[Sarah & Alex]

I'm sure everyone has had this dilema ... What should I take to NZ?

Personal Items are a must but apart from that is there anything I should ship or should I buy it all over there?

Most items I've decided to buy in NZ instead of shipping, but I'm 50/50 on whether to take the brand new bed I've just bought, the only other things I'd take would be some pictures. Is it worth me shipping the bed across (I could then fit the pictures in the draws) or just buy another new bed?

Is there anything that is cheaper in NZ than the UK?

I'm having a manic clothes dump, so should I buy all the new clothes in NZ (and save room in my suitcase) or is it cheaper to buy in the UK?

Blokes close your eyes go to the next paragraph - Now a really girly question: Do you know of any bra's shops in Auckland for the Jorden's among us?? or should I stock up now?

Any suggestions of what you can / can't get in New Zealand and the relative prices would be helpful.

[Smiler]

Hi Sarah

Look away from the screen guys! Stock up on bra's in the Uk. I'm having trouble getting the ermmm larger sizes. OH thinks it's brilliant that I'll run out of bra's soon. :o

It depands on what other clothes shops you like. If you are into Primark and New Look, stock up in UK. There is K Mart and others like the Warehouse here. I always buy in the sales anyway.

In Welly and surrounding areas there are some nice clothes shops for 'good' stuff and business wear. I've sold a lot of my stuff on Trademe and got good prices for it. I've also bought clothes and furniture on there too.

Are you filling a container? If so bring what you can, familiar things will help settle you in IMHO. If you want an idea of bed prices, our huge sleigh bed in the sales was $600 and a good sprung do dah mattress was $1100 again in the sales and one of the more expensive ones.

If you need any other stuff pricing bob the engineer has a good thread or just pm me.

[meely&paul]

l would stock up before you come,l really miss M&S! clothes shops here are not very good IMHO as for your furniture bring it all with you, alot of things in NZ are really expensive :(


meely

[kiwidollie]

I agree bring it all!!! Clothes shops are the pits here.

[Carol]

Hi Sarah

Look away from the screen guys! Stock up on bra's in the Uk. I'm having trouble getting the ermmm larger sizes. OH thinks it's brilliant that I'll run out of bra's soon. :o

.


The Bendon shop in Otaki (nice run out!!) has .........."larger" sizes.
I was there at the weekend with my friend - who needed a .......wait for it.....12F!!!


We found one though - and plenty of others bigger!!
They were all really pretty!! Around $30 in the outlet store.

[StevieD]

Carol, forgive my ignorance but what does the F stand for? ;) :laugh

[felix]

Hi, white goods are really pricey..gave all ours away before leaving UK, duuuuuuhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! Cost $9000 to re kit kitchen and laundry, cooker, dryer, washer, fridge freezer and cooker..all nice stuff be middle of the road..and suites..they are over priced here and in the main devoid of taste. We did however pack a forty footer with all the other stuff 82 yrs of accumulative life brings..really glad that we did..the familiarity of all our stuff I am sure helped with the transition....we were going to sell our suites in the UK for about £300 each..they would have cost about four times that £1200 ($3600) to replace here!!! Thank God no one took a shine to 'em. Bring it all and bring it on!!!!!!!!!!! NZ 15 months and ain't going back..its way too good here..even in Palmerston North!! Good luck with the application. Kind regards, Dom. :raebanana

[Carol]

Carol, forgive my ignorance but what does the F stand for?


Depends Steve -
from a woman's point of view "Phewwwww!!!!!" (glad that's not me!)
from a blokes point of view "Phwooooooaaaarrr"
:nice1

[Carol]

We did however pack a forty footer with all the other stuff 82 yrs of accumulative life brings..

WOW!!!
Felix are you 82???????

[StevieD]

Like it Carol! Although after watching bits of Big Brother with the 'lady' with the biggest implants in Britain, I cannot see the attraction somehow, more of an eeuurrrghh.

[Diny]

Bring everything !!!!!! We got rid of so much 'stuff' before we came and wish we'd bought it all with us. "nd hand furniture here is a joke of a price - we could have made a killing.

Clothes shops are abit duff - I went home recently and stocked up - felt great !!!

As for a size F bra .... if it was me I'd know what the 'F' would stand for !!!!! No thank you - that would be far too much weight to carry around - physically and mentally.

Diny

[marcia]

I know shoe sizes are different over there, (was horrified when I had to get a size 7 sandal for my little size 4 feet!!)

But are clothes sizes and also bra sizes the same as the UK? :confused:

[Smiler]

Thanks Carol :nice1 Otaki here I come.

I don't want to know what FF stands for, ever. My gym teacher always told me it was because I had a broad back. :confused:

[Lupin]

If you get desperate over there you could always use Ample Bosom (http://www.amplebosom.com/)...the most massive range imaginable and £7 to ship worldwide.
You'd have to be desperate though as it would be very pricey on a NZ wage I'm sure!

