[ryandmi]

hi anybody here who migrated or still in the process of moving to NZ but they dont have any family/relatives living there? what are you plans like where are you going to stay or how are you going to look for work?

In our case, im sure we'll be having difficult time since we dont have any relatives in NZ and i would like to know someone who is like us. how much money did you bring?

[Moorf]

I think quite a few of us have no family here in NZ, and I only had friends here via this forum. So you're not in the minority arriving here with no support or family. Won't take you long to make friends on here though. :nice1 Welcome.

Moorf

[Aydon]

We were lucky in that we had friends with whom we could stay to get our bearings. We are now moving into a rental before getting our house built.

We arrived with $390,000. The rental will cost us $1560 a month ($390 per week) and we will probably have to stay in it for 9 months. We have decided to forego Sky in the rental to save some money to allow us to have asmaller mortgage.

How much money you *need* will depend on loads of factors - how comfortable you want to be, what your level of comfort is, where you are going to live, what you do for a living, how quickly you find work, etc., etc.

You will VERY quickly make friends here - everyone (and I mean EVERYONE!) will stop and chat and ask about things and talk to you - have no fears on that score! :D

[ryandmi]

it would be a challenged to me and my wife because we dont have any relatives. im still planning on where are we going to stay once we're there. or maybe i should just cross the bridge when i get there...... because i just submitted my EOI yesterday. hope luck is on our side :)

[Tia Maria]

Yes we came to NZ without any friends or relatives here, to help out. We used the internet and forums to do as much research as possible first. Chose an area, and booked hotels etc in that area for a few weeks, while we set up.

OH is in IT and got a job pretty quickly through www.seek.co.nz. Finding a rental was harder for us and we ended up buying, which was a surprisingly simple process.

The main times we've missed having someone already over, here have been for one-off situations. For instance, there was a time when the whole family fell ill, and it would have been great to have someone help out. Or, at the moment we are having our bathroom done, and it would be good to have family to stay with for a few days.

It is harder without others to help, but I think many people do it this way and get on just fine.

Probably the best advice I can give, is make good use of this forum, check out the search facility, and if you can't find the answer in past posts, then ask lots of questions - someone nearly always knows the answer!

Cheers

Tia

[Smiler]

We arrived knowing no one, no family here, just our credit cards, a little bit of pocket money and a job for the OH. He had some web contacts, that was all really.

We got a rental in the first few days after looking at some grotty and not so grotty hovels. OH started work one week later. The bank supplied our 1st weeks accomodation.

Since being joining here, this forum and it's members have been a mine of information and tremendous support. I've met my new best friend and some great people.

The dodgy woman on the Cook Straits ferry was a one off incident. ;)

Welcome to the forum and ask away if you've got any questions, we do! :D

[sizzlingbadger]

Welcome to the forum :cheers

We're lucky in the fact that I have my Auntie and Uncle living down in Christchurch. But to be honest it still feels like they're living a million miles away, we've seen them twice in a year and they're hoping to come up and visit us for a 2nd time in August. With three kids it still costs quite a bit of money to fly down or travel by ferry and train to see them.

Via a couple of forums and the fact that we've moved into a small town we've settled very quickly and made lots of kiwi friends and ex pat friends on the forum. Haven't really missed the family as we've never been that close to them. Although the in laws are planning on living out here 6 months of the year soon, it won't affect us in our routines and plans.

[Millsy-K]

Hi,

My family is all over the place, my mum lives in Italy, my father in Brazil and my sister is in London, so no relatives or friends around here, but i think that's part of the whole challenge.Starting again, embrancing a new life style and meet people that have done just the same.

Good luck!

[CSD]

Came with about 2000 NZD in cash, credit cards.
No friends/relatives in NZ. Stayed at a hotel while I was looking around for work.
I was headed to Wellington so emailed the backpacker/hotels around the region and ask for their weekly rates. The stay cost me about $225 NZD per wk.

Relied on the internet a lot so visited the net cafes at least once a day. Generally an hour of web time will set you back by $4 NZD. Seek is a pretty good site to look for job vacancies but I approached a couple of recruitment agencies as well. Generally for IT jobs, it might help to approach the agencies.

As I am in IT, managed to land a job offer in 2 wks. I can empathize with your situation and feelings of insecurity. There are times when I find myself asking if I am nuts coming over with no support network. But once I managed to find work things will start to fall in place. I think you just have to keep the faith and stay positive.

all the best in your move. :nice1

[smitjo]

Well we are in exactly the same position - no family there, no friends there, in fact we have never actually been to NZ :o

It is a HUGE step for us as it is for everyone on this forum but we are really looking forward to the challenges ahead and hope that we are able to find a new circle of friends in NZ, enabling us to start the new chapter of our life. :D

My folks are hoping to move over in a few years time but before then we are doing it alone - scary, exciting, nerve-wracking and shear terror come to mind.... but we are young, have no kids and don't want to look back in ten years time and regret the fact that we never gave it a go!! :eek:

At least we all have this fabulous forum enabling us to share these experiences with each other :nice1

[Cardy]

Hello we dont have family here ,we booked a hotel for 2/3 weeks arranged lots of interviews and then flew here. we only decided where to live when i had a job and rented a house, we even rented the furniture for about 8 weeks while our stuff came from england. If your lucky people from the forum will contact you and help if they can we had quite a few ring us and offer to meet us.Once the kids are in schol you will meet lots of locals and you,ll soon be settled we have only been here since march and have a good circle of friends already.any questions pm us . good luck dont worry be happy.Cardy :nice1

[Lupin]

We are moving to NZ without family and friends other than an Uncle and his family dh met when he was little, but they'll be a few hours from where we're heading.

