, which is wierd coz its never really affected me before. However my kids seem to permanently walk around with blood shot itchy eyes and bits of tissue stuffed up their noses to stop the torent of runniness that occurs. We use all the anti-histamines and nasal sprays but they don't do much good. Guess we'll just have to live in the city boo hoo!

[b&k]

I had hayfever in the UK. When I was in New Zealand the whole summer of 2005/6, I had none. Now that I'm back in the UK, it has returned.

When in NZ I travelled around the whole country during the summer months and I can't remember having hayfever once.

I live in London and think that it's the pollution which makes hayfever affect me as I never had it before I moved here.

[hball]

Supporting other comments here. My hayfever started the summer we arrived - I had no idea what it was as I had never experienced it in the UK! When I went to the health store the lady took one look at my red eyes and streaming nose and said "Just arrived in New Zealand have you?"

I recommend a garlic and horseradish supplement - works wonders for me.

[IanW99]

For me, I would say the hayfever symptoms were less and the season was much shorter in NZ. Living next to the coast may help.

My son was never affected in the UK but does suffer mildly here.

Ian

[Sam B]

My partner, J, has had bad hay fever every year in the UK, watery snot, endless sneezing, and it always reached an absolute fever pitch on our annual holiday to the Dordogne (tonnes of beautiful meadows which I always insisted we had picnics in - he was a sight!), but we arrived here in January, and he hasn't had much hay fever at all. It's much better. We're in the Waikato - there's lots of grass, but it's all munched by cows, so no meadows. Maybe that's it?

[thepiesleys]

my son and i are still both suffering 7 months in and winter time. I don't know if it is hay fever we never suffered in the uk, but we both have itchy red watery eyes, runny or blocked noses and itchy throats, it is unbearable sometines and hardley noticeable at others, we use Dimmetapp (sp) which is o.k but i am worried about my son using so much of this sort of er well, what would we say, antihistamine i suppose - can he stay on "medication" indeffinitely? I am going to try the nasal spray too after some of your comments, are thet o.k for children?
sue

[nippa&pippa]

My daughter and I were suffer from grass pollen allergy, i have found so far it is ok but it is depend where you go or stay. During last summer in christchurch, I didn't have any problem till we went to Nelson, and whole time we stayed in Nelson, Ii was suffering..as well as our children which surprised me. My daughter's ezcema flared up badly too at Nelson.

[Joanne100]

I suffered quiet badly in the Uk, always had to take something, May - sept, worse wen it rained! I live high up in Christchurch and dont know if that has anything to do with it, but i have very little signs of hayfever now, i just had a runny nose this year instead of the usual looking like id been beat up!
Also my son suffered from Asthma since he was born and was on two inhalers, worse in the summer as he had hayfever mixed in too, but i think he has used his inhaler twice in the two years we have been here.
I think it must depend on where u live.
I hope ur one of the lucky ones, hayfever made me very miserable , one more plus point for NZ! lol

[Debbie]

Only been here one summer but OH had no hayfever here, I had mild irritating runny nose but didn't take any meds. In the UK we were both on anti-hystamines.(sp) The kids didn't seem bad either and my son was on daily meds in the UK.
However, there are killer dustmites here. Son saw the allergy consultant who tell us that the 2 types of dustmite in NZ are particularly allergenic and my son is allergic to both. They will cause runny nose, breathing difficulties and can be confussed as part of hayfever or asthma type symptoms. In my sons case he had a really bad rash all over his body as well which was very distressing.
Our GP was very happy to arrange skin tests to check just what he was allergic to and then referred him to Starship.
Debbie

[Shones]

My mum read somewhere that if you take a spoonful or so of LOCALLY produced honey it can help hayfever. I tried one that was made a few streets away from us and it really helped diminish hay fever symptoms. I also foudn something called Propoleo (some liquid bees extract from flowers and use in their hives I think) and took a few drops three times a day with the honey and that made things loads better.
Worth a try anyway!