ETA: oh look, Australia have something similar (http://www.lisaslacies.com.au/display-categories.asp?id=14&cat=Bras+%26+Briefs)...bet NZ do!

[jubjub]

Yup, Bendon go up to an 18F which is a 40f to us... and there are factory outlets all over...

You can get larger ones in Farmers, but they can be setting you back around 50-60 dollars.... and the range is pretty limited.

Also on the subject of underwear, if you like Sloggis, bring them with you too, not found anything I like as much over here.

In short, bring your favourite undies with you !

OK blokes, you can look now....

Beds can be around $2000, or a bit cheaper on sale, so it depends on how much yours is going to cost to ship...

Have a look here for some price ideas...

http://www.farmers.co.nz/
http://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/

[Avalon]

Im with everyone else on this - bring the lot. Then go shopping and bring that too. I too am kicking myself for getting rid of so much stuff.

And dont be fooled by Maf rules - theres actually very little they wont let through.

Oh - bring OXO cubes ( you can oly get beef and chicken - and its expensive), and if you like tea - you relaly must bring some with you. PG Tips is available in big catering boxes, but Yorkshire tea will set you back about $15 for 250g.

On the subject of Bras - anyone who needs sports bras - try www.lessbounce.com based in teh UK. So far everywhere in NZ thinks you have to have boobs like fried eggs if you want to excersice. Less bounce are a lot more realistic - and only £6 postage no mater how much you order.

[Carol]

and dont forget the most important item of all.....the gravy granules!
:nice1

[D&L+dog]

We're flying out beginning of September and the container's being packed last week in August. Have a lot of mis-matched kitchen stuff so decided to a final "run" to IKEA to stock up on plates, bowls, glasses, plastics and whatever else takes our fancy. Told OH about this link and things we need, he just grimaced and said, remember NZ's not a third world country!
Lynne :laugh

[Cardy]

WE would say take everything even the kitchen sink. Honestly tin openers ,gravy jugs rolling pins,pans the lot bring it all. Also the gravy granules and teabags. I,m still trying to get over the shock of all this bra talk i think i might start making them made to measure . :laugh I would love going to work every day then. :laugh

[David with a dream]

All this talk of tea, we found that Choyse tea was just fine and we are big Yorkshire Tea folk. On the other other hand is it worth bringing a crate of Yorkshire tea and selling on the black market to all the whinging :wah poms and making a tidy packet :laugh ..........David with a plan to make some $....

[Marie P]

We buy Bell's Tea bags they are fine ,what we miss is Robinsons special R orange squash.[Bought a few bottles from British shop but it is lotsa dollas :no ]
Can't seem to find any squash that is just orange ,apart from the sachets but they taste a bit powdery .
Can't think of anything else we really miss ,kids eat the chocolate no problem ,crisps are not as good as walkers of course.

But overall here in Auckland we manage to get everything we need [shelves full of gravy stuff too ] and if you really need some extra stuff you can get it if you want to pay for it :nice1

Marie x

[Smiler]

Back to bra's for a mo, sorry guys.

Lupin thanks for the link. :nice1 I used Figleaves and Bravissimo in the UK and I'm on the hunt for Freya and Fantasie, so I'm off to search. I don't mind paying for them to come across the ditch. :laugh

Now I'm going to have dreams tonight about bra's filled with gravy granules and yorkshire tea. :(

[Debbie]

Can you put Tea in the container?
I can't see why not it's a dry food. Has anyone done it and found it tasted OK at the other end.
Off to Cost-co inn a week or so. A final run to stock up on every thing, so any suggestions of whats good to stick in your container in a caterring sixe pack?
Debbie

[meely&paul]

Hi,just bring the whole of cost-co :D

tbags.coffee,fairy liquid,ribena,walkers crisps,bisto,stock cubes,marmite,soap powder(lots of it),lenor&comfort(o how l miss the smell),andrex loo roll,lots of biscuits,the list is endless!
wish l could just nip to cost-co :(

meely

[Diny]

Tell you something I really miss ...... stuffing mix !!!! Good old Paxo sage & onion.

When I was pregnant I developed a craving for paxo - in the bowl, boiling water added and then just eat it as is ....... stodgy lumpy and extremely satisfying.

I'm no longer pregnant but the craving persists ..... it's one of those 'just got in from the pub' foods, no nutritional value, high in fat, salt, artificial flavours,
E numbers and full of flavour !!!!!

When we have roast I make my own stuffing, which is great, but it just doesn't cut the mustard when it comes to 'straight from the bowl' snacking.

If anybody knows of an NZ supplier of the 'food from the Gods' please let me know.