We're coming with pretty modest savings (enough to get there and get set up) as many people do, so you're not alone in either respects. :)

[Cardy]

hello we came out with no family or freinds and we have only been here since march and have lots of good friends we can meet up with now . We booked a hotel for 3 weeks near auckland ,arranged interviews before we flew out and then just did it , 3 weeks after arriving i had a job ,rented a house and rented furniture till ours arrived it was frantic but quite exciting. Once we were settled we started meeting up with people and the kids soon had us meeting up with there new friends parents Believe me its not as daunting as you think and the forumites will be able to help with probs/queries etc .Any questions just pm us . Cheers Cardy

[ryandmi]

Hope me and my OH will be as lucky as you guys. definitely need a lot of prayers and of course hope that our EOI will be selected

[Russell & Sharon]

We have my uncle and cousins who live in Pukekohe and some friends at Clarks Beach. Our job offer however is in Gisborne so we want be able to just pop round for a cup of tea :( . We plan to meet up in the Bay of Plenty.
We have looked in to staying at a motel for the first 10 days or so while we look for a rental.

[Avalon]

Hope me and my OH will be as lucky as you guys. definitely need a lot of prayers and of course hope that our EOI will be selected

You will be OK. As you have seen and will find out when you get here - the majority of migrants have no family or friends when they come out here. And bear in mind that an awful lot of migrants are not even on forum like this one - so dont even come out here with the help and support offered here. We certainly never thought to look for forums BEFORE we left :o

Luck isnt what makes it work either. Some of the most successful migrants I have met have been plagued by the most appalling bad luck. But they are still here - doing well, and adapting.

If you are prepared for a tough few months, and are prepared to maybe do things a little differently from how you may be used to doing things, and if you prepared to get out and make NEW friends - then from what ive seen - you will make a new life here. Or anywhere else you may want to go.

All of us are different of course - and what works for some will not work for others. For us - the turning point came when my OH (in a move so unlike him I was shocked) actually asked someone he worked with if we could take up thier offer of a meal out one night. We would never have the audacity to do that before. They are our dearest friends now, and making that step to branch out of our comfort zones has led to making our new life easier is countless ways.

Be open to a new life. Yuo do not need to have a pile of friends and family here to do it.

A stranger is only a friend you havent met yet.

:)

[ryandmi]

im sure that all of you guys are friendly and im not worried in making new friends. what concerns me more is that its better if we have friends/relatives where we can live in for a moment while me and my OH are looking for a job. it scares me to spend for rentals, food and other basic needs while im still looking for a job.

[Avalon]

im sure that all of you guys are friendly and im not worried in making new friends. what concerns me more is that its better if we have friends/relatives where we can live in for a moment while me and my OH are looking for a job. it scares me to spend for rentals, food and other basic needs while im still looking for a job.
Well, to that I would say its basically a cost of emigrating. And one that again - the vast majority of us have to bear. Along with the costs of applying, selling up, flights, shipping, money lost on goods we have to sell, money spent on purchasing new items to replace them, new cars etc etc.

The cost of a rental is probably not that great compared to everything else. And depending on where you coose to live etc - you can budget for that before you come out. Make sure you do lots of internet searching before you come out so you know what you can expect to pay. And many motels will not cost the earth for teh first week or so - as long as you dont want luxury.

[ryandmi]

Make sure you do lots of internet searching before you come out so you know what you can expect to pay. And many motels will not cost the earth for teh first week or so - as long as you dont want luxury.

yah, thats what im doing as early as now, even if our EOI is not yet selected im already preparing for the challenges to come and getting tips from you guys. It would really hurt me if bad luck crosses our way :(

[Singel]

We certainly never thought to look for forums BEFORE we left :o

Avalon, you are not alone. We do not know that forums like this exist when we arrived here as tourists without a job, relatives or friends. It is the biggest gamble that we took in our life and we don't even have or think of any back up plan (we have never thought of "if things do not work out"). I think our determination to make it successful has overwhelm us and certainly help us to settle down fast and well.

Choosing the biggest city in New Zealand that is Auckland, thinking it could offer us more job opportunities had pay off. My hubby got a job offer less than a month of our arrival.

After we settle down with jobs and our home, now we have loads of friends (neighbours, colleagues, ENZ forumities).

