[Cruz]

Greetings,
first of all thank you all very kindly for this site. It is quite helpful. Does anyone have recommendations or cautions for shipping the following from Detroit, MI, to Tauranga, NZ: two sparkling clean mountain bikes, two brand-new backpacks stuffed with gear (camp-stove, water-filter, sleeping-bag, thermarest, tent, etc.), a snowboard bag with mountain-gear, a box of kitchen essentials, two suitcases of clothes, books, and personal items, and a guitar. Basically I would like to know which companies offer the best value considering reliability, time, and cost? Fed-Ex, UPS, USPS, or other international agent? We will be reimbursed for the shipping.
We are packing our clothes, electronics, documents, and must have items with us. We will have two suitcases and a carry-on each. We will pay extra for a bag of kiteboarding gear to come with us straight away. We are going to the bay of plenty to work in an ER for one year only so we are not totally relocating. The medical/nursing council is taking forever and it is delaying our visa application so we are going to Hawaii to stay with friends until we are cleared, then we will journey the final leg.
When we ship our stuff do we need a physical address or do we pick the stuff up in Auckland at customs? We ave waited until the last minute to really buckle down here so any advice is greatly appreciated. Cheers!

[barryp]

To answer your last question first: yes, you do need a physical address before you ship anything, for Customs' purposes. But the address need not be your home - it could be that of a friend, your employer-to-be, or even your hotel. You don't need to deliver items to this physical address.

MAF are rather picky about dirt, water (yes, water), and insects. Bicycles and camping gear are red-flag items, regardless of how they arrive in the country. So you'll have to clean everything that's touched ground thoroughly and disinfect - shoes, tent, et al. We actually discarded our bicycle tyres because we couldn't get them as clean as new ones - and the MAF inspector was pleased about that.

Stoves are also problematic. You could probably bury the stove itself in a box labelled 'camping supplies' and avoid grief that way. You will not be able to ship fuel in the post, via breakbulk, or on an aircraft. Don't try - the dangers are real, the fines are severe, and any common camp fuel is easy to find here.

[*Paul]

Just to add to that excellent advice, you could get a custom crate made to hold all the boxes in place. Let the air out of your bike tires (if you keep them) as the shipment may see considerable heat.

[Cruz]

Thank you for the tips. We will clean everything as best we can. Anyone recommend a shipping company?

[Howie]

We used Rainier to ship stuff from NJ to NZ. We shipped less than a container and just paid by the ft^3. Although our stuff took 3 months to get to NZ, we were reasonably happy with them and I would recommend them.

[Cruz]

We are only shipping a relatively small amount of stuff and are only there for a year. I think air freight may be the ticket. Anyone have any experience in that department? Should be two weeks or less from what I understand.

[wanderingoregonian]

Hi Cruz, We had all our bags/boxes already packed and stored at a friends house, and also were considering air freight. However, we ended up with upakweship... so far it worked fine. I'm reserving a longer post on it until I actually have my stuff - but they charged by the cubic foot, I dropped off my stuff at a shipping warehouse... its now in NZ (about 6 weeks from the west coast in the US). I went to MAF to clear it and then took the forms to customs. Once in contact with the correct offices here, its been straightforward. The actually shipping folks were Carotrans and Mainfreight, but I don't know if you can deal with them directly. I think getting the whole lot down here (with fees) was about $1200.

We are finding it nice to not have all our stuff here while we look for a rental - the shipping time is like free storage for us:) Feel free to pm if you have questions.

[Ana&Steve]

wanderingoregonian, I can't wait for your report!
Ana

[wanderingoregonian]

and I can't wait for my stuff, so I can post in confidence:) If its all smashed and wet, I'm sure it'll be a different post than if my boxes are lovely and dry and people keep treating me as nicely as they have.

[Nathan]

We are only shipping a relatively small amount of stuff and are only there for a year. I think air freight may be the ticket. Anyone have any experience in that department? Should be two weeks or less from what I understand.

I looked at cargo on NZAir for my delicate instruments. It's reasonable if you're flying there...because they give 50% discount for your cargo if you're emmigrating. It only takes a week or so.
If you;re only going to be there a year, it would be nice to not have to wait several weeks. I don't know if the discount applies in your case, though. I also talked to UPS, and their prices were similar, but they couldn't handle a pkg as big as my double bass.

I'd be interested in knowing what you select.

[Cruz]

We will post who we decide to use. Maybe FedEx. Any other suggestions? We are packed up and on our way to Hawaii until our papers are finalized. The cargo is at home still until we have an address to ship to.

[wanderingoregonian]

If you have any books, CD's or movies, you might want to look at the UPSP media rate for those boxes... I have no idea what they are, but it was a thought that crossed my mind.

[migratory birds]

My n'bor (in WI) is packing up to move to HI - tells me shipping via airline as "excess baggage" is the best way to go for items you want to be sure arrive dry or for shipping a few items (was it up to 10?) - $50/box.