As for other food items, most things can be bought over here. There are plenty of gravy products on the shelves, but no granules, and what is on offer IMHO tastes abit 'raw and powdery' - again, for 'proper' meals I make my own (nothing like having that handy tub in the pantry though - great for adding to stews and casseroles).

There's a couple of varieties of kettle chips available which are as near to the real thing as you're going to get, but generally speaking crisps (or chips as they are called over here) tend to be on the wrong side of average.

Ingteresting that we're all talking about our comfort foods - and hey - let's not even go in the direction of chocolate (apart from to say that you 'think' you've got use to NZ choc until you re-taste the real stuff, then you realise what utter **** you've been putting up with since you arrived here).

As for 'real' food stuffs, meat, fish, veg, store cupboard items, fruit etc - it's all very good and I can't foresee anybody having any major food culture shocks.

Diny

[Diny]

Oh hold on ...... here's another thing ......... bourbon cream biscuits. The finger ones with sugar on them. And custard creams too.

Diny

[Angie and Mick]

I will have to show the oh this thread, he keeps saying get rid of everything.

Another thing that I would make sure you have lots of is footwear, I know my sister-in-law who lives in Wellington always visits with one small case but packs another for all the clothes and shoes that she buys to take back with her. :)

[Diny]

my sister-in-law who lives in Wellington always visits with one small case but packs another for all the clothes and shoes that she buys to take back with her. :)

This is exactly what I did. I visited home in April and took one small case with me, I came back with 1 small case plus 2 very large cases - did a megga shop - clothes mainly - so much more choice and MUCH better prices (for what I wanted) back in UK.

Diny

[spudulike]

Smiler - Bravissimo deliver to NZ. Just had their catalogue delivered so was pleased to see that!! Although still bf baby at the mo so nice bras are a thing of the past :o

Louise

[jubjub]

Although still bf baby at the mo so nice bras are a thing of the past :o

Louise

Bummer aint it, I am desperate for a nice lacy underwired number..... never mind, one day soon :yes

Clothes over here are probably the only thing I have not totally adjusted to yet..

[Carol]

My name is Carol and I have a confession to make....


I am a Warehouse clothes shopper.


:o

[Smiler]

My name is Carol and I have a confession to make....


I am a Warehouse clothes shopper.:o

:laugh

I liked some t shirts I bought there until I got home and found the maternity label in them. :mad:

Thanks Spud. I'll check them out, I used them all the time in the UK. :clap

I also saw an advert for Bendon in Lower Hutt today. Looks like it's gonna be a busy shopping week.

[Sarah & Alex]

I now think a shopping trip is in order! (and for a change I have a really good excuse for the OH!)

Anyone know how many suitcases you can take!?

[jubjub]

Another thing I have just discovered, the range of handbags is pretty bad, I need a new one (old one is in some state...) and all I seem to be able to find are ones that Bet Lynch would like, or ones that look like they came out of a dressing up box...

So if you fancy a new one, get it now!

[K&CS]

Sal and Louise

Me too! I can't remember the last time I had nice lacey undies and seeing as ds won't even contemplate drinking out of a cup (although he's 10 months), think it will be a while before I can have a nice shopping spree. Just hope to manage to get him to take a drink from a cup before he ends up like the man on Little Britain!

I haven't been clothes shopping since I got here - we're going on a trip to the UK this time next year - I think I can make do till then and I'm going to do a Diny and take an empty suitcase. The trouble is, I bet that everything that used to seem cheap in the UK will seem expensive when I'm putting it back into kiwi dollars. I was telling a friend how good the baby socks in Gap were and that you could get 3 pairs for £5 - when I said that was $15, she thought that was outrageously expensive, and I had to agree. I wouldn't contemplate spending $15 on 3 pairs of baby socks here!

I'm glad my kids drink water cos the squash drinks look horrible! I also agree about the chocolate, but I've developed a Tim Tams habit in its place, so I'm not really benefitting. Wine is fabulous - I love Lindauer and I can usually get it on special from Woolies or SuperValue at $9.95 a bottle. I've found baby and kids clothes to be ok, but not as good as UK. Baby food is rubbish here too, I have to say, but at least it encourages you to make your own!

Sal, save your money - don't bother buying a new handbag for at least 2 years! It'll get ruined in days, what with all the you have to cart round with you when you've got a baby!

Kate

[jubjub]

Sal, save your money - don't bother buying a new handbag for at least 2 years! It'll get ruined in days, what with all the you have to cart round with you when you've got a baby!

Kate

thats what its for.... got some nice ones in the cupboard that are just not big enough, and a proper kapoochi baby nappy bag thats too big for everyday... so looking at the cheap end of the market, and its not nice!

I did a big shop in Matalan while we were back for baby clothes and stuff for us, spent about £200, and if I had thought of it as $600, I probably would have slowed down a bit, but we did get quite a lot. (just forgot to look for a bag:p )