[veronica]

think part of the challenge of emigrating is that you don't have others to rely on. I would think that by far the vast majority of us have no links here and come over and sort our selves out

[Singel]

think part of the challenge of emigrating is that you don't have others to rely on. I would think that by far the vast majority of us have no links here and come over and sort our selves out
Well said, Veronica :nice1

[Sarah & Alex]

We also have no relatives / friends in NZ and I'm going to spend the first 2 months alone before Alex can fly out to join me.

Think positively and get yourself out and about meeting new people and I'm sure you'll make loads of new friends (Someone remind me of this in a month or two when I'm moaning that I want more friends!)

[Diny]

We do have relatives here in NZ (inlaws) but we're not close and I can't say that they have been much help at all (if any) - actually the fact that their son disgraced the family by marrying a Pom is a wound that will never quite heal.

Due to the NW forum meets that took place before we came over here we made some really good forum buddies and that has been a great help.

At the end of the day though you can't rely on anybody other than yourselves. Emigrating is a challenge and an adventure - the more hurdles you jump yourself the prouder you will feel. It's good character building stuff.


everyone (and I mean EVERYONE!) will stop and chat and ask about things and talk to you - have no fears on that score! :D

Wow !!! We've met a comfortable balance of really friendly people/people who nod 'hello' as you pass them/people who couldn't give a monkies who you are and what your story is. Hey - I'd love you to meet my inlaws !!!

Diny

[Aydon]

I've not met one person yet who hasn't asked me about my accent, why I've come to NZ, etc., etc. This includes chekout girls, pub servers, petrol pump attendants - even people in queues in Pak 'n' Save!!!

I stopped into a shop to ask if they had copies of the road code. After 30 minutes I finally managed to extricate myself from the shop, knowing everything there is to know about NZ driving. I find people here to be EXTREMELY friendly and welcoming.

[Diny]

Reading back over my post I realise it could look as though I'm doubting your experiences - please understand that's not the case. It's just that 'personally' I've found a good mix of very friendly - medium friendly - can't be bothered - people here.

I do get the occasional question which arises from the other person hearing my accent, and I do sometimes experience people stopping to talk to me in the street, but I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I don't find EVERYBODY I come across to be interested in me or displaying extraordinary friendliness.

To be honest - maybe this is going to put me in a bad light, but if a 5 min errand turned into a half hour 'social' it would drive me up the wall.

As for check out girls at Pak n Save .... don't get me started !!!!! The robotic, monotone standard enquiry of 'how are you, how's your day been' just irritates me. They don't give a toss - for entertainment I sometimes throw in a random answer such as 'my day's been c***, I've crashed my car, found my husband in bed with my best mate and lost my credit card' ...... they're just not programmed to receive answers like that ........ now that's amusing !!!!!!!!!

People here are great - there's no denying that, it's just that (for me) I can't say that 'EVERYBODY' is falling over themselves to learn about just another immigrant.

Diny

[Diny]

Actually - there's another thread on the go called 'Social Kiwis' which actually relates well to this subject.

Diny

[Carol]

I met two lovely folks in the supermarket this week.







Ok - so they were geordies - and I stopped and my lugs flapped when I overheard their accent - but I'm not bothered!

We are going out to the pub with them sometime soon!
:nice1

[Aydon]

To be honest - maybe this is going to put me in a bad light, but if a 5 min errand turned into a half hour 'social' it would drive me up the wall.


Ah - but I've only been here for 4 weeks - I'm sure it will get under my skin eventually :D

[Diny]

Ah - but I've only been here for 4 weeks - I'm sure it will get under my skin eventually :D


Yeah - fair comment. I've been here for a year now and the 'how's your day been' routine IS wearing thin. I'm not a dragon - honestly !!

Diny

[Annierobrigado]

hi ryandmi

i think everyone in this forum has already been so friendly to me from the day i joined that i think i won't find it extremely difficult to adjust to nz. i know you're from my home country, which makes us realy resilient when it comes to adapting to new environments, but the fact of the matter is, nz is made up of very friendly people, and of course we make friends through our own demeanor too.

don't worry, you can always ask anything on this forum and somebody will always answer. with humor too!

moorf, diny, marie, mark, steve, avalon, rich, lindajax, and oh so many more are only some of the people who readily help with advice and tips on how to manage this sort of confusing and nerve-wracking migration process to nz. so just tune in and keep in touch! :cheers

annie

[Reimone]

Hi Folks!,


This will be my same case, I'm planning to go in NZ as visitor , and eventually, look for a job ( I hope I could find one as early as possible). By the way, when is the right time to go in NZ so I could easily land a job?



Rgds,

Bradley

[Singel]

By the way, when is the right time to go in NZ so I could easily land a job?
Bradley
Avoid school holidays, a lot of mums and dads go on leave ................. businesses will be slow and quiet :yes

[Reimone]

Thanks Singel!, my apology I'm not fully aware yet of the activity schedules in NZ. What period usually this takes place and the normal shutdown of companies? Every last quarter?



Thanks again.

[Singel]

Reimone, here is the info.................. http://www.minedu.govt.nz/index.cfm?layout=document&documentid=3767